MiddletownJournal.com

Michael Buble sings pretty, talks trashy

By Carol Simmons | Wednesday, October 8, 2008, 11:20 AM

DAYTON — The members of the storied Rat Pack were known to get a little randy during their notoriously booze-fueled Las Vegas appearances.

But Canadian-born crooner Michael Buble, whose retro-pop stylings take particular inspiration from Sinatra, Martin and company, may have gone a tad too far Tuesday night, Oct. 7, during a concert at Wright State University’s Ervin J. Nutter Center.

The guy’s locker room humor and language clashed with the finely polished musical selections, creating a jarring juxtaposition of crass and class. One woman looked increasingly mortified — on large-screen video, no less — as Buble made insinuating sexual suggestions to the man assumed to be her husband. Such was Buble’s stage banter.

Sometimes the clash between the sordid and the suave can be funny; sometimes it’s uncomfortable — the way a drunk can be variously charming and vulgar.

And Buble does indeed have his charms — endearingly goofy ears and all.

His evocative vocals range from a velvety tenor to a tender bass, the depths of which are enhanced by a powerhouse eight-man horn section and a four-man rhythm and strings unit.

When everything hits, including the Vegas-style stage lighting, the effect is electric.

Oh, FYI to the Buble newbies in the audience: Trombonist Nick Vayenas, supposedly “Dayton’s own,” is a noted jazz musician and composer born and reared in Boston. The bit where he steps in for Buble, after the singer storms off the stage in a pretend snit, only to return and “play” Vayenas’ trombone, is a standard part of the show.

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WSU’s ‘Raisin’ not just a history lesson

By Terry Morris | Monday, October 6, 2008, 05:35 PM

DAYTON — If you haven’t seen it for a while, or ever, it’s easy to relegate Lorraine Hansberry’s 49-year-old play “A Raisin in the Sun” to the category of dusty old classic on the shelf.

Approached with the fresh vitality Wright State University Theatre is taking in its season-opening production in the Festival Playhouse, “Raisin” is a cornerstone of American theater and a living drama that connects past to present.

As directed by Mary Donahoe, the play is far more than two crucial scenes emphasized at the expense of others. In one, Walter Younger (Bryant Bentley) and Mama (Monica Williams) discover he has lost two-thirds of his father’s life insurance benefits in a scam. In the other, Walter redeems himself to spearhead the family’s move into the known and unkown — an all-white Chicago suburb.

Other moments contain fewer words, but Donahoe has made them just as expressive. One example comes in Act 1 when Mama tells Walter that his wife Ruth (Shawn Storms) may be considering an abortion. She’s right there in the room, but doesn’t speak. The tension and energy that flows between the three of them until Walter leaves to find a drink explains things the text doesn’t.

Especially in Act 1, the staging elevates Ruth’s importance.

Played by Jasmine Batchelor, college student Beneatha’s scenes with rich, shallow suitor George Murchinson (Jeremy Gaston) and Nigerian student Joseph Asagai (Brandon L. Kelly) illustrate two mainstreams of African-American thought, but are also entertaining and amusing.

Stivers School for the Arts student Trey Melvin’s relaxed and happy portrayal of young Travis Younger also helps make this a confident and hopeful “Raisin,” not an angry or doubting one. The pain Walter reveals upon learning the cost of one dream turns out to be more a reason to care about him than to condemn him.

The production is dedicated to Dayton actor and director Sheila Ramsey, who is recovering from a serious illness. It marked the successful debut of acoustical improvements to the WSU theater, where the spoken word sometimes used to vanish in the air.

“A Raisin in the Sun” will continue through Sunday, Oct. 12, in the WSU Creative Arts Center. Tickets are $17-$19. Call (937) 775-2500.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2377 or tmorris@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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DCDC celebrates 40th with extended family

By Terry Morris | Monday, October 6, 2008, 12:33 AM

The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company opened its 40th season Saturday, Oct. 4, with “Footprints,” a program by four choreographers who had performed with the troupe and were trained by its founder, Jeraldyne Blunden.

A near-capacity audience saw the one-night performance at the Victoria Theatre.

Preceded by a video presentation about the company, the dancing was interspersed with onstage introductions — of staff, board members and supporters.

The lone premiere was “Still Present” by Gina Walther, a direct and symbolic tribute to Blunden in three movements to songs by Marlena Shaw, Shirley Horn and Dizzy Gillespie that evoked her personality, indomitable drive and the pleasure she took in bringing out the best in others who didn’t know they were capable of it.

