Recent Fun Evenings Out and About

I may be losing my blogging edge - now that my theater tickets are so few and far between (I'll eventually get the credit cards paid off.  I think.), I find it harder to sit down and share.  Having so much to do at work might have something to do with it (our big work event was last Monday, so I'm incredibly relieved that's over).  So might the depression I'm still in since the election.  I've started seeing a therapist, so maybe I can get my tangled brain straightened out soon.  Anyway, I did see a couple of fun things recently, so I'll do a little reporting...

Last Wednesday, I went to the York Theatre to see their staged concert version of Jerry Herman's Dear World.  I don't really know Dear World, though I do have one of the best-known songs on my iPhone, as sung by the incomparable Angela Lansbury.  I was keen to get a look/listen at a Jerry Herman show that's unfamiliar to me; I was also keen to go because Tyne Daly was announced to star.  I do so love Tyne Daly - I was never really a huge fan of her tv work, but after I saw her in Gypsy, I've tried to catch all of her theater work.  She's always so truthful and interesting.  So when tickets went on sale for this limited run, I made sure to jump in and buy a ticket.

I think I can see why Dear World wasn't really successful during its Broadway run - the libretto is just all over the place.  It's based on the play The Madwoman of Chaillot, but it seems to pick and choose from the plot, so there are some holes throughout the libretto. The score, however, is delightful.  As I was reading the notes in the program, I noticed that Herman originally intended for Dear World to be a small, chamber piece, but the production got overblown in its Broadway incarnation.  This production at the York is quite small, with only a piano, bass and accordion, and thirteen performers, but it still doesn't seem to show off the show to its best.

photo credit: Joseph Marzullo

Tyne Daly is, as usual, so interesting, but she's very tentative in most of her songs, except for the big number "I Don't Want to Know."  She's done this number before in concerts, so you can tell she's comfortable with it and has worked on it before. Frankly, there's a whole play inside of that song, and it was wonderful, but other songs got more shortchanged. Her scene with Julian, though, was exquisite, as was her rapport with the other madwomen (Alison Fraser and Ann Harada).  Their trio in the second act was delightful.  All of the performers were good, I enjoyed the story and had a good time, though I'm not sure I'd need to see Dear World again.  I guess it would depend on the star.

Last night, I was treated by a very handsome couple to an unexpected return to New York Theatre Ballet.  I'd seen them once before a couple of years ago and I was happy to go back to see their current program, which features "Afternoon of a Faun," which has been reconstructed from Nijinsky's own notes.  I was extremely excited to see that piece. I'll just jot down a few thoughts about the evening:  first up was a lovely contemporary piece called "She Holds Out Her Hand."  I though it was beautifully done, with eight dancers moving and spinning lightly across the floor.  It seemed as if there was a couple at the beginning who was thwarted, and they then turned to other partners, only to end smiling at each other. Will they end up together after all?  It was nicely ambiguous.  In the program, the composer said her sonata was based on a haiku, with three movements. I could see that - it was gentle and lyrical, like a haiku.  I thought this was a very nice opening piece.

Next up was a piece by Frederick Ashton I've never seen before: "La Chatte Metamorphosee en Femme."  The music was by Offenbach and Ashton choreographed it in 1985 to honor famed dancer Fanny Elssler.  I thought this piece was enchanting - it's a solo for a woman, dressed as a cat in white.  There was cute mugging, delicious dance steps that doubled as cat poses, and some fun leaps and spins.  It was totally adorable and the audience just ate it up.  I hope to see this very brief, but very charming, piece again sometime.

The third piece of the first act was a pas de deux from "Such Longing."   Two dancers in beautiful blue satin costumes move as one to music by Chopin.  This one was quite romantic and very lush and elegant - I liked it very much.  Again, it was very brief, but left a big impression.

photo credit: Rachel Neville

After the intermission, I finally got to see "Afternoon of a Faun" - originally staged by Nijinksy for the Ballet Russes in 1912, the piece is very famous for having caused riots in its first public performance.  I know the Debussy music very well, but have never seen even a snippet of the ballet before.  I found it fascinating - erotic, in a way, yet also very severe and strange.  I liked it very much - the dancers were committed and fiercely engaged, and I would like to see it again to be able to see how everything connects.  I do enjoy watching dance in such a small theater space, but it makes it hard to see the choreographic patterns, which I always find interesting.  Or I guess I could just sit further back next time.  But I did find "Afternoon of a Faun" to be compelling, intriguing, rather seductive, and well-worth more looks.

The last two pieces were world premieres: "Tickling Titans" and "Light Moving."  The first was a solo piece for a very engaging ballerina, that used an interesting lighting design to project cool shadows on the back wall during the piece.  There were definite sections to this piece, with music by Schoenberg (which I admit tends to make me a little cranky in its repetitiveness), and the ballerina was very successful in keeping her movements as light and airy as possible, even with severe and deliberately strange footwork.  I'd say the last piece was my least favorite - it had a violin playing music that was even more repetitive than Schoenberg, so it became kind of an endurance test for me to keep paying attention to what the dancers were doing.  Even though the piece was short, I didn't find myself engaged all that much - whether it was due to the music, the choreography or the fact that I was really tired, I just don't know.  But I guess enjoying five out of six pieces is a really good batting average.

The weather has been so nice, it's been great to get out and about.  I've tried to do a little more walking lately, so we'll see how that goes.  I should also mention here that I've seen two new Off-Broadway shows, Dolphins and Sharks at Labyrinth, and The View UpStairs at the Lynn Redgrave Theater, but I'm too close to the creators, so I can't really write about them coherently or impartially.  I will say you should GO SEE THEM BOTH.  :)  I don't have much else in the way of outings coming up, though next week has a show that I've been dying to see for weeks, so I'm hoping it lives up to my expectations.  I really need to work on that budget crunch so I can hop back on to TDF for discount tickets.  There's so much I WANT to see, it's just finding the time and the money...