You may get the impression from reading my blog that all I do here in Durham is go to sporting events at Duke. Admittedly the scale does tip in that direction, but in the last week we evened it out a bit. Here's a quick look at some our more culturally based outings.
MEMPHIS -The Musical - The Durham Performing Arts Center is a large theater in downtown Durham that brings in large touring shows and big named performers(much like Proctors in Schenectady). It seats about 2800. We went to see the Tony award winning musical Memphis - The Musical.(so titled to distinguish it from Memphis - The . . ?) All I can say is that it must have been a slow year for musicals for this to win the Tony. The book covers territory seen before(try Hairspray, Dreamgirls, Smokey Joe's Cafe, and just about any other musical using the 50s and 60s as a backdrop). It follows the rise and fall of a "red-necked Cracker DJ"(the plays description not mine) as he brings black music to the masses, falls in love with a black woman, kisses her on local TV, but can't leave Memphis because "he is Memphis"(?) when her career takes off. The play ends with him still a DJ, but on a 3rd rate station "way up on the end of the dial."
The performances and the music were the redeeming qualities of the musical. Bryan Fenkart and Felicia Boswell have the leads. Ms Boswell has a "big" voice and Mr. Fenkart has just the right "twang" to make their roles engaging regardless of how stereotyped. Throw in some smart dancing and good ensemble work and you can almost make it past the trite script.
AVANTE - The first Sunday I attended the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Church a group called Avante sang. It is an a capella double quartet which sings jazz arrangements of a broad spectrum of music. I was very impressed.(So impressed that I decided to join the church choir) So when we had a chance to see them in concert, I took Nan out on a date. The concert began with a group of high schoolers from Chapel Hill called Lucky 13. This all-female group presented several numbers. I was impressed by their composure and the quality of their arrangements. The songs were not familiar to me, and both Nan and I had trouble understanding the lyrics. It always amazes me when I see the quality and talents of kids.
Avante's performance was on a whole different level. They did two sets: one which could best be described as of traditional folk and the other more contemporary. They were spectacular. Great balance and variety in their presentations. Nan and I particularly liked "Silence of Time" by Caprice Fox, "A Boy and A Girl" by Eric Whitacre, and "Cells, Planets" arranged by Vince Peterson. The groups founder Kevin Badanes arranged or wrote five of the numbers. His arrangements were creative and musically interesting. I felt like I was in a little club in NYC. A great night of music. If you'd like to listen to Avante try - When I Fall Youtube.wmv.(Great arrangement - Kevin's- Great sound)
CYMBELINE - Duke Performances presented a version of this Shakespeare play performed by the Fiasco Theater. Fiasco was founded in 2007 by graduates of the Brown University/Trinity Rep acting program. As Nan is a graduate of Trinity Rep, we thought it would be a good idea to see what the old alma mater is turning out these days. We can report that it was a fine, energetic, well-acted adaptation. They had fun with it - even fluffs were done in character.(At one point a hat fell into the audience to which the character merely said "Now I've gone and lost my hat!"). The troop played multiple roles with the clear distinctions as to character. They were clear and non-confusing(even in the final scene where all the characters showed up). It's always good to see a Shakespeare that's done clearly and with good acting.
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