2011.11.20
Posted in Music, Theatre at 10:46 pm by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
I’ve been out to a couple of plays and also some electronic music shows recently, and generally things have been a bit of a mixed bag.
First up, an electronic music show at Flames Central: Steve Aoki and Datsik.
I bought the ticket more to see Datsik than Aoki, as I’m not really an Aoki fan, but I knew I was in trouble when the venue switched to Flames Central from the Big 4 where it was originally scheduled. Flames Central is a much smaller venue, and it was packed to capacity.
The line-up to get in was the first sign of trouble. I still don’t understand why a line about 100 people long took over an hour to get through. It’s not that difficult to put wristbands on people after checking their tickets.
That mess negotiated, I thankfully didn’t need to head to coat check where it sounds like another hour long line awaited. I did manage to get a reasonable spot on the dance floor, but I was forced to abandon it after I got tired of people shoving and pushing their way past me (where they were going I have no idea, the dance floor was pretty dense).
Which led to another problem. As a result of the venue change, Flames Central was so close to capacity they ticketed the balcony separately from the main floor. My usual escape plan (to the balcony) wasn’t available. I stuck it out for Datsik’s set, which I enjoyed (but most of the crowd seemed to dislike), and left 1/2 hour into Aoki’s set (which was as much of his music as I could stand).
Next up was Ronnie Burkett’s play Penny Plain. I have seen many of his plays in the past, but this one was my least favorite. It wasn’t bad by any stretch, but it seemed like he kind of lost his mojo with this one. It was an interesting premise, but the characters were just too bizarre and the ending a little too predictable in some ways, and way too weird in others.
I still maintain that everyone should see a Ronnie Burkett play once in their life, as he is a true master of the art of marionettes, but this play isn’t the one.
On a more positive note, Bassnectar’s show at the Big 4 last night was pretty good. The crowd was less college-bro-ish than a lot of other shows I’ve been to lately, and generally a lot more respectful. The music was loud as expected (PK provided the setup), and it was fun to dance for the evening. Earplugs were a requirement, and I handed out a number of them to nearby revelers who didn’t bring their own. Lorin has also stepped up his light show since I saw him at Sasquatch, and that was pretty neat to see. Really the only negative was a long line at coat check, but that was predictable given the weather.
As a bonus, one of the opening acts for Bassnectar was Bonobo, who I missed seeing at Sasquatch back in May, so I was glad to get the chance to see him DJ. His set was refreshing, something a little different than what I usually listen to. And the dance floor hadn’t yet packed in so I had lots of room to dance.
I don’t have tickets to any other plays or concerts coming up, although there are a few which are tempting. I think I may start to see more smaller shows / smaller venues and skip out on the bigger acts playing places like Flames Central as I tend to not enjoy those as much.
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2006.10.30
Posted in Theatre at 5:38 pm by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
I spent this past weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah, and while I was there, I had the opportunity to see Odyssey Dance Theatre‘s production of Thriller, their Halloween special.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I’ve seen ballet before, but this was something different. There was no orchestra, but rather pre-recorded music was used, spanning a wide range of genres. The dancers performed in a wide range of styles. It was very pleasantly unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.
Thriller is composed of two acts, and each act is a collection of disjoint stories which are all unified by a common theme: Halloween. The show draws its name from the opening scene of the first act. The company, dressed as zombies, perform to Michael Jackson’s hit pop song Thriller. I never before have seen 20 zombies dancing on stage, but the dancers are all very talented and put on quite a show.
Other scenes are inspired by classic horror films like Child’s Play, novels like Stephen King’s The Children of the Corn, or other bits of macabre arcana. I enjoyed very nearly all of them. They were quite varied, and an appropriate amount of humour was included to keep the subject matter from getting too heavy.
If you ever find yourself in Salt Lake City around Halloween, be sure to check if Odyssey is doing Thriller, and if so, buy yourself some tickets.
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2006.10.12
Posted in Theatre at 9:36 pm by Jeremiah Wittevrongel
A little over a week ago I had the pleasure of seeing Ronnie Burkett‘s 10 Days on Earth. As with most of his productions, the theatre appeared to be sold out completely, and it was a Tuesday night.
For those out there who have never seen Ronnie Burkett perform, I can’t adequately describe what you’re missing. He is an absolute master of his craft, and his craft is populating a stage with marionettes and making you believe they’re real people. I have never seen anyone else tell stories with marionettes in the way that Burkett does. It’s actually more accurate to say that the marionettes themselves are telling the story, since it’s entirely too easy to forget that Burkett is on stage, even though he’s plainly visible and voices all of the characters.
10 Days on Earth asks, “If you were alone, but didn’t know it, would you feel lonely?” It’s a rather interesting question, especially when viewed through the eyes of Darrel.
Like any art form, the power of Burkett’s theatre lies in the interaction between the viewer and play. Here too Burkett proves himself to be a master; I don’t think it’s possible to watch one of his plays and not personalize it in some way.
In my case, I live alone, but I don’t feel lonely very often. I have many friends who are only a phone call or a short walk away, and I enjoy my own space in a lot of ways. I can only imagine that some people look at my life and think that I must be lonely, but it would be closer to the truth to say that I don’t sit still long enough to even think about being lonely.
So why do people feel lonely? It is more a state of mind than a state of being, and 10 Days really brings that to the forefront.
The link between alone and lonely only exists in the mind, and sometimes it’s possible to choose to not be lonely.
There are other questions posed about the relationships between Darrel and his father, Darrel and his mother, and about the power of children’s literature, but like its main thesis, the play only asks the questions; it does not answer them. I have my own answers, and I doubt they’re the same as anybody else’s.
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