Happy Birthday To You!

Disclaimer: I'm making an exception for a reflection on a very important day. Jane Austen's birthday doesn't technically have anything to do with theater, but her novels have been turned into stage adaptations, which means that this post is justified.

That's right. Jane's taking over the world.
Google agrees.

Yesterday was a very special day in the literature world. And, sadly, many people went about their days unaware of this monumental occasion. Yesterday, December 16^th was Jane Austen’s 235^th Birthday! Yes, I had been looking forward to this day and made sure to celebrate by dedicating a Facebook status to her and telling absolutely everyone I knew that it was her birthday. It may sound crazy, but I wasn’t the only one celebrating. Janeites worldwide tweeted about the occasion and Google UK even dedicated its “doodle” graphic to her! 

As part of the celebration, I find it necessary to reflect on all that Ms. Austen has done for the literary world. (However, I did not sing to her for two reasons:

1.) She would never want to hear me sing and

2.) If she were alive today, she’d be confused, because Happy Birthday didn’t become popular until after 1893.)

          She wrote only six novels in her lifetime, but all six are still read and reprinted to this day. It has been estimated that at any one time around the world, there are more than 600 Jane Austen adaptations being produced. China has increased its Jane Austen output by 400 percent over the past seven years, and looks set to be the world leader by 2012! 

Her characters are immortal, not only in their homes in her books, but also in film. Keira Knightley made Pride and Prejudice sexy with her portrayal of Elizabeth, and in turn, taught (some) boys that Jane Austen can be cool. Wait…scratch that. Is cool.

Of course she'd pose with a notebook.
She's just that awesome.

Sadly, Jane never married. However, this never stopped her from thoroughly enjoying life. Her best friend was her older sister Cassandra, with whom she regularly exchanged lengthy letters. She was also close with her nieces and nephews, allowing her an outlet for any motherly affection she might’ve felt. Based on her strong female characters, it is clear that Jane held very high “standards” when it came to the opposite sex. She had a short, love affair with Tom Lefroy when she was twenty years old. Even though she was madly in love with him, his family found the Austen family to be too poor for their distinguished son and believed he could do better. A reflection of this dilemma can be seen in Austen’s last published novel Persuasion.

Austen is often mistaken as the “mother of chick lit.” However, this title could not be further from the truth. Though often romantic, Austen’s stories are not full of mushy, gushy pet names and senseless “he-loves-me-he-loves-me-not” dilemmas. Instead, Austen advocates the female use of reason in relationships (imagine that!) Instead of relying solely on their feelings, Austen reminds women to use their heads. Through her stories, Austen also effectively proves that women are sensible creatures. It’s Austen’s subtle sarcasm, realistic characters and ironic narration that have led me to fall in love with her writings.

I often say that I would like to live in Jane Austen’s time period. A life full of reading, writing, dressing up, taking walks and going to balls sounds absolutely splendid to me. But there’s also more to an Austen novel than these everyday events. Many critics complain that “nothing happens” in her novels, which makes them incredibly boring. The point is, Austen proves that a lot can happen in every day life -- that snide comments people make and shy glances do have an impact. Through Austen, we can see that little actions can have a big effect on others. Austen showed audiences that using one’s head in decision making is not to be undervalued.

Aren't they adorable? Whoever combined Pride and Prejudice,
babies and cartoon characters is a genius.

Thanks Jane, for crafting the first real novel. For giving women everywhere the right to think for themselves in relationships and for proving that smart women are not to be taken for granted. May your legacy continue on for another 235 years and more. 

Cheers! 

"There's Nothing Halfway About the Iowa Way"

To all of my loyal followers:

I would just like to let you all know that I have been chosen to attend the Region V Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival as a representative of the National Critics Institute (try to say that in one breath!) The festival is in lovely, more-rural-than-Missouri, Ames, Iowa at Iowa State University from January 16-22. (Ames is only a skip, hop and a jump from "River City," which my fellow Music Man cast mates and I paid a visit to my junior year).

At the festival, I'll get to review four shows and take workshops from real, established theater critics. Though I'll be missing the first week of classes for second semester, this opportunity is invaluable and I couldn't be more excited about it if I tried. As my Zaneeta, my character from the Music Man would say, "Yee Gads!"

But, I didn't get here alone. I'd like to thank everyone who has ever read any of my reviews, whether it was me asking you to comment on my STAR Reporter observations or because I sent you links from articles that I wrote. I know I tend to over-write and my pieces can be long, but getting feedback from all of you only helps my writing.

January will be a busy time for my blog, but in the meantime, be sure to keep checking back! I have some ideas for shows to review over winter break that aren't typical and even more off-off broadway than you might expect.

Thanks again!

