About last night- West Side Story

Arriving at my building after midnight, something I rarely do anymore, I entered the lobby and the night watchman said to me, "May I speak with you for a moment?"

"Sure, what about?" I replied.

"Your former girlfriend is in the building- the one who's not supposed to be here," he said, tapping the small list of people who've been banned from entering the 20-story former hotel, "she came in with another resident."

An especially nasty thought crossed my mind. This was so like her. Then I realized what was really going on. "Are you talking about Isabella or Thais?"

"I don't know- the one with the dark hair." That wasn't helpful- they both have dark hair. Most of them have had dark hair, including the insane one who actually moved into the building - a bouquet of black dahlias.

The physical resemblance between the two women is strong- they're the same height, build, both have black hair and striking eyes, though their eyes couldn't be more different. But to a casual observer or acquaintance it's only in talking with them one might get the sense of how different they actually are- one essentially kind, the other needlessly cruel.

The most obvious identifier is their hair- Isabella's is short, giving her a glamourous aura reminiscent of certain Italian film stars of the 50's and early 60's . Thais' hair is long, and as Penelope once said to me she looks "expensive." These marked differences aside, there were numerous times I would be out with one and could see the question on people's faces as they were trying figure out which one was present. That always made me uneasy.

But one of Isabella's best friends also lives in the building, so it wouldn't be at all unusual or unexpected for her to be here and I asked the night watchman if this was whom she had come in with and he affirmed this to be the case. Relieved, I went upstairs, though it always trips me out a little bit when I know Isabella is six floors directly beneath me.

The timing was ironic given that I was returning from my first date with Margarita, a woman I'd recently met, and I was quite pleased with how the evening had gone- it felt like I was finally moving on from the tumult of the past five years, only to arrive home and be told it was on my doorstep once again.

Margarita and I went to hear the San Francisco Symphony perform West Side Story, the final program of the season and one I've been looking forward to ever since I saw its appearance on the schedule. Ending the season with something large and theatrical has become something of an unofficial tradition of the Symphony's and it seems to me MTT keeps upping the ante- next year will be a semi-staged version of Britten's opera Peter Grimes, but this particular program held out special promise given the material and the conductor's relationship with the composer.

The entryway had signs announcing the performance was going to be recorded, and usually these ask the audience to be quiet for that reason. I didn't actually notice if the signs posted last night had that request on them, but the audience applauded after every number and there was much murmuring throughout- I think it just goes with the territory, as the audience had what appeared to be a significant contingent of people who were more likely to attend the theater rather than the concert hall (all in all I think this is a good thing).

The hall was packed, and distracted by Margarita, I ended up misreading our seat numbers, much to the apparent annoyance of Allan Ulrich, but when we did sit down and settle in I was surprised by the battery of percussion on the stage. I had never before thought about how much the percussion actually drives this score, but it does, and on this night at least (see Josh Kosman's review for another take), the percussion section kept the orchestra tightly reigned in when it should it have been driving them hard, which of course was most noticeable during the dance scene, during which the Mambo just didn't gel at all. It made me think back to the recent performance of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, featuring pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin and conducted by David Robertson, which I found wholly lacking the jazz elements vital to making it really succeed, and taking both performances into account I think the orchestra can play, but it doesn't swing. And that's a shame, because Bernstein's music, especially in the first half, really needs a certain swagger to launch it from great into extraordinary.

And it is an extraordinary score. I once read, I think in Sir Denis Forman's delightful book A Night at the Opera, that if you don't like La Boheme you don't like opera, and I think the same can be said for West Side Story and the American musical. Not only is the music superb throughout, but the 1-2-3 punch of three of the greatest songs ever written- "Maria"/"America"/"Tonight" makes me wonder how anyone can't like it. I once had the pleasure of introducing the movie to two little girls, and they ended up playing the "America" scene endlessly. One of my favorite memories is sitting with their mother in my kitchen listening to those two girls nail every part of that song from the living room, squeal with delight, then do it all over again.

Speaking of nailing the song, Cheyenne Jackson's turn as Tony didn't work for me- there were a couple of lower notes he just couldn't nail despite repeated attempts, made all the more apparent by having the singers [unfortunately] amplified (had they gone with opera singers rather than theater singers I wonder if this would have been necessary), and though he looked the part and sang his lines with conviction, there was a lack of passion in his delivery which caused me to notice his limited range and straightforward delivery.  Alexandra Silber's Maria was pleasing to hear, but she also lacked the ability to convey a deep connection with the character. I wonder how much this is due to having the singers perform from behind the orchestra rather than in front of it, which completely undermined last year's performance of Duke Bluebeard's Castle. From a singer's standpoint I can see how challenging it must be to connect with an audience separated by a small army of musicians in front of you, rather than beneath or behind.

