Page 2 of 3
That would be another BareBones tradition "Theatre that makes you think," to cite their longtime credo.
With Closer, BBTG has a script that will also likely make you laugh. Marber is a notably colorful character himself. Before his theatrical apotheosis at London's National Theatre, he was an actor, a hit TV writer, and a stand-up comedian. That's when he was behaving himself. He suffered clinical depression in his late teens, became a compulsive gambler in his early twenties, and now, in his late thirties, vigilantly guards against his addictive tendencies.
As a result, Marber writes comedy that is fluent with the manic fever, the brutal cruelty, and the ultimate mystery of desire.
"Some of it," Calvert concludes, "is the kind of stuff that you laugh at because you're so uncomfortable that you can't react otherwise. There are places where, I guarantee, the audience is going to find itself laughing and then feeling just terrible that they laughed at the terrible things that just happened onstage."
Closer opens at the Afro-Am this Thursday and runs through March 17.
Call BareBones at 704-577-7274 for info and reservations.
Reviews
With two top-6 finishes in the National Poetry Slam, Asheville native Glenis Redmond has proven that she can get down with her catchy tributes to icons of black heritage and her perky plugs for literacy. With lauded appearances from Seattle to London and back to Hickory as a performance artist, poetry reader, and collaborator with blues guitarist Scott Ainslie Redmond has also proven she can get around.
Now with her recent performance of Heroes and Sheroes at Children's Theatre, Redmond has proven that she could get audiences on their feet, get them enthusiastically involved, and leave them clamoring for more. Redmond warmed up her Saturday matinee audience with exuberant performances of Carl Sandburg's "Fog" and Ogden Nash's "Termite."
Then she plunged us all into her world of poetry with a suite of eight original compositions. Heroes included Michael Jordan and Redmond's dad. "Sheroes" included Harriet Tubman, Redmond's mom, and her grandma.
More delightful than these homages were the poems drenched in attitude. These tended to be the works that Redmond used to spark the most intense audience participation. Redmond co-starred with four volunteer moms in "Five Little Monsters" and choreographed the entire audience after splitting us in halves for "Nerds Rule!" An irresistible plea for library membership.
Redmond was at her best for "If I Ain't African," before wrapping up with a Q&A session. Considering the wrap-up came when she'd barely been onstage for 40 minutes, I felt the "How I Do It" section of the program was premature.
No doubt about it, Redmond can certainly work a crowd. The Q&A led smoothly to an encore and some down-home merchandising in the lobby of the Morehead Street fantasy palace. Keeping up with Charlotte's demand for the product is about the only thing Redmond couldn't get right. Books and audiocassettes that had been available for the Friday evening performance were sold out.
Charlotte Symphony is marching fearlessly into rarely explored territory this month. On the weekend before Passover, they've thoughtfully chosen to showcase Richard Wagner, and last week they brought Bach's Mass in B Minor to the PAC for the first time.
Belk Theater wasn't filled anywhere close to capacity when the fine Oratorio Singers of Charlotte launched into the opening "Kyrie" last Friday evening. Nor was there a review in our metro daily the morning after to rouse interest in the Saturday night encore. Apparently the classical music boycott which victimized the sterling Opera Carolina production of Der Rosenkavalier back in January has now been extended to Symphony whenever the whim hits. Even if they happen to be celebrating the Oratorios' 50th anniversary.
For those of us who came to watch CSO associate conductor David Tang lead the Oratorio celebration and work his customary magic with Bach's chorales the massive chorus and the slimmed-down orchestra were quite persuasive. While the slightly tart tones of guest tenor Michael Lockley might not be quite flavorful enough for leading operatic roles, his "Benedictus" was quite winning and heartfelt.
Similarly, while soprano Jennifer Ellis looked somewhat labored in her breathing at times, the sounds that wafted from her throat in the "Laudamus te" aria were heavenly. In solos with Lockley and mezzo Margaret Bragle, Ellis brought out the best in her partners. Or nearly their best. Bragle's dialogue with lead bassoonist Mary Beth Griglak in "Qui sedes" couldn't go on too long for me. The only disappointment was the debut of bass William Stone, a Grammy winner in 1988 who may have reached us too late in his career.