Saw David Cook perform on Sep 9, 2009 at the Fonda in Hollywood. His opening acts were Crash Kings and Ryan Star. We met Syesha Mercado and Ramiele Malubay afterwards, but missed Jason Castro and Brooke White.
In this piece, the keyboards were covered by Tony of Crash Kings.
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Saturday, September 12, 2009
David Cook - Come Back to Me
Saw David Cook perform on Sep 9, 2009 at the Fonda in Hollywood. His opening acts were Crash Kings and Ryan Star. We met Syesha Mercado and Ramiele Malubay afterwards, but missed Jason Castro and Brooke White.
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David Cook - Declaration
Saw David Cook perform on Sep 9, 2009 at the Fonda in Hollywood. His opening acts were Crash Kings and Ryan Star. We met Syesha Mercado and Ramiele Malubay afterwards, but missed Jason Castro and Brooke White.
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David Cook - Bar-ba-sol
Saw David Cook perform on Sep 9, 2009 at the Fonda in Hollywood. His opening acts were Crash Kings and Ryan Star. We met Syesha Mercado and Ramiele Malubay afterwards, but missed Jason Castro and Brooke White.
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David Cook - I Did It for You
Saw David Cook perform on Sep 9, 2009 at the Fonda in Hollywood. His opening acts were Crash Kings and Ryan Star. We met Syesha Mercado and Ramiele Malubay afterwards, but missed Jason Castro and Brooke White.
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David Cook - Lie
Saw David Cook perform on Sep 9, 2009 at the Fonda in Hollywood. His opening acts were Crash Kings and Ryan Star. We met Syesha Mercado and Ramiele Malubay afterwards, but missed Jason Castro and Brooke White.
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David Cook, just jamming in concert
Saw David Cook perform on Sep 9, 2009 at the Fonda in Hollywood. His opening acts were Crash Kings and Ryan Star. We met Syesha Mercado and Ramiele Malubay afterwards, but missed Jason Castro and Brooke White.
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David Cook - Mr Sensitive
Saw David Cook perform on Sep 9, 2009 at the Fonda in Hollywood. His opening acts were Crash Kings and Ryan Star. We met Syesha Mercado and Ramiele Malubay afterwards, but missed Jason Castro and Brooke White.
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David Cook - Heros
Saw David Cook perform on Sep 9, 2009 at the Fonda in Hollywood. His opening acts were Crash Kings and Ryan Star. We met Syesha Mercado and Ramiele Malubay afterwards, but missed Jason Castro and Brooke White.
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Thursday, September 10, 2009
Ryan Star opens for David Cook in Hollywood
September 9, 2009 at the Fonda in Hollywood
David Cook sang backup to Ryan Star. Ryan was an opening act for David, but they surprised the fanatical crowd by having David come out to sing a wonderful duet.
Ryan was really enjoyable. Love his sound and vocal qualities. They sang quite well together
David and Ryan Star singing together
David Cook singing backup
David and Ryan Star singing together
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David Cook sang backup to Ryan Star. Ryan was an opening act for David, but they surprised the fanatical crowd by having David come out to sing a wonderful duet.
Ryan was really enjoyable. Love his sound and vocal qualities. They sang quite well together
David and Ryan Star singing together
David Cook singing backup
David and Ryan Star singing together
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Syesha, Ramiele and Mel at the David Cook concert on Sep 9, 2009
Just a picture of us from the David Cook concert in Hollywood on September 9, 2009. They look fabulous, don't they?
Sorry it's blurry, but a friend took the picture and, well, he's not a photographer by profession.
That's Syesha Mercado on the left, Ramiele Malubay in the middle, and me on the right. I couldn't find Jason Castro or Brooke White.
Keep an eye out on this blog for further pictures and comments from the David Cook concert
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Sorry it's blurry, but a friend took the picture and, well, he's not a photographer by profession.
That's Syesha Mercado on the left, Ramiele Malubay in the middle, and me on the right. I couldn't find Jason Castro or Brooke White.
Keep an eye out on this blog for further pictures and comments from the David Cook concert
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Idol Degeneres
Ellen
On American Idol
I was quite surprised, as were most folks who are familiar with both shows. Ellen's not a singer. Not a musician. Not a record producer.
I ponder this, since I only heard the news after I got back from the David Cook concert (and got to meet Syesha Mercado and Ramiele Malubay, too!). Check out the blog later on for photos and comments. I saw it from Twitter and Facebook, which were practically choking in shock.
