29. December 2010 by admin.

F. J. Hartland

Describing itself as “Ballroom.  Reinvented,” Burn the Floor is igniting the stage at Heinz Hall this week.

Divided into four segments (“Inspiration,” “Things That Swing,” “The Latin Quarter” and “CODA”), Burn the Floor highlights a variety of dance form, including: the cha cha, Viennese Waltz,  foxtrot, samba, swing, tango, paso double, lindy and the rumba.

And the show is sure to delight fans of dance.

There are breaks between each of the segments.  But thanks to director/choreographer Jason Gilkinson, within each segment, the show moves flawlessly from number to number.

Featuring nearly twenty dancers, the cast is headlined by Mark Ballas (of Dancing with the Stars) and Giselle Peacock.  In truth, all the performers work up a sweat and are given the chance to shine.

Accompanying some of the numbers are outstanding vocalists Peter Saul and Vonzell Solomon (of American Idol fame).While all the numbers are high-energy and highly entertaining, I did prefer the ones which included Saul and Solomon.

Everyone will be sure to have their personal favorites, but for me, the stand-out numbers include the sensuous “Burn for You,” a raucous rendition of ”Proud Mary,” and an abbreviated history lesson in the development of ballroom dance entitled “History Repeating.”

The music is pre-recorded, but Burn the Floor feature two live, on stage percussionists Joseph Malone and Henry Soriano, who do their part to keep the temperature rising.

Kudos also to the strong lighting design of Rick Belzer.  Lighting can make or break a dance performance, and Belzer’s work certainly compliments Burn the Floor.

If you enjoy dance (or sexy, shirtless men), this is the show for you!

After a very chilly December, temperatures this week in Pittsburgh are scheduled to climb.  Certainly Burn the Floor is partly responsible for that!

Burn the Floor continues through January 2.

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22. December 2010 by admin.

A CIRCUS FOR CHRISTMAS

F. J. Hartland

Until last night, I was not familiar with Cirque Dreams and their current production Holidaze.

Today if I had to describe it, I would say it’s one part music, one part dance and several parts circus (without the animals acts).

Set in a world of giant nutcrackers, wrapped holiday packages and bows and holiday ornaments, Holidaze is an international three-ring circus filling the stage of Heinz Hall with color and movement.  There are spinning plates, gymnastics and high flying aerials acts, all performed to holiday tunes.

While all the acts are entertaining, some go on too long.

Others, however, are stand-outs.

 The muscular American Rocco Lapaire performs gravity defying acts of strength with a giant candy cane in “Movin’ Up.” 

From China Qiang Xie and Jian Zhang appear in “A Chill in the Air,” and their acts of power and balance will give you goose bumps.

Latvian Victor Dodonov shows great control as he balances on a variety of cylinders in “Penguins Slide.”

A very funny segment is when audience members are persuaded in assisting with musical effects in “A Symphony of Bells,” under the comic conducting of Brazilian Ptereson Jardim.

A final highlight is “Angels in Flight: as Ukranians Dmytro Deyneko and Svitlana Gurancky are high flying angels, suspended in mid-air with flowing fabric.

The singing is quite good, but at times the sound system is overpowering and drowns out the lyrics by Jill Winters and David Scott.

Director Neil Goldberg fills the stage with many visuals—sometimes bordering on overload.  I am sure I was missing part of the gymnastics as Christmas trees danced across the stage or missed some juggling when someone on a bicycle raced across the stage.

If you like the circus, in particular specialty acts, then Holidaze is the show for you.

Holidaze continues through December 26.

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7. December 2010 by admin.

Guest reviewer Michael Buzzelli fills in this week for F.J. Hartland

Sometimes a kiss is just a kiss, but in Diana Son’s riveting play Stop Kiss (at the Off the Wall Theatre, Washington, Pa) a kiss can be everything.

Two allegedly heterosexual women meet over a pussycat.  Sara (Karen Baum), a naïve school teacher from St. Louis just arrived to Manhattan, but she can’t keep her cat in her new apartment. She finds Callie (Erika Cuenca), a jaded New York City traffic reporter, to take care of her beloved pet.  A fast friendship develops between the women.

As time goes by, their friendship evolves.  Finally, one night Callie grabs Sara, puckers up, and plants one on her.  Unfortunately, a malevolent man catches them and wants to join in, but Sara curses him. Suddenly, he brutally attacks them both, and nearly kills Sara.

Sara is beaten into a coma. Now, Callie must decide where she really stands. Is she Sara’s lesbian lover? Are they just friends? What is really going on?

When Detective Cole (F.J. Hartland) interviews Callie about the attack, she is hesitant to explain the details. It’s a cathartic moment when she finally reveals the truth about herself and her newfound friend.

The play shifts back and forth through time quicker than an episode of “Lost,” but it is easy to follow the action. Director Robyne Parrish uses a Brechtian technique to define time jumps. In the present, the actors face the audience instead of facing each other. It’s a little disconcerting but pays off with emotional resonance later in the play.

Squonk Opera’s own Autumn Ayers provides hauntingly beautiful musical transitions. 

The cast is exceptional. Erika Cuenca’s Callie is a walking billboard for the Missed Connections section of Craig’s list. She hesitantly reaches out and withdraws in a variety of ways. You’ll want to cheer when she finally plants that wet one on Sara, but, unfortunately, the dark consequences will keep you quiet.

Sara is double cast in the production. There’s Sara and Sara Lite. One is the bubbly Past-Sara and the other is the mute coma victim Present-Sara. The part is alternately split between Karen Baum and Theo Allyn (this reviewer saw the Dec. 4^th performance). It’s difficult to imagine anyone in Karen Baum’s sensible shoes after her vibrant performance.

Atom Pribila delivers a multi-layered portrayal as Callie’s on-again-off-again bartender beau, George. It’s a role that could easily be played for over-the-top comic buffoonery, but Pribila delivers a more nuanced performance.

Matt Lamb reminds us that there are no small parts. He bites deep into his role as Peter, Sara’s ex of the wrong sex (when Sara gives up Peter, she REALLY gives up peter…wink, wink, nudge nudge).

Linda Haston stands out in dual roles. She is the Mrs. Winsley, the only witness to the hate crime, and the Nurse, a gentle Jamaican hospital worker.

Son’s dialogue is crisp and sharp. There are plenty of laughs, considering the gloomy subject matter. Some of the best moments are completely silent. A good playwright knows that actions speak louder than words.

Off the Wall Theatre is dong daring works for quaint, little Washington, PA. From the outside the theatre doesn’t look like much, but it’s what’s-on-the-inside that counts. 

Stop by Stop Kiss and let a brisk 90 minutes of your time go by. You’ll be glad you did.

(Stop Kiss runs through Dec. 18 at Off The Wall Productions, 147 N. Main St., Washington. Dates and times vary. More info: www.insideoffthewall.com or 724-873-3576. Tickets: 412-394-3353 or www.proartstickets.org)

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