South Florida's Entertainment News & Views: Performing Arts

Sleeping Beauty
—A Major Crowd-Pleaser at the Gleason

by Howard Salus
Publisher

Susana Prieto Elden has done it again! Sleeping Beauty, the classic fairy tale of a kiss from a prince came to life—big time—with the Ballet Etudes Company, this past weekend at the Gleason.

Though I, by no means, am a connoisseur of ballet, I certainly know what I endure, what I enjoy and what I marvel over. Seeing hundreds of ballets over my lifetime allows me some reasons for my judgment. What I saw and felt was definitely something to marvel over. Observing the enthusiasm of the audience lends further support of my conviction.

New York City Ballet’s Charles Askegard (Prince Florimund) was stellar and ideally paired with Ballet Etudes’ own Dagmar Moradillos (Princess Aurora). Prior to this wonderful; tale that all children know and love, Askegard danced with Ballet Etudes in Nutcracker, Coppelia and Swan Lake.

World renowned impressionists (and local favorites) Frankie Kein and Manuel Arte were impactful in their roles as the evil fairy Carrabosse and King Florestan XXIV.

Maestro Alfredo Munar, conductor of the Florida Classical Orchestra. Once again conducted for the Ballet Etudes—the only company to always perform with a live orchestra. Rounding out the production cast of Prieto Elden and Munar was Artistic Advisor and Choreographer Rodolfo Rodriguez and Production Stage Manager and Lighting Designer Eugene Lowery.

Ballet Etudes’ Jessica Lemoine, The Enchanted Princess Florine, partnered with American Ballet Theatre’s Danny Tidwell as The Bluebird. Equally as enchanting were Puss in Boots and the White Cat, Jessica Tome and Walter Lopez.

The Cavaliers, Fairy Attendants, Courtiers, Gargoyles, Heralds, Maidens Peasants, Nereids all made for a significant cast—all well disciplined, all remaining steadfastly to character.

The production was a joy. The sets and backdrops were extraordinary. The costumes were prime. Thank you so much, Susana, for a predictably grand evening. We can’t wait for your next production.

Ballet Etudes School, Home of Ballet Etudes Co. of South Florida celebrates their 30th anniversary year. The school has four locations—Hialeah, Miami Lakes, Pembroke Pines and the Southwest/Red Road area. Classes in Ballet (3 years of age to professional), Pointe, Flamenco and Ballet for Adult Beginners.

PHOTO IDS

1.Manuel Arte
2. Frankie Kein

Master Harold and the Boys a Hit at GableStage

by Buddy Clarke
Critic at Large

There is an interesting play at the GableStage in Coral Gables. Master Harold and the Boys is by Athol Fugard and stars three impressive actors. The play is supposedly based on true events and takes place in South Africa in about 1950, when apartheid was in full sway. At that time, there was a distinct color line, just as there was in this country before and after the Civil Way and, unfortunately, still is, to some extent.

Harold is a young white boy, whose formative years were spent with two black employees of his parents’ tearoom. In spite of his affection for Sam (Paul Bodie) and Willie (Rodney Gardiner), young lad Halley (John Bixler) is still a product of his environment, as we learn near the play’s end. We see the love and affection between Halley, Sam and Willie, but we find out that it is only superficial. Halley, is spite of—or because of—his youth, is still a white supremacist.

There is comedy and tragedy in the play, and director Joseph Adler brings out all the tiny nuances that make the play move along. Lending help are the fine portrayals by the three-person cast, a fine set by Tim Connelly, good lighting design by Jeff Quinn and costuming by the ever-reliable Estela Vrancovich. Ron Headrick did the minimal choreography, which is integral to the story, and director Adler kept the accent to a minimum. Trevor Cross was the dialect coach and he too kept the accents to a minimum, making it much easier to understand the dialogue.

GableStage is located at Biltmore Hotel, 1200 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables. “Master Harold and the Boys” will run through May 23. For more information, call 305-445-1119 or visit www.gablestage.org.