Jessica Vosk's smoldering Anita, looking hot in a fitted red dress, looked like she wanted to really bust out during "America" but the song was unfortunately only minimally choreographed, and it was here that I found myself questioning if this work could be a complete success without the dancing, since so much of one's original experience with it is the fantastic work of Jerome Robbins, which was a part of the original design and not a secondary element to the score. For some, West Side Story is as much about the dancing as it is the music and without both it feels incomplete. For the most part the omission wasn't a bad decision, and likely a necessary one- MTT easily made a case for the music on its own merits, but at moments like this it definitely felt like watching Gone With The Wind in black and white.

The best vocal performance of the evening, actually the best moment of the entire concert, one so flawlessly delivered you could feel it resonate in the audience as it unfolded, was Julia Bullock's "Somewhere."  More of her please, at both Davies and across the street.

Refusing to be hobbled by the percussion section, the rest of the orchestra performed well (as was the case with the others singers and members of the chorus as Sharks and Jets) with an exceptional turn from the brass section led by Mark Inouye. MTT's pacing couldn't be faulted for drawing attention to nuances, but they came at the expense of delivering a vibrancy I for one would have appreciated. The audience clearly loved it- the performers received a sustained and exuberant standing ovation. There may be some tickets left for the remaining performances through Tuesday night and I recommend you get one if you can. Overall MTT, the orchestra, and the cast deliver handsomely even if they don't reach the heights one imagines they could and have before with similarly ambitious programs.

We hung around for a while afterwards for the final Davies After Hours event of the season, but spent most of it on the eastern 2nd tier balcony looking at City Hall, beautifully lit in rainbow colors while a steady stream of slow-moving headlights created a river of white light streaming in front of it. I really can't tell you much about what was going on inside. My attention was somewhere else.

Catching up, looking forward... (odds and ends)

Paradise: Love

Though I’ve seen Marc-Andre Hamelin perform a couple of times in the past two years I had yet to be swayed that he was really all that, as so many claim. My opinion changed after hearing him perform with the San Francisco Symphony last month in a terrific concert which featured the pianist soloing in Ravel’s Concerto For the Left Hand as well as Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Hamelin performed with nuanced beauty and a heady authority during the Ravel and if the Rhapsody didn’t quite reach the same heights it was due to conductor David Robertson’s less than wholly convincing control over the jazz elements in the score, which resulted in a performance which sang but didn’t quite swing. The concert also featured a knockout opener of Elliot Carter’s Variations for Orchestra and closed with Ravel’s La Valse. I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again- it’s inexplicable to me that Ravel is not given more respect as a composer- he was as good and often better than any of his contemporaries. During the intermission Lisa Hirsch and I had fun trying to determine the identity of the timpanist, Michael Israelievitch, who was terrific and hopefully is being considered for the seat being vacated by what-his-name.

In the second of three concerts in their inaugural season, Curious Flights celebrated the Britten Centennial with a diverse program featuring the Valinor Winds performing the Movement for Wind Sextet, the Friction Quartet with violist Jason Pyzowski performing the Phantasy in F Minor for String Quintet, tenor Brian Thorsett in a stunningly gorgeous Canticle III¸and best of all, Movements for a Clarinet Concerto- a work cobbled together from an unfinished concerto originally intended for Benny Goodman. This was performed by what was essentially a 50-odd piece pick-up orchestra featuring Curious Flights founder and prime mover Brenden Guy as the soloist, and led by Marin Symphony Music Director Alasdair Neale. Hearing this orchestra one would have never guessed they were organized for this particular concert- they sounded well-rehearsed and played at an exceptional level all around. The next program by Curious Flights, Transatlantic Crossings, will take place on October 18^th and will feature collaborations between contemporary British and Bay Area composers, performed in the concert hall of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Tickets ($15 GA, $10 for students) are available here. Program here.

