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Friday, May 16, 2008
Cast Set for “Color Purple” Musical
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A cast has been chosen for the first North American touring production of the Broadway musical “The Color Purple.” The show will be at the Fox Theatre July 15 - Aug. 3, coinciding with the National Black Arts Festival.
The cast includes Stu James, an Atlanta native and graduate of Morehouse College. He’ll play Harpo. His acting credits include “Rent” on Broadway, the movie “Dreamgirls,” and appearances on “General Hospital,” and other TV shows.
Celie will be played by Jeannette Bayardelle who also played the role on Broadway. The cast also includes Felicia Fields as Sofia, who was nominated for a Tony Award for her portrayal of the role on Broadway. “American Idol” fans will recognize another cast member: LaToya London, playing Nettie. She was an early front-runner to win season three before she was voted off, ending up in fourth place. She later won a recording contract and had two Billboard chart-topping singles.
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Vegas Violinist at the ASO
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Two young women dominated the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s concert on Thursday: Laura Jackson, who conducted, and Sarah Chang, the violin soloist. Jackson recently finished up a year as the ASO’s conducting fellow, so this was a sort of homecoming for her. Women conductors are still a rare breed, and her success is far from assured. She’s lined up some guest slots for next season, and is presumably in the market for a posting.
The concert opened with Prokofiev’s “Classical” Symphony, premiered in 1918 but which mimics the forms and textures of Haydn’s 18th century symphonies. Anyone betting on a generic reading of the score was quickly proved wrong. Via a slight exaggeration of the dynamics and tempos (faster in the fast bits, slower in the slow), a heavier emphasis on the sweep of the strings, and some adjustments in balances (holding down the basses and percussion), Jackson gave the work an energetic feel without losing its delicacy. It worked, and the listener was inclined to forgive occasional lapses in coordination.
Sarah Chang arrived on the stage in a shiny, jade green dress that said a lot about her “show biz” stage personality. Having made an astonishing debut with the New York Philharmonic at age 8, she has grown up on the concert stage, making her the classical music equivalent of Judy Garland.
Here, she played the Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1, the same piece she played for her Julliard audition at age 6. Her tendency to rush into the fast passages can either be exciting or annoying, depending on your point of view. There is a theatricality to her playing, both in terms of her interpretive style and her self-conscious stage gestures, including foot-stamping, shoulder swoops, and wild bowing techniques. You chuckle at the Las Vegas act that’s part of the package.
It’s no longer possible to forgive the orchestra’s coordination problems, including problems with intonation not normally associated with the ASO. Is it possible that the many distractions of the past few weeks, including the Encore Park opening, had prevented adequate rehearsal? Or was Jackson pushing the orchestra for dramatic gestures at the expense of precision? The audience seemed happy with the way it turned out. Of course, the audience here always seems happy, even delirious.
The orchestra returned from intermission like a football team after a rousing half-time talk from the coach. In Dvorak’s Sixth Symphony everyone was together and in tune, displaying the discipline normally associated with the ASO. Hearing it played so elegantly, you have to wonder why the piece is so rarely performed.
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GUEST BLOG: ASO Chorus met with resounding approval
Chorus member Kathleen V. Poe gives a first-hand look at the ASO's trip to Germany
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thursday night’s performance in Berlin started at 8 p.m. on the dot. There’s generally no accommodation for latecomers at the Philharmonie — probably because they don’t have a downtown connector to contend with.
Once the chorus took the stage, even before the orchestra tuned, the audience broke out in welcoming applause. This sort of anticipatory energy and first-night excitement carried the evening.
While our recent shows in Atlanta included an instrumental piece as a first half, the performances here are all-Berlioz: just the one work, without intermission. It’s a big sing, as we say, and a demanding piece for an audience, too, at nearly an hour and twenty minutes long.
Still, we could sense that they stayed with us for the duration. When the maestro gave the final cutoff, nearly 10 seconds of silence elapsed before he lowered his arms and a roar erupted from the packed house.
Cobb County teachers in the chorus at the reception with Donald Runnicles (back row, center) and Norman Mackenzie (far right).
(Another thing I’ve noticed about European audiences through my travels: Standing ovations are rarities here. While Americans predictably leap to their feet when a curtain goes down, Germans will clap for an eternity — from their seats — to show their appreciation.)
Maestro Runnicles, Joe Kaiser and Norman Mackenzie were called back to the stage three or four times before the audience started to trickle out. The chorus waited until the Philharmonic musicians left the stage to head backstage, nearly 10 applause-filled minutes after the piece ended. As we left, another hearty round of cheers and clapping began, bringing Donald and Norman back onstage.
At the after-party in the lobby, we celebrated a successful first performance with the orchestra, our patrons, sponsors, friends and family — and lots of Champagne. Those who addressed the crowd kept their speeches short. Ben Johnson, incoming chairman of the ASO board said that, as an Atlantan, he’d never had a prouder night; Maestro Runnicles mentioned that all good things come in threes (hint, hint) and wrapped up his thoughts by telling the chorus, “You rock!”
So it’s one down, two to go in Berlin for the ASOC — and I think the best is yet to come.
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Down Home With C-Span 2
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bob Dart covered the South as a reporter for the AJC for years, before moving on to the Washington D.C. bureau of Cox Newspapers. Just so there’s no pretense that this isn’t an in-house plug.
His book, “Down Home: Dispatches from Dixie,” is a collection of stories about Southern culture, society and politics. When Dart spoke at Hattie’s Books in Brunswick to promote the book, C-Span was there with its cameras.
Dart’s talk will repeat on C-Span 2 at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 17.
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