Did I like it? Perhaps not at first. But that's probably because I was perplexed and, well hey, it was different. But I think it's a good match.
a. Ellen obviously loves music, like most people.
b. She's amusing to watch because she's funny. Paula was amusing to watch because she said or did funny things.
c. We'll never have to see Ellen kiss Simon Cowell (good heavens)!
d. She's a nice person.
So for American Idol, they get the following.
a. A judge who's nice (replacing the "nice" judge Paula)
b. A judge who's funny (replacing the sometimes odd and funny Paula).
c. A judge who may not be a musician but knows a lot of musicians and likes music (like Paula)
d. A judge who enjoys dancing to music (like Paula) - - can't wait to see her boogie on the show
e. A judge who brings her own huge fan base (more than Paula).
In some ways, I'm disappointed we don't get to see Ellen judge the local competitions. I can only imagine what her mugs would have looked like whenever the next aspiring William Hung sang.
But she'll bring pleasant and non-mean judging to the table, like Paula did. ("Well, you're dress is lovely" or "I love that makeup job"). I'm certain she'll be constructive in her critique, as she seems to know how to bring up touchy points during her talk show.
So brava, Ellen. Good choices all around.
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On American Idol
I was quite surprised, as were most folks who are familiar with both shows. Ellen's not a singer. Not a musician. Not a record producer.
I ponder this, since I only heard the news after I got back from the David Cook concert (and got to meet Syesha Mercado and Ramiele Malubay, too!). Check out the blog later on for photos and comments. I saw it from Twitter and Facebook, which were practically choking in shock.
Did I like it? Perhaps not at first. But that's probably because I was perplexed and, well hey, it was different. But I think it's a good match.
a. Ellen obviously loves music, like most people.
b. She's amusing to watch because she's funny. Paula was amusing to watch because she said or did funny things.
c. We'll never have to see Ellen kiss Simon Cowell (good heavens)!
d. She's a nice person.
So for American Idol, they get the following.
a. A judge who's nice (replacing the "nice" judge Paula)
b. A judge who's funny (replacing the sometimes odd and funny Paula).
c. A judge who may not be a musician but knows a lot of musicians and likes music (like Paula)
d. A judge who enjoys dancing to music (like Paula) - - can't wait to see her boogie on the show
e. A judge who brings her own huge fan base (more than Paula).
In some ways, I'm disappointed we don't get to see Ellen judge the local competitions. I can only imagine what her mugs would have looked like whenever the next aspiring William Hung sang.
But she'll bring pleasant and non-mean judging to the table, like Paula did. ("Well, you're dress is lovely" or "I love that makeup job"). I'm certain she'll be constructive in her critique, as she seems to know how to bring up touchy points during her talk show.
So brava, Ellen. Good choices all around.
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Friday, August 14, 2009
Sweet! And Lo Legally Blond tastes great
Should I be surprised? The playful Legally Blond movie was so cheery and encouraging, shouldn't a staged version be equally enjoyable?
Success in one medium does no have to translate to success in a live format. Musical audiences demand non-stop, toe-tapping tunes. Musicals don't have to be bright and cheery, but the melodies need to be recognizable and evocative. Stage audiences usually have far less patience with the trite and cute. Why pay the high ticket prices when you can watch kittens frolic at home?
But Legally Blond at Hollywood's Pantages Theater was able to pull it off. The writing was fluffy, the music was sometimes corny, but overall, it worked. Here's a play where at first you may not want to root for the lead, Elle, but you've been irresistably drawn to her unfamiliar underdog position. Elle to me is both feminine and feminist, but feminist in a post-modern, acceptable to Fox News America manner.
I especially liked D.B Bonds, who played Emmett. He carried his role with just the right amount of charisma and, in his nerdier moments, awkwardness. The character was changed from the movie, with a boost to the play's basic themes. He even got what I thought was the best number, as Emmett had bee living all his young life with a chip on his shoulder.
For the movie, Elle eventually succeeded because chose to be the person she was meant to be and, somewhat, to do so in her own manner. In the play, a greater emphasis was made on the exploiting your individual strengths, character, and uniqueness, including quirky mannerisms. Emmett was goaded into success by Elle, which gave a nice complement to her own journey.
The dancing was very good, if rather frenetic. But the whirling dance routines, marred only by the oddly misplaced Irish riverdancing, needed to be wild, because the rolling music demanded it.