Last weekend at The Lab in San Francisco’s Mission District, the Other Minds Festival brought Rhys Chatham to town as a warm-up of sorts for the November West Coast premiere of A Secret Rose (100 Guitars). Chatham was one six people playing electric guitars (with all amps seemingly turned up to “11”), and with a phenomenal drummer whose name a didn’t catch and a bassist who provided a booming Geezer Butler-ish bottom, they tore through an enthralling re-working of his Guitar Trio¸ renamed G3 to reflect the additional instruments. It was the most exhilarating 30 minutes of music I’ve heard all year, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store come November 17th. If you’re a local guitar player who wants to take part, contact the Other Minds Festival or apply online here- they are looking for people to participate ranging from talented amateurs to serious pros, and the rehearsal time will be minimal, but it promises to be a maximum pleasure, maybe even the event of the year.

This coming week has the SF Symphony performing lots of Stravinsky, and over at YBCA I'm really intrigued about the screenings of Ulrich Seidl's Paradise trilogy- three films under title Love, Faith, and Hope happening now through June 30th. Check their website for the full schedule, but the films are being screened sequentially so don't wait- Love only has screenings left on 06/15 & 06/16. It's not necessary to see them all, but if it turns out to be your kind of cinema it would be a shame to miss one. Note that the films are deemed provocative and controversial, raunchy and explicit- Seidl had been compared to Fassbinder by none other than John Waters. Works for me. And of course Ojai North is taking place this weekend- last night's performance was, in a word- sensational (more to come on that).

Screaming Into the Woods

What a big fucking mouth you have. Alison Meneley as Little Red. Photo by Erik Scanlon.

Much as I hate to say it, but despite some great performances in its large cast and the high level of energy Ray of Light Theatre typically brings to their productions, I didn't really enjoy seeing Into The Woods- the last of the company's Sondheim trilogy. It's really hard to enjoy anything with some yahoos sitting in the seats right behind you screaming "WHOO HOOO" after every number like they were at a fucking tractor pull with all you-can-drink Pabst Blue Ribbons included in the price of the tickets. After the first couple of times I thought the ringleader would settle down, but she just grew more animated and obnoxious as the performance went on, as if she was desperately trying to get someone onstage to notice she was there. Her friends (there were four of them in this group, all dolled-up) were just a notch below her in their screeching enthusiasm for the show, which would have been fine if it were merited, but it really wasn't. The Sly One and I just looked at one another and thought we must have somehow ended up in Turlock by mistake. It never ceased, meaning they never shut up, and I noticed when we returned from intermission that we weren't the only ones who were bothered- the two rows in front of the screamers were now empty. I would have asked to move seats but the house was sold out on its opening night. We discussed leaving during the intermission, but it really wasn't the play that was the problem- just our inability to enjoy it.

All this nonsense didn't really obscure the fact that there were some strong performances taking place onstage (especially by Marisa Cozart, Nikki Arias, Derek Travis Collard, Michelle Jasso, Nancy Sale, Allison Meneley, John Flaw, and Ted Zolan) and a brilliant musical performance being given under the direction of David Moschler. However, what I noticed in 2nd half was that the play had only one speed- frenetic, as if the screamer and her friends has unnerved the performers and they simply chucked all the nuance and subtlety of Sondheim's clever lyrics and music out the window and decided to just go for broke. By the time it was over I felt exhausted and annoyed instead of entertained. Let's hope these fools stay home for the company's upcoming production of Carrie- the Musical, which opens at the Victoria Theatre on October 4th. Into the Woods runs through June 29th at the Eureka Theatre.

Real lives imagined at Berkeley Rep

Hershey Felder in George Gershwin Alone: Photo by Mark Gavin

Onstage now at Berkeley Rep are two plays about three real people: one works quite well, and the other not so much because of two hurdles it can't overcome despite the best efforts of its talented cast.

The one that works is George Gershwin Alone, which is and isn't quite an accurate title. A one-man show conceived, written and performed by Hershey Felder with direction by Joel Zwick, it's an hour and a half of sitting in a room with Gershwin while he reminisces about his life, family, friends, collaborators and music, with lots of examples played on a Steinway Grand. The play acts as the third movement, described as a rondo, in a quartet of plays which include movements about Beethoven, Chopin, and a coda based on Leonard Bernstein. Felder's been performing this section around the world since 2000, and he mentioned during the "encore" section that this was to be the last time and I recommend you do.