Rock Group Music Reprises on
Mythical Greek Island and
“Abba”-Kadabra—It’s Mamma Mia!

by Phyllis Green
Theater Columnist

Musical comedy adaptations evolve from a variety of concepts; diverse in their beginnings from historical backgrounds, biographies, the works of Shakespeare, opera, film noir, or classic writings, as exemplified in the likes of Les Miserables, Evita, The Taming of the Shrew (Kiss Me Kate), Romeo & Juliet (West Side Story), All About Eve (Applause), Liliom (Carousel) and other immeasurable sources. Then there are the oft- inspired musicals stemming from the many works of composers such as Jacques Brel, whose powerful introspections of life stand alone in a segued concert. Conversely, a little sleeper of a show called Copacabaña took Barry Manilow’s hit song-with-a-plot and brought a complete story to the stage. Enter the songs of ABBA, the highly popular Swedish rock group of the 70’s, with their distinct sound, charm, and definitive style.

Thanks to the foresight of Producer Judy Craymer, who believed there was a musical waiting to happen, and the imagination of playwright Catherine Johnson, who conceived a sugary story to connect the enduring songs of Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, voila!, it’s Mamma Mia! This smash hit, which premiered in London on April 6, 1999, recently returned to the area with a sold-out run at the Kravis Center in Palm Beach, and proved once again to be the delect-ABBA confection that has thrilled audiences the world over.

Designed strictly as a vehicle to showcase the rock and roll fun of 22 songs from ABBA, including “Knowing Me, Knowing You,” “Take a Chance on Me,” “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do,” “Super Trouper,” “Mamma Mia,” and of course, the ABBA-solutely fabulous, “Dancing Queen,” this mega entertaining frolic has a syrupy plot interwoven, bringing all theater goers to their feet for a ten-minute finale highlighted by their biggest hit, “Waterloo.”

The story takes place on a simply set mythical Greek island the day before a wedding is about to take place. The bride, Sophie, played with likeable sweetness by Sara Kramer, has found her mothers diary, which reveals that any one of three male suitors from the ‘70s could be her father. She has sent them all invitations to her wedding, hoping that when they arrive she will discover the truth. Also invited were a couple of chicks that were pop-singers with her mamma back in that glittery era that gave the world platform boots and spandex. Actresses Lori Haley Fox and E. Faye Butler, played Tanya and Rosie with camp, and gave the show much of its infectious humor. And there you have it.

Lauren Mufson, in the lead role of Donna, a former pop singer, who has been running a taverna since Sophie was born, gave the part the oomph of a free-spirited woman, having been sensual yet sensible, indulgent, yet independent. Together with her daughter, they provided a heart stopping moment in “Slipping Through My Fingers,” and her strong-voiced center stage solo “The Winner Takes All” was the well-deserved showstopper.

For ABBA fans, this fabulous show, with musical direction by Martyn Axe and supervision by Martin Koch, stayed very true to the big arrangements that sold out millions of records and concerts since the ‘60s. However, the over amplification of the backgrounds, even though sung live from backstage, seemed to be too much augmentation for only the two or three characters that were singing on stage. This was obviously a trade-off between momentary drama and the nostalgic sound of this phenomenon. So, how does the story end? Who’s the daddy? Who gets married? Who cares? Let’s get to that pulsating disco beat and dance in the aisles as did everybody at the theater!

Mamma Mia! is fun! It is feel-good, smile-a-lot, leave-the-theater-humming-the-tunes, magic!

The songwriters Bjorn and Benny, and their ex-wives, Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, may no longer be a group, but their music will live on forever, thanks to Mamma Mia! And, most of all, thanks for the songs we’re singing, thanks for all the joy they’re bringing; “Thank You for the Music.”

