"Dance Umbrella's Thirst for Life" review by Cindy Lapena
I was expecting a dance concert, after all, it was a Dance Umbrella production. The simple but informative programme told me right at the start that it would be a play, and a musical one to boot! What luck! I just love musicals. Then I read the synopsis and said to myself, "Oh no. Not vampires again." Believe me, I do not watch the vampire series or movies. My vampires began with Bram Stoker and ended with Anne Rice, the glut of vampire literature, television shows, and series notwithstanding. Did they have to bring it to the stage too? But we try to keep an open mind, eh?
So at seven-thirtyish, choreographer Morgan Wagner walked out onto the stage to formally announce the beginning of the play, in which she played the dual roles of the rather sedate Auntie Belle and totally dizzy Lizzy.
I must admit that despite my trepidation over the current vampire genre extending to the stage, I was drawn in by the music. Louisiana is a great place for music and, in keeping with the blue bayou tradition, the play delivered where music was concerned. Even the singing of the Ensemble was pretty good, I'll admit. The voices blended well, there was vocal energy and character in the chorus numbers, and the lyrics were appropriate.
And then it hit me. It was a teen vampire play. Of course. And most of the players were pretty much teens, or looked it. Well, I recognized a couple of familiar faces in the cast and I do know for a fact that they are teens. So the audience was quite naturally made up of family, parents and friends of the performers. Fair enough. They were a really appreciative audience though, and they did laugh in all the right places. But that's because the book was well written. It was witty with some really quick dialogue and snappy exchanges that the cast executed really well. After all, timing is of the essence in comedy. And indeed, there was comedy.
But really, it was a love story. In vampire land. Vampire boy falls in love with normal girl who falls in love with normal boy who's cursed to become a vampire when he does fall in love. Rival boys fight and fledgling vampire is near death and the only thing that can save him is a true love's kiss. Sigh. Trite. But the dialogue had its moments, especially with the Ripper-Drucilla-Lizzy tandem and Mayor and the Town Council quartet.
The choreography suited the play. Nothing out of the box, no big surprises. Just good old fashioned standard musical theatre choreography. The execution was another thing, though, as the ensemble repeatedly showed that they were amateurs at it. Granted there were stand-outs who sang and danced with all their heart and all their energy, when one, two or three people in the chorus don't know their choreography and miss a beat, you see it. When arms and legs aren't all at the same level, you see it. When bodies are lax and lack tension, you see it. It's not the coordination that stands out. It's the uncoordinated ones that stand out. As dancers, the ensemble have a thing or two to learn about sustaining energy levels, watching the other dancers to match levels and movements, and dance as a single entity rather than several individual stars. After all, they weren't doing solo numbers. That said, I must say, the fight sequences were nicely done and pretty well executed.
Kudos to the leads. While they weren't Broadway material, they have the potential. Special mention goes to Veruca, played by Melissa MacKenzie. She has a beautiful voice and internalized her character well, but lost control of her voice in the very crucial duet (Your Light Within) with Eryck in Act 2. She'll also need to practice looking at a boy with love in her eyes. Dalton MacKenzie as Eryck wasn't too bad and he got better towards the middle and even better in Act 2. You could see his confidence building up as the play went on, and with the proper training, he'll be a regular on musical theatre stages.
Jacob Hemphill's Bobby John was quite a strong character from the beginning and it was something he maintained throughout the play. While his projection was weak in the lower registers, he really shone when he was belting out, and the development of his character was evident in his portrayal. His "Child of the Night" and "Kill the Fanger" were memorable.
Ripper/Rupert played by Tristan Lewis was a perfect foil to Bobby John. Along with his sidekicks Drucilla (Emma Zinck) and Lizzy (Morgan Wagner), he commanded the stage when he entered in character. In the ensemble, however, he clearly did not know his choreography by heart.
Alex Durant was vivacious and outstanding in the ensemble, but totally bland as Felicia. The Mayor, played by Lindsay Gillis, had some really great musical and dance numbers, and the character was consistent throughout, except that I got the feeling that she sometimes didn't know what to do with her hands. The movements often came out quite artificial, though her firm movements were certainly better than Jolie's overall limpness. Gesturing with your hands half-closed just isn't gesturing, and the kill scene seemed more like an accident than a deliberate attack. She might as well have been holding a hairbrush. She was highly conscious of the audience, frequently sneaking peeks at them that it ruined the illusion.
The Mayor's three stooges were just that, and they played their role well. No lack of energy there, except that Lucy occasionally dropped out of character and she and Bartles were clearly not dancers.
by Cindy Lapena
One of the aspects of theatre that make a performance really good is the blocking. Being conscious of positioning on stage, audience sight lines and the blocking of other characters is second nature to seasoned performers. There were just way too many scenes with duck rows in them, I wished I had a paintball gun in my hands.
The lighting was well done, again no bells and whistles except for the "Kill the Fanger" number, which totally stood out. The microphone levels were just right, except when the characters raised their voices or sang in high registers. Then the feedback was annoying to say the least, but at least not totally disturbing or uncontrolled. What really broke the momentum and the mood, however, was the awkward gap when the music went dead between the end of Act 2 and the Epilogue. That really threw everyone off.
Still and all, if I weren't reviewing this performance and because I do love a musical, in the end I'd say I did have a good time!
UPEI's "Taming of the Shrew"
Vagabond Productions is hitting the road this spring with their upcoming production of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew! From March 12th to 17th, the UPEI theatre group will be bringing the playwright's classic comedy to six unique and intimate performance spaces across Prince Edward Island.
Opening Night on Monday, March 12th – Murphy Community Centre 200 Richmond St Charlottetown, PE C1A 1J2
(902) 892-1719 March 13th – Wyatt Heritage Properties 75 Spring St Summerside, PE C1N 3E5 (902) 432-1327
March 14th – Souris Show Hall 5 Church Street, Souris, PEI. (902) 743-SHOW (7469)
March 15th – Cavendish Farms Wellness Centre (Montague) 53 Wood Island Road Montague, PE C0A 1R0 (902) 838-2724
March 16th – Harmony House Hunter River, PE (902) 964-2255
March 17th – Main Building Faculty Lounge (UPEI Campus, Charlottetown)
All performances begin at 7:30pm; doors open at 7:00pm. Tickets will be available at the door with all proceeds going to the venue of the evening. For more info (including ticket prices), feel free to contact the venues directly or contact the UPEI Theatre Department at 566-6013, gdoran@upei.caor upei.ca/theatre/research.
Directed by Dr. Greg Doran & Starring:
Devin MacKinnon as Petruchio
Brittany Banks as Katharina
Ben Hartley as Lucentio
Kelly Martins as Bianca
Damon Ansems as Tranio
Dan Bannerman as Hortensio
Robyn Biggar as Phillipa/Widow
Kassinda Bulger as the Tailor
Jeff Moynagh as Nathaniel/Pedant
Heather Parry as Baptista
Justin Shaw as Gremio
Toni Timmins as Grumia
P.S. Want to come but don't know who to go with? Invite your friends!!!
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Posted on March 12, 2012 at 7:13 am in Confederation Center, Events, Review | RSS feed | Respond | Trackback URL