Maurita Elam’s costumes lent a tinge of Egyptian nobility to eight dancers who proceeded in front of an evolution of colors by lighting designer Matthew P. Benjamin. Powerful dancer Alise Craig was given an opportunity to display her more expressive side in a solo.

Sometimes a dance work grows in stature years after its premiere. So it is with Dwight Rhoden’s “Beyond a Cliff.” Now an internationally known dance-maker, he was a novice when he took the new choreographer’s leap of faith and ego for DCDC in 1991 to music by Michael Shreve, Olfra Haza and Martin Birkenstock.

The second movement was a solo for Sheri “Sparkle” Williams, but the sections juxtaposing different combinations of performers were most compelling.

Rhoden’s dances generally brim with big, flashy movements done rapidly without restraint. It was a pleasure to be able to linger over motifs, shapes and developments done more deliberately — dancers chopping the air with two hands pressed together sideways, undulating their hips as a result of stepping quickly forward in tiny, rolling steps, or repeatedly pulling their spread feet together on the floor, then pushing them apart on straight legs.

Shonna Hickman Matlock’s 2002 duet “Unresolved,” performed by Crystal Michelle and William B. McClellan Jr. to music by Henryk Gorecki, not only doesn’t tie up loose ends with a clear conclusion, it finds its strength in that. Almost simultaneously, this couple experiences attraction and rejection, or the urge to embrace another and the will to go one’s own way.

The theatricalized worship service of artistic director Debbie Blunden-Diggs’ “In My Father’s House” has become a company signature that serves two purposes: reviving the faithful and initiating the newcomers — both dancers and audience members.

It taps and expresses the spirituality that represents a major tributary of DCDC’s heritage. The abdominal contractions, hovering backward descents to the floor, whirling turns, falls and outstretched curving arms are challenging, but leave room for individual expression.

G.D. Harris has claimed the role of the caring and inspirational pastor every bit as securely as he has the solo “Ostrich” (Awassa Astrige), which he performed again in New York in September.

Those who missed the performance can still see the celebratory DCDC exhibit “Balancing Point” at the Link Gallery, 519 E. Fifth St. The photographs and art works by Andy Show, Tess Little and Terry Hitt will continue through Nov. 1. Call (937) 224-7707 or go to www.linkgallery.org.

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Short Dayton film wins honor

By Terry Morris | Friday, October 3, 2008, 04:45 PM

“Y Not,” a short film shot in the Dayton area by Derek W. Beck, received an honorable mention in the 2008 Chicago International REEL Shorts Fest in September.

Ohio native Beck, who now lives in Los Angeles but continues to serve in the U.S. Air Force Reserves at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, said the honor was his first official recognition as a filmmaker. He plans to submit the film to other festivals.

Filmed in 16mm color, “Y Not” was done with Dayton area actors and crew. It’s about a real estate agent who pauses during a busy day to help a complete stranger who turns out to have a surprising connection to her.

For more information, visit Beck’s website: www.cartala.com

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Vanguard favorite rewards audience

By Carol Simmons | Friday, September 26, 2008, 11:38 PM

DAYTON — Celebrating its 10th anniversary as an ensemble, the celebrated Claremont Trio made a return trip to Dayton this week to open the 47th season of Vanguard Concerts at the Dayton Art Institute.

The performance Friday night, Sept. 26, was the group’s fifth appearance under Vanguard’s auspices, making Dayton one of its most frequent — and favorite — stops, according to pianist Donna Kwong.

The Claremont, which also features twin sisters Emily Bruskin (violin) and Julia Bruskin (cello), is likewise a favorite with the Vanguard audience, which eschewed the evening’s live television broadcast of the first presidential debate in order to attend the trio’s concert.

The young women rewarded the small crowd’s loyalty by presenting a memorable performance loaded with artistic vitality and emotional intensity. The political debate could be taped for later watching, but there’s no capturing the full effect of a live musical concert.

The program featured works by Franz Joseph Hadyn (Piano Trio in G Major, Hob. XV:25), Bedrich Smetana (Piano Trio in g minor, Op. 15) and Antonin Dvorak (Piano Trio in f minor, Op. 65).

The Smetana, an expressive and demanding piece new to many in the audience, was the highlight of the first half of the evening.

The second half was devoted to the Dvorak, a beautiful and profound work of almost symphonic range, which the Claremont played as of one mind — and heart.

