Friday February 9, 2007 SGN.org |
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Volume 35 Issue 06 |
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Friday, Jan 09, 2009
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Bits & Bytes |
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| Arnaldo! prepares to wow New York, Enchanting Swan Lake soars at PNB, God Committee scores at Taproot | |
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It's another great week for Seattle entertainment fans--and for
Bits & Bytes. Read on: ARNALDO! SETS OFF TO WOW NEW YORK WITH NEW CABARET Seattle's "favorite drag chanteuse" is heading to New York for his Big Apple cabaret debut this weekend. Arnaldo! offers two shows at the intimate Duplex Cabaret Theatre on Christopher Street, "right in the heart of Greenwich Village" and right around the corner from the historic Stonewall Inn where the whole modern GLBT civil rights movement began. "The Voice Is Real, The Piano Is Real, But The Rest Is An Illusion" reads the show's publicity flyer. Seattle's stylish "gender illusionist" sings in his own voice as a member of the Seattle Men's Chorus ("in boy drag") and as the stylish, sophisticated Arnaldo! in his cabaret outings. Arnaldo! opens tomorrow night, Saturday, Feb. 10 with a sold out show -- amazingly, the "sold out" sign went up a week early -- and repeats An Evening with Arnaldo! Sunday night at 9:30 p.m. Good seats were still available at SGN's press time for the Sunday evening cabaret. While Arnaldo! is traveling with a strong support contingent -- his very proud mother, a number of supportive relatives, "my sweetie, Steve," and a handful of fans--the trip is really to launch his New York image and build on his national and international cabaret career. Arnaldo! gave his Seattle-based fans and family a preview of An Evening with Arnaldo! with a special show at Jubilantte in Renton. The welcoming cabaret space showcased a preview of the New York show. A packed house cheered Arnaldo as he appeared in glamour drag in an iridescent purple satin sheath with a chiffon scarf around the bustline that wrapped around his figure to become a highly theatrical fabric train at the back. As usual, old world elegance dictated his look--perfect hair, perfect make up, glamorous but restrained jewelry. "I Love Being Here With You" opened the set to wild cheering from the capacity crowd--many of them from work had never seen him in glamour drag. These self-proclaimed "Arnaldo Virgins" went wild with the image and the talent of Arnaldo! "That Old Black Magic" followed with stylish delivery. "Peel Me A Grape" started the sex kitten sequence that included Eartha Kitt's "I Wanna Be Evil." A perfect contrast was the understated "The Nearness Of You," an hypnotic hymn to true love. "Something Cool" followed, a beautiful version of the classic June Christie vocal tale of loneliness. This classic was the song Arnaldo sang at the Yale Cabaret Conference recital in 2005 -- he remains the only "female impersonator" accepted into the prestigious Yale University summer program. It was obviously very special to the talented performer. A swinging "That Old Devil Moon," a hushed "My Romance," a brilliant "Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)" followed. The Cole Porter classic traditionally gets updated lyrics in cabaret settings--the cheering audience knew that "Birds Do It, Bees Do It" but learned that "Some Congressman and Their Devoted Pages Do It." Arnaldo's trademarked theme song, "If You Believe," from The Wiz, ended the show to a standing ovation. Arnaldo's devotion to Eartha Kitt returned with his one encore, "Champagne Taste." As they say, a good time was had by all. The Renton evening provided a Seattle preview of the New York cabaret and also served as an entertaining fund raiser for Arnaldo! New York cabarets are expensive to stage--often costing more than $5,000 for a single night or weekend. One New York singer that this scribe met explained New York cabaret life. "I live on my salary as a cocktail waitress and save my tips for my once-a-year cabaret showcase. It costs $5,000 to $8,000 for one night but it's what we do." Visitors to New York this weekend can check ticket availability at the Duplex at 212-255-5438. Paul Trueblood accompanies Arnaldo! at the piano. PNB SCORES WITH CLASSIC SWAN LAKE-- 5 PERFORMANCES LEFT Seattle ballet fans have five more chances to see the luminous Swan Lake at Pacific Northwest Ballet. Evening performances tonight, tomorrow and Sunday plus two very popular weekend matinees are sure to be packed with enthusiastic