As noted by other critics, Reese Witherspoon as Elle is a tough act to follow. As such, one can't help but being disappointed that Elle wasn't a diva. Let's face it. This girl *must* be a diva. Whether it's the staging, the actress, the writing or her lack of show stopping numbers, Elle wasn't the diva that many of us wanted.
Though we lacked divas, we did have stage-stealers. The dog and the UPS guy, couldn't have had sappier and corny scenes, but who cares! And the various gay characters added some of that diva aspects, too, but that's still not going to catch up with Reese.
Finally, I did find that a sub-text of the show was left unexplored. We as a society were held to be rather a sad mob of the superficial. You can't succeed unless you can craft a first-impression look that dazzles. I find that disturbing, and the play didn't do enough to counter that sentiment. Yes, ultimately, inner beauty, strength and character were shown to be most important qualities, but only when brought out against the face of social pressures. Our hair-stylist and UPS guy actually offer the necessary counterweight, as they found happiness without those trappings. Sadly, it wasn't emphasized.
Will people find the musical light and forgetful? Probably, but many others can enjoy a story that's deeper than the movie and surprising in musicality.
My Full Blog
Success in one medium does no have to translate to success in a live format. Musical audiences demand non-stop, toe-tapping tunes. Musicals don't have to be bright and cheery, but the melodies need to be recognizable and evocative. Stage audiences usually have far less patience with the trite and cute. Why pay the high ticket prices when you can watch kittens frolic at home?
But Legally Blond at Hollywood's Pantages Theater was able to pull it off. The writing was fluffy, the music was sometimes corny, but overall, it worked. Here's a play where at first you may not want to root for the lead, Elle, but you've been irresistably drawn to her unfamiliar underdog position. Elle to me is both feminine and feminist, but feminist in a post-modern, acceptable to Fox News America manner.
I especially liked D.B Bonds, who played Emmett. He carried his role with just the right amount of charisma and, in his nerdier moments, awkwardness. The character was changed from the movie, with a boost to the play's basic themes. He even got what I thought was the best number, as Emmett had bee living all his young life with a chip on his shoulder.
For the movie, Elle eventually succeeded because chose to be the person she was meant to be and, somewhat, to do so in her own manner. In the play, a greater emphasis was made on the exploiting your individual strengths, character, and uniqueness, including quirky mannerisms. Emmett was goaded into success by Elle, which gave a nice complement to her own journey.
The dancing was very good, if rather frenetic. But the whirling dance routines, marred only by the oddly misplaced Irish riverdancing, needed to be wild, because the rolling music demanded it.
As noted by other critics, Reese Witherspoon as Elle is a tough act to follow. As such, one can't help but being disappointed that Elle wasn't a diva. Let's face it. This girl *must* be a diva. Whether it's the staging, the actress, the writing or her lack of show stopping numbers, Elle wasn't the diva that many of us wanted.
Though we lacked divas, we did have stage-stealers. The dog and the UPS guy, couldn't have had sappier and corny scenes, but who cares! And the various gay characters added some of that diva aspects, too, but that's still not going to catch up with Reese.
Finally, I did find that a sub-text of the show was left unexplored. We as a society were held to be rather a sad mob of the superficial. You can't succeed unless you can craft a first-impression look that dazzles. I find that disturbing, and the play didn't do enough to counter that sentiment. Yes, ultimately, inner beauty, strength and character were shown to be most important qualities, but only when brought out against the face of social pressures. Our hair-stylist and UPS guy actually offer the necessary counterweight, as they found happiness without those trappings. Sadly, it wasn't emphasized.
Will people find the musical light and forgetful? Probably, but many others can enjoy a story that's deeper than the movie and surprising in musicality.
My Full Blog
Monday, July 27, 2009
Cal Phil Slashes Its Way to a High Note
On Saturday night July 25, the California Philharmonic (or CalPhil) hit a splendid high note. The theme for the evening (and CalPhil always has a theme in its delightful summer setting at the Los Angeles Arboretum in Arcadia) was Swords and Chivalry.
We tore through Scotland the Brave (arranged by Vrtacnik) and danced through selections of Lerner and Loewe's soaring "Camelot". We even had a chance to listen to Michael Kamen's muscular Main Theme from "Robin Hood Prince of Thieves".
But I was blown away by the impressive Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43, from Rachmaninoff. The guest pianist was genius Robert Edward Thies, of International Prokofiev Competition fame. He showed that you could delight and restrain, express both power and romantic sensuality, masterful individualism and sensible orchestral blending. Maestro Victor Vener led the CalPhil to breath-taking levels with Thies at the keyboard. I looked around me at the other regulars at our table and could tell we were listening to something altogether special.