PHOTO IDS

1. Lori Haley Fox, Lauren Mufson and E. Faye Butler in Mamma Mia!

Celebrating National Dance Week, three of South Florida’s finest contemporary dance companies are joining forces to present the National Dance Week Mini-Fest from Friday, April 30 to Sunday, May 2. Momentum Dance Company, Dance Now Ensemble and Isadora Duncan Dance Company will showcase exceptional local performing artists, choreographers and dance traditions in three concerts:
Friday, April 30 at 8:00 PM: Dance Now Ensemble & Isadora Duncan Dance Ensemble
Saturday, May 1 at 8:00 PM: Momentum Dance Company & Dance Now Ensemble
Sunday, May 2 at 2:00 PM: Isadora Duncan Dance Ensemble & Momentum Dance Company
“This Festival has been created and developed in response to the terrible funding cuts for the arts all Florida arts groups suffered this season,” explains Delma Iles, Momentum Dance Company’s Artistic Director. In spring of 2003, the Florida Legislature eliminated the trust fund that had provided a dedicated source of revenue for the arts for over twenty years. Arts funding was cut by 78 percent and was drawn from general revenue instead of the trust fund, thus thrusting arts into competition with all other state budgetary needs. Most Florida arts groups were forced to quickly rethink their budgets and programming for the 2003-2004 season in order to compensate for the loss of state support. These cutbacks hit the small and medium arts groups hardest (groups with budgets under $500,000), as it is more difficult for them to quickly raise money from private and corporate sources.

“We were devastated!” explains Iles. “How could we produce a normal season with a sudden loss of over $22,000 in our budget?” It is from this scenario that Iles developed the idea for a cooperative event in which dance groups, by working together, could share production costs. “By producing three companies in one weekend all costs for theater rental, technical crew, printing, mailing, press relations and advertising are shared, rather than each group footing the bill for these items alone as we normally do when producing a concert weekend.”

“I first floated the idea with Dance Now’s Artistic Directors Hannah Baumgarten and Diego Salterini, who immediately saw the logic of the plan. We then turned to Andrea Seidel, Artistic Director of the Isadora Duncan Dance Ensemble, who also quickly jumped on board. The most difficult aspect of the planning was finding a performing space on Miami Beach, which is home to all three groups. The Miami City Ballet came to the rescue with their beautiful studio/theater—currently the only professional quality dance performance space on the Beach.”

The collaboration has worked so well that all three groups have committed to doing it again next spring with a much larger event—the Miami Beach Dance Festival. “Each of us has strong points and weak ones,” says Iles. “With each group shouldering a portion of the work as well as the costs, we can be more effective with our time and energy. These types of collaborative efforts are definitely the wave of the future for the arts and culture. Even if state funding is restored for next season, as we hope it will be, the benefits of working together are so great we will continue to do so. It will only make our dollars stretch further and lead to higher quality events. Stay tuned for next year’s Miami Beach Dance Festival at the Byron Carlyle Theater featuring the three founding companies plus additional local and national companies. We are already lining up sponsors for next year!”

The National Dance Week Mini-Fest will be presented at the Miami City Ballet Studio Theatre, 2200 Liberty Avenue in Miami Beach with tickets priced at $12 in advance online from www.momentumdance.com, $15 cash only at the door, and $8 for students and seniors. A Special Festival Package offers any two shows for $20 per person. Discount valet parking—$5 for a three-hour slot—is available at the garage located at 237 Twentieth Street (corner of Liberty and 20th).

Each company—The Dance Now! Ensemble, Isadora Duncan Dance Company and Momentum Dance Company—will perform with the other two participants during the Mini-Festival. Encore performances mean each group presents the same work both times they perform.

“All of the companies participating in the National Dance Week Mini-Fest are working with Dade Cultural Alliance and other arts advocacy groups statewide to advocate for restoration of arts funding via the trust fund” says Iles. “Arts and culture are an essential part of life, and in fact are named specifically as one of the basic human rights listed in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 27). We hope that everyone who appreciates arts and culture will join with us by contacting their state legislators to urge them to restore funding.”

For additional information on the National Dance Week Mini-Fest, call 305-858-7002 or visit www.momentumdance.com.

PHOTO IDS

1. Hannah Baumgartner from the Dance Now! Ensemble at the National Dance Week Mini-Fest

Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida, under the direction of Russian Ballet Master Vladimir Issaev, presents Spring Gala on Saturday May 15 at 7pm. This young company will light up the evening with classical and neo-classical ballet repertoire, including excerpts of Le Corsaire, a humorous classical ballet with a charmingly entangled plot involving pirates, evil slave traders, and beautiful girls.

The season ending performance also features: Glinka’s Suite Fantastique; Blue Bird and Flower Festival Pas de Deux and everyone’s favorite TAIKO-WOMEN, a neo classical piece based on Japanese drums, choreographed by Vladimir Issaev.