(Much closer to Broadway): Billy Elliot ‘shines’ as dancing show

Eleven year olds fill an awkward space in adolescence. Often entering the perplexing “pre-teen” stage, they express themselves with random outbursts of energy, attitude and sadness.

Billy Elliot, the main character of the musical with the same name, is eleven years old, but in many ways, the musical itself seems like an eleven year old – energetic, occasionally awkward and charming all at once.

Set in Northern England in 1984, the plot centers on those affected by the yearlong British National Union of Mineworkers strike.  While the town’s adults outwardly struggle to maintain strength in the face of unemployment, Billy struggles internally with a secret dream to pursue a career as a ballet dancer.

Due to the fact that male “ballerinos” aren’t exactly respected in modern times, it’s clear that they didn’t have a place in the mining towns of England – especially when “real” men were those who took boxing lessons. Billy’s father (Rich Hebert) and brother (Jeff Kready) do not support the visions that dance in Billy’s head. The boy is then left with only the assistance of his dance teacher Mrs. Wilkinson (Faith Prince) to find a way to pursue his dreams.

Shown with the other "Billys" Lex Ishimoto, center,
played Billy Tuesday, Nov. 23.

The touring production, now showing at the State Theater, travels with 20 children. Five of them are “Billys”, though Lex Ishimoto, a 12-year-old hip-hop dancer from California, played Billy for the Tuesday performance. Much like his character, Ishimoto’s dancing makes him a prodigy. As a trained dancer myself, I saw not one misstep, no matter how hard I looked. His pirouettes were perfect, his fouettes flawless.

Instead, Ishimoto’s fault lies in his singing, which was almost always off-key. Sounding like an even younger version of Justin Bieber (if that’s possible), Ishimoto’s unchanged voice was often harsh on the ears. However, much like with Bieber, audiences will readily forgive the annoying singing because of the appearance (in this case, of the beautiful dancing) of the source of the sound.

Much of the stage time belongs to Billy, but the other children in the cast often steal the show. Billy’s young friend Michael (Jacob Zelonky) is adorable as a boy who enjoys dressing up in his sister’s clothes. Given that Zelonky is only 11 himself, he handles the role of a young, gay boy with great maturity.

The inclusion of Billy’s cross-dressing friend is just one instance of the show’s exploration of societal themes. For 11-year-old Jacob, cross-dressing is perfectly acceptable because it brings him happiness. When justified by Jacob, one can’t help but wonder why any member of society feels entitled to dictate the behavior of others when happiness is at stake. The children in the show have it right – if it makes someone else happy, don’t question it.

Also memorable are the “ballet girls” in Billy’s dance class. Though they travel in a pack, each individual dancer (ranging from 11-18 years in age) has a distinct personality. Also, though they dance poorly, each ballerina is expertly trained and is instructed to forgo her classical technique in order to emphasize Billy’s greatness. Because many of the actresses are so young, they resemble the typical competition dance “infants” that have smiles plastered on their faces the whole number instead of reacting to the lyrics of the song.

For a touring production, the special effects and scenery are quite remarkable. From a dance studio inside of a gym to a dressing room with personified dancing dresses, the set is completely reminiscent of the Broadway production. None of the scenery feels compromised, giving audiences nationwide the full effect of the original show.

Amazingly, cast members young and old speak as though they were born and raised in Northern England. The accents used in the show are completely authentic and believable. Though the cast members sound as though they hail from Ireland, residents of Durham County speak with a pitimac accent. Now less frequently heard, pitimac accents are characteristic of those in Northern England who spent much time in the mines.

Besides speaking well, the adults in the show successfully unite the cast and emphasize the suffering the community undergoes together. Because the town is so united, Billy is even more outcast from his family, which makes the story more relatable and inspiring.

The show revolves around dancing. As a result, the musical’s songs, though written by Sir Elton John, are not memorable. The phenomenal dance moves are ultimately more gossip-worthy, as opposed to the tunes sung by “Billy Bieber” and his fellow cast mates. Though Billy Elliot did win the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2009, it is more of a dance show than anything else.  

Above all else, Billy Elliot encourages audience members to realize that ultimately, a child needs the support of his or her family to succeed. However, the writers of the script readily acknowledge that sometimes, children know best. It was Billy who recognized that he had the potential to succeed, but temporarily disbanded his talents to please those around him.

After seeing Billy Elliot and viewing a young child with so much ability and potential, one might wonder how anyone could ignore his skill and refuse him the chance to grow and develop. In reality, there are children everywhere who are brimming with potential. Sometimes, these children know best, but just need support. Billy Elliot asks audiences, if you had the chance to make a difference in someone’s life, would you?  