James Horner's Braveheart (Opening Theme and Bannockburn) came after the Intermission. We also got to listen to a traditional Highland Music and Dance, as performed by Cabar Feidh Pipe Band and Highland Dancers. Both were reasonably handled and quite popular.
I'm not certain I appreciated the Richard Wager Tristan and Isolde (Prelude and Love Death) as much as others. I found some of the pacing and retards to be unnecessarily exaggerated. I think I became convinced of my opinion when we heard Lohengrin's Prelude to Act III to wrap up the formal program, and the tempo seemed far more comfortable. In retrospect, with the brilliance of the Rachmaninoff and Thies performance, I may be more critical because I felt the bar was raised so high.
The evening ended with an encore of the bagpipes, this time doing the highly popular "Amazing Grace" arrangement. It went quite well, though I did find it odd to end the evening on such a somber note. Perhaps that's a good idea. For swords and chivalry may thematically be an assertive statement of masculinity, strength, and noble behavior, much less exhilarating music, they still suggest war, pain and death.
And as such, "Amazing Grace" may be the only way to end such a night of swords and chivalry.
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Saturday, July 25, 2009
Alot of Spamalot
Jaded much? Spoiled much? Spamalot?
Yup, third time to see Spamalot. First was opening month on Broadway with all the winning stars (Tim Curry, David Hyde Pierce, Hank Azaria, diva Sara Ramirez). Then saw the London version a couple summers ago. This time, I caught my regular season tickets on Friday night (July 24), so I didn't have to go out of my way. Spamalot finally made its way to L.A., and I honestly wondered if they'd get it.
Of course, I also was baffled the Broadway got it. It doesn't fit the normal demographics for a Broadway show after all. Geeky guys mumbling "Ni" don't usually seek out the latest musical. But L.A. has so much of that "cool" vibe going, I thought that there might be a disconnect as well.
But there were lots of good guffaws and rolling eyes, even from the folks who like me have season tickets at the Ahmanson and will sit in on just about anything. I had to explain the Finnish jokes in the program to my partner, but other than that, it was smooth sailing.
The talented Merle Dandridge was quite good in going for that diva turn. The current incarnation of the show (since London) has the diva Lady of the Lake making a lot more musical mugshots and camping it up all over the place. I still prefer the more nuanced Ramirez performance, but Dandridge was good in doing what the director asked. She certainly has the physique and practically Norma Desmond-esque control of the stage during the Diva's Lament tune.
John O'Hurley seemed quite at ease as King Arthur, though he did succomb to the improvisation antics of Rick Holmes during the Knights of Ni scene. He should, as he's done it for a while, though the role of Arthur doesn't offer the same scene stealing opportunities as Sir Lancelot (Rick Holmes again), Sir Galahad (Ben Davis) or Sir Robin (James Beamen).
Oddly, the staging at the Ahmanson was unusually bad. You could see the backstage actors and actresses preparing for their entrances. Microphones crackled, voices sounded distant and muffled, and the kicker of it all, an enormous and well-recognized "Microsoft Windows shutdown" ditty boomed throughout the Ahmanson during the curtain call. I'm sure Eric Idle and the other Monty Python crew would have found that error ironic if not amusing given we just saw a show that took place during Middle Ages.
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Yup, third time to see Spamalot. First was opening month on Broadway with all the winning stars (Tim Curry, David Hyde Pierce, Hank Azaria, diva Sara Ramirez). Then saw the London version a couple summers ago. This time, I caught my regular season tickets on Friday night (July 24), so I didn't have to go out of my way. Spamalot finally made its way to L.A., and I honestly wondered if they'd get it.
Of course, I also was baffled the Broadway got it. It doesn't fit the normal demographics for a Broadway show after all. Geeky guys mumbling "Ni" don't usually seek out the latest musical. But L.A. has so much of that "cool" vibe going, I thought that there might be a disconnect as well.
But there were lots of good guffaws and rolling eyes, even from the folks who like me have season tickets at the Ahmanson and will sit in on just about anything. I had to explain the Finnish jokes in the program to my partner, but other than that, it was smooth sailing.