The audience will be delighted to see the company’s leading ballerinas Katie Moorhead, Melissa Wrinkle, Sarah Bryner and Melanie Cruz performing the most demanding ballet variations. This unique finale event features resident guest dancers David Fonnegra, Wilman Gamero, Armando Gonzalez, Christopher Espinosa and visiting guest dancer Eddy Tovar from Fernando Bujones’ Orlando Ballet.

Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida will present this fabulous Gala for one evening only, Saturday May 15, 7pm at Broward Center for the Performing Arts located at 201 SW Fifth Avenue, Fort Lauderdale. For tickets and information, call 954-462-0222 or visit www.browardcenter.org.

Cedar Lake Ensemble, an Innovative Contemporary Company, to Make their Miami Debut

New York-based performance group Cedar Lake Ensemble will make their Miami debut Friday, April 30 and Saturday, May 1 at 8pm at Miami’s Gusman Center, 174 East Flagler Street. Cedar Lake Ensemble, led by Artistic Director L. Jen Ballard is a new company which merges classical and contemporary ballet with striking theatrics.

The Philadelphia Inquirer raved about the company’s performances, calling the performance “truly striking,” praising their “dancing distinguished by their strong lines and impressive pointe work” and comparing the company’s “to die for” production values to Cirque du Soliel. The Village Voice praised the company’s “high-powered, eclectic vocabulary (with a) mix of modern dance, ballet and jazz.”

Cedar Lake Ensemble’s Miami debut tells the story of a goddess who emerges from a lake and leads her divine beings to encounter the world of mankind. The audience will experience the fantasy of the tale, the exceptional precision of the performers as well as the production’s grand theatrics and vibrant lighting.

The evening’s complete program includes five pieces choreographed by Ballard including “Watchers,” “Drop of Tear I,” “Pavor Nocturnus,” “Neither Here Nor There,” and “Drop of Tear II.” Also on the program is “Fear,” choreographed by Jamar Roberts and featuring CL II (the Cedar Lake Ensemble’s youth company), and “Emotions” by Karen Mareck.

In addition to the evening’s program will be the world premiere of “Ball” by Alonzo King and the Miami premiere of “Tenacity” by Miami-based choreography Angel-Fraser Logan.

“My vision for Cedar Lake Ensemble is that we present stimulating work that is exploratory, and appeals to all the senses while transcending the boundaries of theater, dance and production quality,” said Ballard. “Our work is situational, exploring in the complexity and depth of the expressive relationships between characters.”

The ensemble, founded in September 2002, works with both established and rising artists from the world of theatre, music, dance, stage, lighting and sound design to create performances that utilize components of all these disciplines. Cedar Lake Ensemble performers are not only trained in classical ballet and contemporary dance but are also required to take acting and scene study classes weekly to expand their performance.

Artistic Director L. Jen Ballard, trained with Elise Vallee, Jacqueline Douguet, and her mentor, Winston Dewitt Hemsley. Building on her training in classical ballet, modern and contemporary dance, she brings a virtuoso’s skill and an abstract sensibility to her work. She has created pieces from Lincoln Center’s New Young Choreographers on Pointe series, the Boston Ballet and Gladys Night’s solo tour. She has earned a national reputation for her emphasis on sound true technique and emotional expression. Prior to founding Cedar Lake Ensemble, she ran Ballard’s Café Dance Company.

The ensemble of performing artists includes Jolene Baldini, Edward Bowles, Samantha Clark, Nickemil Concepcion, Jason Kittelberger, Gwynenn Taylor Jones, Jason Jordan, Jessica Keller, Marcelino Palomino, Justin Peck, Penny Saunders, Jessica Scott and Patricia Tuthill. CL II members include Allisa Bechtel, Sarah Foster, Amanda Glennon, Claire Magee, Meredith Miles, Abby Pitchford and Zach Young.

The performance features costumes by Bradley Meinke, sets by Martin Labelle, sound design by Brett Jarvis and lighting design by Ryan J. O’Gara. Many artists contributed to the music for the presentations.

Cedar Lake Ensemble will perform Friday, April 30 and Saturday, May 1 at 8pm at Miami’s Gusman Center, 174 East Flagler Street. Tickets for the performances range in price from $20 - $33 with a special offer of $5 for seniors and students. Tickets may be obtained by calling the Gusman Center Box office at 305-372-0925.