(Karen Jesse as the witch in Hansel ind Gretel.)
Sometimes,
when the schedule allows, it’s good to take a break and see what’s happening
regarding live performances at the high school and college level. And based on
what I’ve seen this weekend at opposite ends of the Cleve-burg region, it’s
clear that the kids are all right.
And
if you hurry, you can catch one of them since their final performances are this
afternoon.
Hansel und
Gretel, Oberlin Opera Theater
For
a story about kidnapping, murder and the cannibalism of little kiddies, this
sure is a pretty opera. The bounteous musical material by composer Engelbert
Humperdinck is immensely pleasing, performed with precision and verve by the
Oberlin Chamber Orchestra and sung by a raft of talented students (some about to
graduate college and a couple not yet out of grade school).
It
is performed in German, with the English translation helpfully displayed on a screen
above the stage.
The
first act, comprising two scenes, shows H&G battling with each other at
home, yearning for food as their mother and father scrap for sustenance. Once
out in the woods, the kids fall asleep and wake up amidst angels.
At
this performance (and in today’s), Nicole Levesque as Hansel and Emily Hopkins
as Gretel sing with clarity and power, even as they poke and torment each
other.
But
when they met up with Hexe, the witch in Act Two who lives in a cake and candy
house, the kids’ dreams of the world’s biggest sugar buzz are trampled. As
Hexe, guest artist and 2004 Oberlin grad Karen Jesse sings with ferocious
sweetness in her multi-colored outfit. And she’s very creepy, kind of like John
Wayne Gacy in drag.
As
directed by Jonathon Field and conducted by Raphael Jimenez, this Hansel und Gretel is thoroughly
delightful, and sometimes quite witty. Right up to the moment when Hexe gets
baked in her own oven and the children are rescued.
Cabaret, The Academy for the Performing Arts
As
the TV show Glee proves, it’s al lot
easier to go through high school when you’re in your twenties (and for some
cast members, almost in their thirties). But when you’re 17 years old, or
younger, there are a lot more issues.
That
said, the talented high school cast of Cabaret
does some amazing things under the direction of Tom Fulton, director of the
Academy. Drawing from several schools, the Academy offers a two-year college
prep program for juniors and seniors, preparing them for success in the
performing arts—in college and beyond.
In
this significantly de-sexualized production (a nod to the tender age of the
performers, and to avoid heart attacks among the parents), fine performances
are turned in by Dan Hoy (who doubles as choreographer) as the Emcee and Emily
Wirthwein as Sally Bowles. Hoy’s dance with the gorilla in “If You Could See
Her” is spot-on, including the original and chilling lyric at the end.
Jon
Loya sings with deep resonance as Cliff Bradshaw, and R. Brendan Hall brings a
surprising level of humor and understanding to his role of the aged Herr
Schultz.
Even
though the dialog in some scenes proceeds at a fairly glacial pace, these young
actors maintain their discipline and manage to conquer this complex musical.
Ah,
to be 17 again and learning theater from someone as talented and perceptive as
Tom Fulton.
Hansel
und Gretel
Through
today, Nov. 10, at Hall Auditorium, Oberlin
College
campus, 67 N. Main St., Oberlin, 440-775-8169
Cabaret
Through
today, Nov. 10, at the Chagrin Falls High School campus, 400 E. Washington St.,
Chagrin Falls, 440-715-4004
No comments:
Post a Comment