The talented Merle Dandridge was quite good in going for that diva turn. The current incarnation of the show (since London) has the diva Lady of the Lake making a lot more musical mugshots and camping it up all over the place. I still prefer the more nuanced Ramirez performance, but Dandridge was good in doing what the director asked. She certainly has the physique and practically Norma Desmond-esque control of the stage during the Diva's Lament tune.
John O'Hurley seemed quite at ease as King Arthur, though he did succomb to the improvisation antics of Rick Holmes during the Knights of Ni scene. He should, as he's done it for a while, though the role of Arthur doesn't offer the same scene stealing opportunities as Sir Lancelot (Rick Holmes again), Sir Galahad (Ben Davis) or Sir Robin (James Beamen).
Oddly, the staging at the Ahmanson was unusually bad. You could see the backstage actors and actresses preparing for their entrances. Microphones crackled, voices sounded distant and muffled, and the kicker of it all, an enormous and well-recognized "Microsoft Windows shutdown" ditty boomed throughout the Ahmanson during the curtain call. I'm sure Eric Idle and the other Monty Python crew would have found that error ironic if not amusing given we just saw a show that took place during Middle Ages.
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Saturday, July 18, 2009
American Idols Live 2009 Tour - Ontario California July 17, 2009
Skipped the crowded and humongous L.A. Staples Center this year to once again catch American Idols Live tour at a smaller, more intimate location. Had never been to the Citizen's Bank Arena in Ontario California, but will definitely return. (Hey, free parking and adjacent to a factory outlet mall - what a gem!) And wow, pretty good seats for Los Angeles.
But of course the reason we were there was to catch our American Idols. Wow! I have to say, I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did last year, when I was a huge fan of David Cook and David Archuleta. This year, I loved the top 5 but for the most part liked almost all of the top 10.
As mentioned on other blogs, before the show started, the crowd went insane whenever Adam Lambert's name or image appeared. What a riot!
The concert had an intermission, with contestants 5-10 (bottom 6) performing in the first act. It was a pretty solid first act and one that really led me to realize that we were going to be entertained the entire night long.
Here's what I thought about the show. My pictures are at Flickr.
#10. Michael Sarver was loads of fun and did a good job kicking things off. He sang "I'm in Love with a Girl" and Ne-Yo's "Closer" with a really pleasing disco sound. Pretty surprising to me, that's for sure.
Michael clip
#9. Megan Joy seemed ok, and better than on tv. She was the one weak point to me, but perhaps that's because she was never really one of my favorites. Her numbers were "Let Your Hair Down" and "Tears Dry on Their Own".
#8 Scott MacIntyre came in next with some really good-natured fun and jokes. His piano playing rocked with "Bend and Break" and "A Thousand Miles" . Really, quite entertaining. I was surprised how smooth his voice was, since he acted like he lost his way through the show.
Scott clip
#7 Lil Rounds made me think, "OMG This is the woman who I thought would go deep in Idol this season but never showed up." She was awesome and she rocked. So sassy, so brassy, and so ... curvaceous. She strutted her way through "Single Ladies" that had me bouncing like a fool.
Lil Clip 1
Lil Clip 2
#6 First came digital clouds. Lots of them. Then came Anoop Desai's smiling face, among the clouds. Anoop's performance was sexy and R&B... And then, look out Adam. He bumped and he did some grinding. The women in the audience just went about wild. But he sure handled "Always on My Mind" and "Turn out the Lights" like the smoothest pro.
Anoop Clip 1
Anoop Clip 2
#5 Matt Giraud most assuredly proved America wrong and the judges "saved" him. We voted him out earlier, and but during this show he certainly showed how entertaining he could and should have been on tv. His keyboards were on fire as he ripped "Georgia on my mind" and "Hard to Handle".
Matt Clip
We were then treated to a "bottom 6" medley that really was far better than any dance and medley number during the year. Pretty impressive! Perhaps the extra rehearsing did good!
Medley 1
Medley 2
#4 Allison Iraheta - my girl rocked and rocked. She was awesome, bouncing around on stage like some manic rock star. She burst through "Baracuda" like she was in the middle of a taped video. It was awesome and I can't wait to see her own show.
Allison Clip 1
Allison Clip 2
Allison Clip 3
#3 Danny Gokey really got the girls in the audience screaming. I always liked Danny but I never really understood the love that he got from the women. But he did a great job with Michael Jackson's "Pretty Young Thing" and surprised me with his jacket-comes-off "Maria Maria". He did do a little sermonizing tonight, but it wasn't as odd as some bloggers were suggesting.