It's not quite perfect, but it's pretty damn good and it delivers on everything that it should. Felder is a talented impersonator, knows the details of his subject's music and life in minute detail, and is wholly convincing as an actor and musician. My one quibble, and it's a minor one, is his extended solo turn at the piano late in the show which rambled on for too long and in the end seemed to serve no purpose but to fill out some time. That hour and a half was a very good time, but it's what followed which really made it memorable. Returning to the stage for what appeared to be a curtain call, or maybe an encore, turned out to be much, much more. In fact, it's this last part (I won't tell you what it is) that turns out to be the very best part of an already solid show. All I will say is that Felder proceeds to bring the audience into the show itself in a most delightful, honest way. Don't leave when it's over, because it ain't.

I'd also like to give a nod to sound designer Jon Gottleib- this was the most perfectly miked show I have ever attended, and thank you for having the good sense to not mike the piano (one would think that's a given, but I was appalled to recently attend a piano recital in a music club where a Steinway was miked and it was dreadful. George Gershwin Alone is on the Thrust Stage in Berkeley through July 7th- go see it.

Felder also mentioned from the stage that on Monday, June 17th he would be performing The American Songbook Singalong. He mentioned there were a very few tickets left and I want to strongly recommend that based on what I witnessed this evening if you have the opportunity to attend this that you not miss what sounds like a wonderful evening.

Dear Elizabeth uses actors reading the letters of the poets Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell (to one another) as a means to explore aspects known and imagined of their long relationship. Written by Sarah Ruhl and directed by Les Waters, with Mary Beth Fisher as Bishop and Tom Neils as Lowell, the assembled talent can't overcome two structural elements which combine to derail the play quickly. The first is that no matter how cleverly one stages it, there is no drama to be wrung from someone reading aloud for two hours to a person who isn't actually in the room (even if the other person is onstage). The result is two people giving a simultaneous one-person show, and a one-person show more often fails than it succeeds because let's face it- most characters just aren't compelling enough to watch for an extended amount of time. There are the rare exceptions (see above, and also I Am My Own Wife or An Iliad as recently seen at Berkeley Rep), but for the most part such plays are likely to end up being krapp. With this particular play, the problem is laid bare when at what should be a pivotal moment the audience is forced to choose whom to watch as each character stands at the opposite end of the stage looking at opposite walls- they are obviously not connecting and thus the audience cannot connect with them- we know not whom to watch, and soon it didn't matter, though there was a lot of play left. This one is only for serious fans of its subjects, at the Roda Theatre through July 7th.

Curious Flights with rarely performed Britten

Benjamin Britten

This coming Tuesday June 4th at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Curious Flights concert series continues its inaugural season with its second concert, which features the music of  Benjamin Britten in honor of the composer's centennial. The Britten centennial is really not getting the amount of attention it deserves from the City's major arts organizations, so it's been up to the smaller companies to step up and honor one of the most important conductors of the 20th century. Curious Flights is doing so in a big way with the West Coast premiere of Britten's Movements for a Clarinet Concerto, featuring Brenden Guy as soloist with a 40+ piece orchestra led by Marin Symphony Music Director Alasdair Neale.

Guy is also the Artistic Director of Curious Flights, which he helped form, one goal of which is to give the bounty of classical musicians in our midst the opportunity to perform rarely heard music. That might sound like the mission statement of a dozen other Bay Area music organizations, but it's not. While there are plenty of opportunities to hear the old and obscure and the new and unknown, there actually aren't that many organizations performing the repertoire which Guy intends to present with this concert series.

When I learned about the scope of Tuesday's concert (assembling a 40 piece orchestra is a huge undertaking) I couldn't help but be impressed by the audacity of what Curious Flights is doing. If creating a brand new orchestra wasn't enough, debuting a new classical music organization with a three concert season is a wonderfully bold move. It's not like we're lacking for opportunities to hear music in these parts so I tried to pin Guy down about what's motivating him, but I couldn't wriggle much more from the charming Englishman except that he's genuinely devoted to creating an opportunity for highly talented musicians to perform rarely heard music. It's that simple, even if what Curious Flights is doing is anything but.

Tuesday's concert begins at 8:00 PM. The San Francisco Conservatory of Music is easily accessible by public transportation, has easy street parking, and the hall is acoustically one of the best in the City. The rest of the program (which will last less than an hour and a half) features the Valinor Winds performing the Movement for Wind Sextet; the Friction Quartet with guest violinist Jason Pyszkowski performing Phantasy Quintet in F minor; and Canticle III, Op. 55: Still Falls the Rain featuring tenor Brian Thorsett, horn player Kevin Rivard, and pianist Ulysses Loken.

Complete information for the entire program and principal performers can be found here. Strongly recommended. Buy tickets here.