A True Butterfly Effect: Seeing ‘Arcadia’ Once Is Not Enough

“An object in motion will remain in motion until an external force is applied to it.” Such states part of Isaac Newton’s first law of motion, which applies both literally and figuratively to Tom Stoppard’s play “Arcadia,” now showing at MU’s Rhynsburger Theatre.

While much of the play involves Newton’s theories, the action of the plot (in this instance, the object) remains in captivating, intellectual motion for nearly three hours -- until the lights (the force) are dimmed and the stage is bare.

Winner of the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New play, “Arcadia” is a rare masterpiece that explores conflicts in science, class and love (to name a few). Set in both the early 1800’s and the present day, the plot shifts back and forth between the two time periods. However, in the final scene both courses of action occur simultaneously.

The storyline merges scientific debate with romantic philosophies to reflect the moral contest between classicism and romanticism. In the 1800’s, brilliant young Thomisina Coverley (Kristen Walker) grapples with both her academic lessons and entrance into womanhood while being instructed by her philosophical tutor Septimus Hodge (Brian Scanlan). Meanwhile, her mother, the vivacious Lady Croom (Paige Sommerer) is busy entertaining (in more ways than one) the famous guests who come to visit her estate.

In the present day, author Hannah Jarvis (Caitlin Reader) stays at the Croom estate to research a mysterious hermit who supposedly lived there at the same time as Lady Croom. While residing with the Coverley family, she encounters the cocky Bernard Nightingale (Steven Buehler), whose studies have also brought him to the Croom estate.

The mystery of the lives Lady Croom, her “special” guest, the unseen Lord Byron, and Septimus Hodge unfolds as the modern day characters piece together the events that happened at the estate more than a century before – unveiling surprising revelations about both the past and the present.

In a play where dialogue completely comprises the action, the main characters had no option but to rely solely on their acting skills to engage the audience. Luckily, the majority succeeded.

Walker was cast perfectly as Thomisina. Both inquisitive and innocent, Walker effectively bridged the gap between classicism and romanticism, which her character was scripted to do. It’s clear that Walker did her research, as she effectively communicates the difficult scientific principles Thomisina studies so that audience members can try to understand them as well as she does.

As Lady Croom, Sommerer was humorously flamboyant and extravagant in manner. Her crazy antics energized scenes that were progressing more slowly during the course of the show.

Both Reader and Buehler are astute and witty. Possessing much of the stage time, the actors make their modern day characters relatable to audience members to help connect the differing time periods.

The only casting weaknesses lie in minor characters, including the modern Chloe Coverley (Merill Arens) and the 1800’s era friend of Lady Croom’s brother Mr. Chater (Nathan Bryant). Arens is too soft-spoken as Chloe, and not expressive enough in her flirtatious emotions. Also, compared to his fellow actors, Bryant sounds more like a modern college student than an English poet since he is not articulate enough in his speech.

The true genius of “Arcadia” lies in the script, which includes more nuances and details than can be understood in the first viewing. The intricate nature of the plot makes it rewarding, as more can be appreciated and learned each time audiences see it performed.

The show is a wise reflection of human nature and the clash between logic and emotions. Director Kevin Brown successfully used this attribute to direct his actors to express internal conflicts through physical gestures, which helped make the dialogue-heavy show engaging.

Because of the intellectual nature of the show and the lengthiness, many audience members left during intermission. Apparently unable to handle the thoughtfulness of the show, these specific audience members exemplified a point that Stoppard makes through the show – those unwilling to pay attention to details will traverse through life making the same mistakes as those in the past.

The thirst for knowledge characterizes “Arcadia.” Though complex, the plot is innovative and enlightening, leaving audiences thinking about the deeper meanings of the show long after they leave the theater. Stoppard writes, “It’s wanting to know that makes us matter.” “Arcadia” ensures that audiences leave the theater knowing more about the nature of humanity than they did before. 

Now Playing Off-Off Broadway (1071.74 miles to be exact)

Within what distance can you be from Broadway to be considered "off broadway"? While most (if not all) of the off broadway shows I know are within the city boundaries of NYC, I decided to declare that I am "off-off broadway" just to be safe. After all, Columbia, MO does turn out to be 1071.74 miles away from the world's theater capital.

Though technically far removed from the "main stage," I know that I'm never too far from a theater production. Whether performed by third graders with homemade props or professionals with accomplished set designers, it's safe to say that somewhere, someplace in the world, the magic of a theatre is occurring.

Well, that's a broad statement, right? Of course theater is happening somewhere in the world at any given time. That's what makes it so awesome. While there's no way I can ever hope to comment on every theater performance occurring, I do hope to reflect on major happenings in the theater world, as well as to review the productions that I'm able to see.

After all, how often can one person be transported to a world entirely different than her own? I'm making it my goal to find out.