Danny Clip 1
Danny Clip 2
Danny Clip 3
#2 And then ... the female vocal chords in the audience went PING. I mean, honestly, this must be what sitting in an Elvis or Beatles concert felt like. If you weren't Adam Lambert, then you were just a pretend male as far as the women in the audience were concerned. It was bizarre and exciting. He'll be a raging success some day. From my video clips, you can see green light flashes - that's where the strobe lights went berserk. Adam burned up the stage, but I still think that he did best with the song that, to me, convinced me of his star qualities: Mad World.
Adam Clip 1
Adam Clip 2
Adam and Allison
Adam Clip 3
#1 Kris Allen. Now there's a star. Who would want to follow Adam? Someone who knows they're good and that he's loved. His style's totally different, but wow that guys fun and talented. He played piano, acoustic guitar, and electric guitar. And that Kris kick step is pretty hot to see. Thank goodness he didn't have to sing "No Boundaries" on this tour. Instead, he reprised his awesome "Heartless" version. Even better yet, he brought out a new "All These Things That I've Done", which was drop dead fantastic. He also did "Bright Lights" and "Ain't No Sunshine" in fantastic Kris Allen style. And, as an extra wow, he started "Bright Lights" on the piano and ended it with a jam on the electric guitar. Way cool. Finally, gasp, he had the audacity to belt out a beautiful "Hey Jude", which had a rather prickly and suspicious Beatles fan like me remarkably impressed.
Kris Clip 1
Kris Clip 2
Kris Clip 3
Kris Clip 4
Kris Clip 5
And at the end, the entire troup came out to do one more medley. They totally danced and sang out Journey's "Don't Stop Believin" in a way that was all too perfect for this show.
Final Medley
Was it a good show? No doubt. I rarely think that medley concerts are fun, but for two years in a row "American Idols Live" has wowed me. Thanks for a fantastic year guys and I look forward to seeing you live solo. (Or meet up with me on September 9 when I catch David Cook solo here in Hollywood).
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But of course the reason we were there was to catch our American Idols. Wow! I have to say, I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did last year, when I was a huge fan of David Cook and David Archuleta. This year, I loved the top 5 but for the most part liked almost all of the top 10.
As mentioned on other blogs, before the show started, the crowd went insane whenever Adam Lambert's name or image appeared. What a riot!
The concert had an intermission, with contestants 5-10 (bottom 6) performing in the first act. It was a pretty solid first act and one that really led me to realize that we were going to be entertained the entire night long.
Here's what I thought about the show. My pictures are at Flickr.
Michael clip
Scott clip
Anoop Clip 1
Anoop Clip 2
Matt Clip
Medley 1
Medley 2
Allison Clip 1
Allison Clip 2
Allison Clip 3
Danny Clip 1
Danny Clip 2
Danny Clip 3
Adam Clip 1
Adam Clip 2
Adam and Allison
Adam Clip 3
Kris Clip 1
Kris Clip 2
Kris Clip 3
Kris Clip 4
Kris Clip 5
And at the end, the entire troup came out to do one more medley. They totally danced and sang out Journey's "Don't Stop Believin" in a way that was all too perfect for this show.
Final Medley
Was it a good show? No doubt. I rarely think that medley concerts are fun, but for two years in a row "American Idols Live" has wowed me. Thanks for a fantastic year guys and I look forward to seeing you live solo. (Or meet up with me on September 9 when I catch David Cook solo here in Hollywood).
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Thursday, July 16, 2009
Integrity Eucharist @ General Convention 2009
As a singer, I don't usually remember most of the events or church services that I participate in. However, last Friday's service at the Episcopal church General Convention, a triennial event, struck me with particular joy and thankfulness for gifts granted to me.
It was a Eucharist service, with communion, brought to us at the Anaheim Hilton by Integrity. It was full of ubuntu (I in you and you in me), incense, multi-culturalism, and love, and Christ. Episcopalians from across the country formed a standing room only congregation of perhaps 1600 people.
The sermon was outstanding, brought by the Episcopal Church's first female priest, retired-Bishop of Massachusetts Barbara Harris. I have to say that as a performer, I usually put myself at length from the service, as I have to stay somewhat focused on the music. But this sermon was honestly poignant, assertive and frank. For the first time in my life, I had to restrain myself from standing and shouting "Allelujah", as I was sitting directly behind the Bishop during her sermon...
So, since this is my entertainment blog, here's my recap of the music.