fans who have heard nothing but praise for the revival of the classic work. Five sets of leads--as Odette/Odile and Prince Siegfried--rotate through the performances. Patricia Barker, celebrating her retirement year, dances the Swan Princess roles tonight. Her performance last weekend was a complete, turn-away sell out. As always, check in early, hang around the ticket window for turned in seats, be persistent, be polite and plan to plan ahead next time. To quote a famous lyric from A Chorus Line, "Everything was beautiful at the ballet" last week for the opening night premiere of this popular PNB revival. Louise Nadeau was radiant as Odette and, dancing as her nemesis, the evil Black Swan, brought new refinements to her work. Jeffrey Stanton, a sensational dancer late in the production, is not a terribly charismatic character but was wonderful in his partnering with Odette in Act Four. Jonathan Poretta was terrific as the Jester and was clearly an audience favorite. Check with the PNB box office for ticket availability-206-441-2424. TAPROOT SCORES WITH NEW, PROVOCATIVE GOD COMMITTEE Mark St. Germain's provocative God Committee has found a perfect Seattle home. Taproot Theatre in the Greenwood business area in North Seattle gives the challenging play its Northwest Regional Premiere staging. It's the perfect play for the talented Taproot company and the perfect play for its loyal audience who want provocative works on contemporary issues. The play, solidly directed by Scott Nolte, plays in real time. A hospital conference room is the setting as a group of doctors and staff meet to decide who will be the recipient of an upcoming heart transplant. The clock on the wall ticks away the time as St. Germain's poignant play ticks away the reasons one patient is higher on the list than another. Complications abound--secret drug tests, psychological tests, a sizeable donation for a new hospital wing, possible racial issues. The medical staff itself is a source of many plot twists--a belligerent colleague, a hidden medical condition, the accidental death of a child. As the clock clicks on, decisions must be made. For GLBT audience members, a special focus on a HIV-positive heart recipient is a provocative element. He is not excluded from the possible heart transplant because of his HIV status, but, heartbreakingly, he is an unlikely choice because he has no support system of friends or family to help in his recovery from transplant surgery. A talented cast head the play. Philip Davidson, with 24 years at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland on his resume, makes his Taproot debut as Dr. Klee, the chief of staff with secrets of his own. Don Brady, a Taproot veteran, is the cantankerous Dr. Gorman who has a not-so-secret agenda to fulfill. Marquam Krantz provides comic relief -- and a different point of view -- as the wheelchair-bound Dominick. Dale Brothers is charming as a visiting Catholic priest, and Rachel Pate is terrific as the no-nonsense nurse who keeps the doctors in line. Pam Nolte, with more than 75 Taproot roles in her past, is powerful as Dr. Ann Ross. Candace Vance has great scenes as the intern sitting in for an absent colleague. Her honest enthusiasm for life is questioned by several of the other members of "the God committee" but her youthful spirit survives. A provocative subject, a well written play, a solid staging, a great cast, on-target direction--these all add up to an excellent God Committee at Taproot. The show continues through March 3. Ticket details at 781-9707. UW OFFERS RARE CHANCE TO SEE GREEK TRAGEDY- THE BACCHAE CONTINUES Seattle theater fans get few chances to see live productions of Greek tragedies. That factor makes the University of Washington's School of Drama production of The Bacchae by Euripides an important show on the February theater calendar. The two-week run ends Sunday with three more performances this weekend. Director Andrew Tsao uses members of the UW's Professional Actor Training Program in this stylish production. By casting a woman as Dionysus, the god of wine and theater, the production takes on a new element. The gender-bending casting confused many in the opening audience--as it did this scribe--and seemed to offer no new insights into the character or the play. A number of solid performances and a handsome physical production made the show well worth seeing. Check out ticket details at 543-4880. The box office staff predicted sell outs for this final weekend. The show is in the intimate Meany Studio Theatre. Plan ahead--call now. |
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