It's the halfway point in the Festival when the insiders start looking for the new, the different and the gossip. Mabou Mines Dollhouse is turning out to be the talker of this festival as Director Lee Breuer gives theater-goers something more to digest.
On other topics, here are a couple of early looks at reviews for Sunday:
Jack McCray on Dianne Reeves at Spoleto:
“The
crowd roared with applause all evening from the beautifully improvised
melodic and rhythmic shifts the band offered. The harmonics were
interesting as well, lots of blues and greens with liberal amounts of
dissonance. (Dianne)
Reeves, a quintessential voice-as-instrument singer, coursed through a
tasty repertoire of bop, ballads and blues with deep emotion and
acrobatic dexterity. Tall and striking, she has a presence onstage that
commands the listener-viewer to pay attention."
Mary Solomon on the Early Music Series at Piccolo Spoleto:
“A wonderful display of talent was featured in “Paul’s Steeple.” The spotlight was on cellist Wade Davis for this one, as guitar, harpsichord and percussion accompanied him. It was one of the many highlights of this program.”
Lindsay Koob on Jane Monheit at Piccolo Spoleto:
“She and her cool colleagues gave us everything from bluesy ballads and big-band classics to subtly fluid Brazilian pieces — not to mention some of the most skillful scat-singing since the days of Ella.
Suffice it to say that this is a voice that can stop you in your tracks.”
William Furtwangler on the Chamber Music Series at Spoleto:
“Tara Helen O’Connor provided comic relief by using her flute to do an elaborate imitation of a train whistle right up to a final high-pitched sputter in “Jet Whistle” by Villa Lobos, a composer who never outgrew his love of trains. She was aided in this piece of musical whimsy by cellist Andres Diaz, whose rhythmic bowing made credible wheel sounds.”
Sandy Katz on “A Life in Her Day” at Piccolo Spoleto:
Hilary Chaplain’s adult-oriented show, “A Life in Her Day,” was full of originality and cleverness, which comes from her career as a clown and clown professor.
The show opened with Chaplain waking up to her puppet dog nudging her out of bed. Her dexterity showed first as the puppeteer and then followed through with other shticks.
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