We sang
Wade in the Water - arranged by Carl Hayward
Wana Baraka, - traditional Kenyan folks song arranged by Shawn Kirchner
Sanctus - from Misa Bilingue, Kevin P Joyce
Savior of the world, save us - Community of Taize
Take, Oh Take me as I am - John L Bell
Sweet Hour of Prayer - words William W Walford, Music William Bradley, arranged by James Walker
Lead me, guide me - Dois Akers, arranged by Richard Smallwood
Nada te turbe - Community of Taize
Breathe on me, Breath of God - Nova Vita, Lister R Peace
Siyahamba - South African folk song
We also sang a processional song, along with a Cantor: Amen, we praise your name, O God, by Gobingca George Mxadana. Check out a supershort clip.
The words were:
Amen sia-kudu-misa! Amen sia-kudu-misa!
Amen, ba-wo. Amen, ba-wo. Amen, sia-kudo-misa!
The procession included drums and worked itself throughout the entire crowded ballroom.
Here's another short musical clips I found.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvZSiGQY0J0
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It was a Eucharist service, with communion, brought to us at the Anaheim Hilton by Integrity. It was full of ubuntu (I in you and you in me), incense, multi-culturalism, and love, and Christ. Episcopalians from across the country formed a standing room only congregation of perhaps 1600 people.
The sermon was outstanding, brought by the Episcopal Church's first female priest, retired-Bishop of Massachusetts Barbara Harris. I have to say that as a performer, I usually put myself at length from the service, as I have to stay somewhat focused on the music. But this sermon was honestly poignant, assertive and frank. For the first time in my life, I had to restrain myself from standing and shouting "Allelujah", as I was sitting directly behind the Bishop during her sermon...
So, since this is my entertainment blog, here's my recap of the music.
We sang
Wade in the Water - arranged by Carl Hayward
Wana Baraka, - traditional Kenyan folks song arranged by Shawn Kirchner
Sanctus - from Misa Bilingue, Kevin P Joyce
Savior of the world, save us - Community of Taize
Take, Oh Take me as I am - John L Bell
Sweet Hour of Prayer - words William W Walford, Music William Bradley, arranged by James Walker
Lead me, guide me - Dois Akers, arranged by Richard Smallwood
Nada te turbe - Community of Taize
Breathe on me, Breath of God - Nova Vita, Lister R Peace
Siyahamba - South African folk song
We also sang a processional song, along with a Cantor: Amen, we praise your name, O God, by Gobingca George Mxadana. Check out a supershort clip.
The words were:
Amen sia-kudu-misa! Amen sia-kudu-misa!
Amen, ba-wo. Amen, ba-wo. Amen, sia-kudo-misa!
The procession included drums and worked itself throughout the entire crowded ballroom.
Here's another short musical clips I found.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvZSiGQY0J0
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Monday, June 29, 2009
Next to Normal - Way beyond Normal
The acting, the music, the staging. If Billy Elliott didn't have such a feel good story, this show would and should have swept the Tony awards.
Breath-taking and broad at some points, claustrophobic and critical at others, Next to Normal blew me away. I somewhat expected a Rent-redux musical, but this was so much more. The story could easily have been an oh-too-predictable Oxygen or Lifetime movie of the week. Instead, we were gripped in the ever-surprising twists of this roller-coaster ride.
And to top it all off, the music, singing and acting were all top notch.
It's a bleak story, that doesn't seem so tough at the beginning. But stories about schizophrenia work best when you slowly realize that normal isn't really normal.
And, yes, this is a play that had me crying during the final few minutes. Sigh.
In some ways, the central theme of the book strikes me to carry well into non-psychotic areas as well. If "normal" cannot be achieved, then life can actually progress with love and honesty if you are willing to accept "next to normal". It's a tough lesson to learn for this family, and it certainly seems like a difficult one for American society in general to accept. I for one would love to see America look at our potpourri of peoples and issues and politics and accept that the 1950's concepts of normal just can't work anymore. Instead we need to move on in full honesty of our strengths and weaknesses, so that an almost normal life can be acceptable.
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Breath-taking and broad at some points, claustrophobic and critical at others, Next to Normal blew me away. I somewhat expected a Rent-redux musical, but this was so much more. The story could easily have been an oh-too-predictable Oxygen or Lifetime movie of the week. Instead, we were gripped in the ever-surprising twists of this roller-coaster ride.
And to top it all off, the music, singing and acting were all top notch.
