From Now On, I'll Just Sit On My HandsVery illuminating story on what may be the ultimate in theatre etiquette in this morning's issue of
The New York Times by Zachary Pincus-Roth. I'm guilty as charged.
To all those performers whose entrances I've been thrilled to see to the point when I applauded you, I'm sorry. I'm very, very sorry.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Theatre, Theatre Discussions, Theatre Etiquette
Acrobatics Macrocosm (The SOB Review) - Chaoyang Theatre, Beijing, China*** (out of ****)What's that old joke about how filling Chinese food is?
Well, I found that consuming Chinese theatre can have a startlingly similar effect. Sure you enjoy the taste during the thoroughly entertaining performance at the time, but just wait 30 minutes and you realize you're not completely sated.
While in Beijing on the very same evening as the Tony Awards (only Beijing is exactly 12 hours ahead of New York, so the time was actually 7:15 am EDT), I wanted to take in some
real Chinese theatre. However, since most of the selections from which to choose were traditional
Beijing Opera, kung fu or some variation on acrobatics, I decided to go with the show I saw advertised in the English language
China Daily after it was endorsed by the concierge at my hotel.
At approximately $50 per top ticket (Western prices for the mostly Western audience), I found myself close to the front row for the Chaoyang Theatre's enthralling
Acrobatics Macrocosm. This was not your garden variety
Cirque du Soleil-style spectacle. Instead, it was more reminiscent of watching old school Chinese acrobats on "
The Ed Sullivan Show," all against a scenic backdrop with the capital's Forbidden City.
One minute, you're watching the "
Lion Dance" (pictured) where four acrobats dressed in two lion suits are balancing on a giant ball that rocks to and fro on a teeter-totter.
Then there's the multitude of plate spinners who manage to keep their fine China rotating precariously even while somersaulting.
Next, you're amazed not only as a plethora of young male gymnasts are catapulting each other in a virtual human juggling act, but you're struck by how incredibly young they look (my guess is that some were no more than 10 years of age).
The finale featured the mesmerizing "
Bicycle Skills" (pictured): a regular bike resplendent with -- by my count -- more than a dozen female acrobats fanned out as it circled around the stage.
And you just can't help but simply marvel at the so-grotesque-they're-glorious contortionists, who lay face down and stretch their legs over so their feet touch their heads. In perhaps their most repulsive, yet captivating displays, the four lithe females mount a tree-like apparatus with four branches, each with a phallic-looking appendage at the end. In rapid succession the four performers mount each of those appendages via only their mouths and flip their bodies backward. It's simultaneously stunning and creepy. Audibly gasping, I found my own jaw deep in my lap.
While I vigorously applauded the performers for giving it their all physically, it was hard to detect much heart in the performance on the rather joyless looking faces, particularly as many were quite literally going through the motions. But what astounding motions they were.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:New York Has Broadway, China Has Er Ren Zhuan (June 16, 2007)
Labels: Acrobatics Macrocosm, Beijing, Beijing Opera, Chaoyang Theatre, China, Theatre
Who Is Britain's Best Theatre Director?Last Friday,
The Guardian's theatre critic
Michael Billington (pictured) used his blog to ask, "Who is Britain's best theatre director?"
Hint: It's
not Nicholas Hytner, presumably for
obvious reasons.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Blogs, Directors, London, Michael Billington, Nicholas Hytner, Theatre
SOB's Best & Worst Of 2006-07 Theatre SeasonWhile Broadway's 2006-07 theatre season technically ended last week with the opening of
110 In The Shade, tomorrow's much-anticipated Tony Award nominations ostensibly keep the season alive. And the stunning June 10 climax of who'll take home the
American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards medallions -- named for actress, director and producer
Antoinette Perry -- really provides the appropriate capper for an equally stunning year in theatre.
As
I noted a year ago Saturday, shortly after beginning Steve On Broadway (SOB), I’ve never known exactly why theatre seasons throughout the United States typically end in late spring/early summer, although it may have something to do with the American propensity for finally getting outside to enjoy the warmer summer months than be cooped up in some theatre.
But whatever the reason, as this current season winds down and major productions for the upcoming year are being announced, it gives writers like me the opportunity to talk about the past year in review. And just as I offered my
SOB's Best & Worst of 2005-06, today marks the day that I'm launching my annual rundown of the shows and performances I enjoyed the most -- not just on Broadway, but throughout my travels stretching from Sydney to London.
During the 2006-07 Theatrical Season, I’ve had an opportunity to see 77 productions. Not only did I see plays and musicals on Broadway, as well as in the aforementioned Sydney and London, but there were stops along the way in such places as Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, San Diego, Washington DC and Westport CT.
Since my theatregoing ways have more to do with selecting shows that I think I'll actually like than simply seeing everything, I'm pleased to note that I enjoyed most of what I saw. And even if there were some that I notoriously panned, I always tried to find at least something positive to say about them.
In the run-up to the 2007 Tony Awards, I’ll be writing about my choices for the best and worst of the season, not just from New York, but from wherever my travels took me. Whether or not you agree, I cordially invite you to offer your feedback on each selection and tell me why you wholeheartedly agree or think I'm all wet.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories: Labels: Broadway, London, Musical, Play, SOB's Best of 2005-06, SOB's Best of 2006-07, Theatre, Theatre Discussions, Tony Awards, Tony Nominations
These Eyes Just May Be In An Audience Near You!
These Eyes Just May Be In An Audience Near You!UPDATED: 9.9.10If you've ever clicked onto
my profile, you'll certainly have read that "These eyes just may be in an audience near you!"
Over the nearly one year that I've been writing Steve On Broadway (SOB), my travels have taken me far and wide. These eyes have had the great fortune to see and enjoy so much. You see, just as I'm passionate about theatre, I'm even more so about travel. It's my way of gaining a greater appreciation of the world, its cultures, its people and my tiny spec of a dot within it.
Plus, I'll go just about anywhere to experience great theatre!
Fortunately, my day job over the past fourteen years or so has been firmly rooted within the travel industry, allowing me to stretch my travel dollar to the max
and see the world.
So, with humblest apologies to Michael Baker at
The Lunar Gemini for copying his lead, I'm presenting my own personal travel maps to show where I've been.
First is the United States (yes, I've been to all 50 states as of November, 1986 -- Arkansas was my last state):
Next up, here's my map of Canada (I still plan to get to Saskatchewan and Newfoundland
sometime):
Just to show I'm not
too provincial, my map of Europe is next. It probably goes without saying that one can't be a serious traveler
or theatregoer without making at least one trip to Europe. Here's where I've been:
So what's my world view? Here you go:
With lots more travel planned both professionally and personally over the upcoming year, I'm looking forward to setting those eyes of mine upon many stages, both of the theatre and of life itself. A
Journey's End for me? Never!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here to learn how to make your own personalized map!Labels: Special Messages, Theatre, Travels