The Vanguard Concerts season continues Oct. 17, with a performance by violinist Mayuko Kamio. For more information, call (937) 436-0244 or (937) 512-0144.

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X-FEST fan appreciation show announced

By alarsen | Friday, September 26, 2008, 02:57 PM

Two weeks ago hurricane force winds cut short X-FEST 13 at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds.

Today, Friday, Sept. 26, WXEG and Live Nation announced the Jagermeister Music Tour featuring Hinder, Trapt and Rev Theory, plus Shinedown and Red at the Ervin J Nutter Center on Monday December 15 at 6:30 PM.

The good news for X-FEST fans? The concert will be free to anyone with an X-FEST ticket stub.

“In our 13 years of X-FEST, we’ve endured heat, cold, rain and mud, but never have we experienced the kind of weather Dayton was hit with two weeks ago,” said Kramer, Program Director of 103.9 WXEG. “We’ve always tried to offer incredible value with our X-FEST ticket, and we just weren’t happy with the way the day had to end this year. We’re thrilled to be able to offer a free show to our listeners, as well as half-off next year’s show!”

Here’s what you need to know: Tickets became available today XFEST ‘08 fans who have ticket stubs from the X-FEST 13 event that was cut short. Those ticketholders are also entitled to a 50% off Coupon for XFEST ‘09.

To redeem your X-FEST ticket for a ticket to the Jagermeister Music Tour show on December 15, your options are:

1. Visit the Nutter Center ticket office with your X-FEST 13 ticket stub, and exchange it for a ticket to the concert and receive one 50% off voucher to XFEST ‘09. Nutter Center Box Office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday or 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

2. Mail your X-FEST 13 ticket stub to the Nutter Box Office along with a self addressed stamped envelope, and a ticket and 50% voucher to XFEST ‘09 will be returned.

Mailing address is: Nutter Center Att: XFEST Fan Appreciation Show WSU Box Office 3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy Dayton, OH 45435

For more information contact 103.9 WXEG directly. Here is a page of phone numbers and e-mail addresses on their Web site with more information.

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DPO with a twist

By Carol Simmons | Wednesday, September 24, 2008, 11:36 PM

A French twist, that is.

The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra opened its 2008-09 Chamber Explorations Series Wednesday evening, Sept. 24, at the Schuster Center with an all-French program of works.

The concert, which was to be repeated Thursday morning, featured pieces by early 20th century composers Marcel Ravel, Francis Poulenc and Darius Milhaud.

The three works have more in common than their composer’s era and country of origin; each has a narrative or programmatic backdrop, though the source material ranged widely in mood and purpose. Each also had beginnings in alternative performance arrangements.

Ravel’s “Le Tombeau de Couperin” (Couperin’s Tomb), originally composed as a piano suite, memorializes friends who died in World War I, with each of the four movements dedicated to a different man.

The chamber orchestra, under the direction of Music Director Neal Gittleman, gave a studied performance of the neoclassical work that while not blatantly somber, has the reflective effect of looking at a photo album after a loved one has died — the pages are full of life and even celebration, but there is keen awareness of absence and loss.

Poulenc’s “The Story of Babar the Elephant” is just that: Music to accompany a reading of the beloved children’s book. First improvised at the piano, Poulenc reworked the whimsical piece for a narrator and small instrumental ensemble.

The Philharmonic’s performance, conducted by Assistant Conductor Patrick Reynolds, featured the orchestra’s principal musicians, with Gittleman narrating while illustrations from the original book were projected on a screen hanging to the back of the stage.

Lastly, Milhaud’s “Le Beouf sur le Toit” (The Ox on the Roof), which began in the composer’s mind as a soundtrack for a silent Charlie Chaplin film, had its fruition as a ballet staged by surrealist Jean Cocteau. The orchestra, with Gittleman back on the podium, offered a fittingly lively rendering of the hurly-burly piece.

The Chamber Series is designed to be a little more casual than the traditional Classical Series. There’s complimentary pizza before the Wednesday evening performance and doughnuts and coffee prior to the Thursday morning concert. Gittleman usually gives informative introductions to each work, and the program is shorter than a standard concert format. (The evening concerts run from 6:30 to about 8 p.m., while the morning programs go from 10 to about 11:30 a.m.) Tickets cost less, too.

There’s much to recommend it — in addition to the interesting programming and the consistently fine playing by the musicians. So, it’s sad to see the hall as sparsely filled as it was Wednesday night.

Like French wine or bread, it’s best shared.

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