It's a bleak story, that doesn't seem so tough at the beginning. But stories about schizophrenia work best when you slowly realize that normal isn't really normal.
And, yes, this is a play that had me crying during the final few minutes. Sigh.
In some ways, the central theme of the book strikes me to carry well into non-psychotic areas as well. If "normal" cannot be achieved, then life can actually progress with love and honesty if you are willing to accept "next to normal". It's a tough lesson to learn for this family, and it certainly seems like a difficult one for American society in general to accept. I for one would love to see America look at our potpourri of peoples and issues and politics and accept that the 1950's concepts of normal just can't work anymore. Instead we need to move on in full honesty of our strengths and weaknesses, so that an almost normal life can be acceptable.
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Diva and Divo - Swooning to Patti and Mandy
It was a Diva-lover's night. on Thursday. Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin brought their popular show to Los Angeles' Ahmanson theater. Looking around the crowd, one could see a wide range of ages, though it definitely skewed to a more mature audience with a "broadway musical" sensibility.
The first act was lively and a delight. There was an amusing and pleasant dance using office chairs. Vocally, I think Patti was more 'on'. Mandy, though quite a joy to watch and listen, seemed to have a thicker voice than I recall when I saw him at the Hollywood Bowl back in the mid-90s. It wasn't bad, but I think his voice is most exhilarating when leaping around doing falsetto gymnastics.
To cap off the act was an expected populist flourish: Don't Cry for Me Argentina sung by Patti.
The second act was dark and deep. I suspect that many in the audience may have drifted off during these still and serious moments, but I found it intense and profound. I almost regretted the eventual return to lightness.
Overall, a serious Broadway lover's dream come true! Thank you Diva and Divo!
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The first act was lively and a delight. There was an amusing and pleasant dance using office chairs. Vocally, I think Patti was more 'on'. Mandy, though quite a joy to watch and listen, seemed to have a thicker voice than I recall when I saw him at the Hollywood Bowl back in the mid-90s. It wasn't bad, but I think his voice is most exhilarating when leaping around doing falsetto gymnastics.
To cap off the act was an expected populist flourish: Don't Cry for Me Argentina sung by Patti.
The second act was dark and deep. I suspect that many in the audience may have drifted off during these still and serious moments, but I found it intense and profound. I almost regretted the eventual return to lightness.
Overall, a serious Broadway lover's dream come true! Thank you Diva and Divo!
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Saturday, June 20, 2009
Dame Edna - Her First Last Tour
Barry Humphries, aka Dame Edna, rocked the Ahmanson theater Friday night. What a delight.
Dame Edna performed with a pianist and her supposed daughter. What made this performance particularly entertaining was her relentless work with the audience. Perhaps in an homage to all that is Hollywood, she brought the audience up to sit with her on the stage and interviewed them as a talk show host. So up we welcome, Lori, Patricia, Evelyn and "Senior".
She poked at Lori's detached house in Valencia, at Evelyn's undying giggles, at Evelyn's townhouse in Pasadena, and "Senior" for his supposed drinking ("Seniorita" of course). There were some song and dance numbers. All that between a few costume changes, no less.
In the end, she tossed out what felt like 8 cases of gladiolas to the audience and to the ashtrays (balconies). That was an impressive backhand to get those things up there at her age (b. 1934). And in performance art fashion, she had the glads all up and dancing in an almost synchronized effort. Beautiful.
She wrapped up her act with that dastardly agent, Barry Humphries, locking her in the dressing room and coming out on stage to steal her final bows.
My Full Blog
Dame Edna performed with a pianist and her supposed daughter. What made this performance particularly entertaining was her relentless work with the audience. Perhaps in an homage to all that is Hollywood, she brought the audience up to sit with her on the stage and interviewed them as a talk show host. So up we welcome, Lori, Patricia, Evelyn and "Senior".
She poked at Lori's detached house in Valencia, at Evelyn's undying giggles, at Evelyn's townhouse in Pasadena, and "Senior" for his supposed drinking ("Seniorita" of course). There were some song and dance numbers. All that between a few costume changes, no less.
In the end, she tossed out what felt like 8 cases of gladiolas to the audience and to the ashtrays (balconies). That was an impressive backhand to get those things up there at her age (b. 1934). And in performance art fashion, she had the glads all up and dancing in an almost synchronized effort. Beautiful.
She wrapped up her act with that dastardly agent, Barry Humphries, locking her in the dressing room and coming out on stage to steal her final bows.
My Full Blog
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