Kinky Boots- a Message with Pizzazz

If you are at all a fan of Harvey Fierstein (Hairspray, Cage aux Folles), you must see Kinky Boots. The story line of this musical smash is simple. Charlie Price does not want to take over the family shoe factory but is forced into it by his father’s sudden death. He soon finds that cheap imports have ruined the business and is on the verge of having to shut the factory. He is inspired by an adoring employee to find a niche instead of giving in, and runs across Lola, an exuberant transvestite, who in turn convinces him to design glamorous boots sturdy enough for the heavier frames of male cross dressers. Lola shows a flare for design and joins the firm, to the disgruntlement of the macho male employees. In the end everyone learns to accept people as who they are and they take the Milan shoe show by storm. The music, by Cyndi Lauper, is in turns heartwarming and over the top and the dance numbers by Lola’s “Angels” and the rest of the cast are show stoppers. The touring cast was uniformly excellent in voice and stage presence. The band, perhaps a bit too loud at times, was excellent otherwise. The audience got quickly caught up in the action and gave the cast a standing O. An enjoyable evening in the theatre.

Tanglewood: heavenly music; traffic from Hell

My visiting sister-in-law wanted to go to Tanglewood, and we had not been there in decades, so we planned a weekend trip: drive out early Sunday, check in to our hotel, have a picnic lunch on the grounds, see a 2:30 concert, have a nice dinner in Lenox and then an 8:30 concert. The estimated travel time was 3 hours, so a 9 AM start would offer lots of leeway. WRONG. The unplanned: an accident on 495 that meant the hour up to the Turnpike turned into 2 hours. Very heavy traffic on the Turnpike west for no obvious reason, and then bumper-to-bumper the last 5 miles in Lenox. With no chance to stop at the hotel, we got to the parking ground at 2 PM, 5 hours after leaving. Parking was several hundreds yards from the gate, up a steep hill. That left us time for a hurried lunch and just enough time to find our seats. We were warned that traffic out after the afternoon concert and in for the evening concert would be equally bad, so cancelled our dinner reservations and settled for the mediocre cafeteria on the grounds for supper. Ah, the music, that almost made us forget the logistics. The afternoon sandwiched violinist Joshua Bell between two colorful orchestral pieces: Moussorsky’s Night on Bald Mountain and Ravel’s Symphonie Fantastique. Both had rich orchestration with full tympany and showcased the talented BSO performers admirably. Joshua Bell demonstrated why he is such a sought after soloist with his mastery of the instrument and stage presence. The evening performance was another tour-de-force, this time featuring cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Emmanuel Ax performing all five of Beethoven’s sonatas for cello and piano. Talk about three all-stars! Mr. Ma was his usual flamboyant self, and Mr. Ax showed why he is a multi-Grammy winner. Doing the sonatas in sequence allowed us to follow the composer’s growth, with particular change between the 2nd and 3rd, written 11 years apart. The increased complexity was apparent. Should you go, and the music is sublime, I would advise getting there the day ahead to allow for much more relaxed experience, and staying as close to the grounds as possible.

There's no fool like an old fool: Lear on the Common

This year was the 20th presentation of free summer Shakespeare on the Boston Common by the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. The play ran July 22 to August 9 at 8 PM except for an earlier start on Sundays. Reserved seating up front was available for donors, and there were many requests for donations at the show, but basically you could show up with your lawn chairs or blanket and enjoy an evening of professional theatre at no charge. The logistics were well-handled, and easy parking was available at the underground garage. The acoustics were excellent, and the actors could be heard everywhere. The play is well-known: the aging King Lear decides to turn over his kingdom to his three daughters equally, but at the last moment asks them to profess their love. The two older daughters fawn over him, while the youngest expresses her love plainly. The enraged king disowns her on the spot and divides his kingdom in two instead, and Cordelia leaves with the king of France, who appreciates her honesty. Lear soon finds that his loving daughters are not so loving when he has no power or wealth, and is driven mad. The climax of the first half is his encounter with Mad Tom in a raging storm, with water pouring down and giant fans blowing. There are, as in all Shakespeare, sub-plots aplenty, and the play ends with the stage littered with bodies. All of the cast were excellent, with Will Lyman’s Lear a tragic figure for the ages and Brandon Whitehead’s Fool getting many of the best lines and applause. My only issue was the late start. For a long play, an earlier start would make it much easier for working folk to enjoy.

Mississippi comes to New Bedford

Wepeckett Island Records sponsors a “salon series” of concerts held at the Wamsutta Club the first Saturday of the month. These are in the folk/blues genre and feature performers you may not have heard of but should have. While these are usually evening concerts with table seating and the chance to buy food and drink, the August concert is the exception. It is billed as the Annual Blues and Barbecue Bash and is held outdoors, weather permitting, headlining Sherman Lee Dillon from Mississippi. This month’s Bash had perfect weather, almost Mississippi-like, but with a breeze and the shade of the big oaks. The barbecue came first, and was inside in the air-conditioned Wamsutta bar, featuring all-you-can-eat burgers, chicken wings, salads and watermelon and cookies. We then were invited outside to be serenaded by Sherman Lee backed up by Wepeckett’s own Jack Radcliffe on keyboard (and occasional fiddle) and Don Barry on the bass. Don also ably handled the sound system and sang a couple of songs. One of these was a very touching original song about an elderly couple that surely brought some tears to the eyes of many. Sherman Lee is a perennial Wepeckett favorite. He mixes blues singing with stories about growing up in rural Mississippi, accompanying himself on steel guitar and harmonica, with the occasional banjo thrown in. The bass and keyboard back-up was seamless, and when Sherman Lee needed a breather, Jack filled in with his usual flawless keyboard. Coming up in the rest of 2015 are concerts on Sept 5, Oct 3, Nov 7 and Dec 5. The prices are reasonable, the evening fun and the atmosphere homey. Do yourself a favor and check these out!

Back to the 60's and 70's with fun

Most of my posts are about classical music, but our tastes are eclectic. As long as it is good, we enjoy all kinds of genres. Last night we happened upon a talented and fun group that do the songs of our youth. The City of Newton puts on free concerts during the summer, and most of the groups performing are enthusiastic but not that talented. We were having a bite to eat in Newton Center and saw a group setting up, so decided to grab our blankets and at least listen to the first few numbers. The group was The Reminisants, and they were GOOD. They did a mix of songs originally done by all the greats of the 60's and 70's (Roy Orbison, Elvis, The Moody Blues, etc) and if you closed your eyes, you could believe you were hearing the originals. The keyboard and guitars were first rate, and their stage presence made it even more enjoyable. The group performs frequently all over eastern Massachusetts, and I would encourage you to check their schedule and give them a listen. (www.reminisants.com)

Fun with Roberto Plano and Friends

Roberto Plano is an Italian pianist of international renown, who has played twice with the New Bedford Symphony. Back in the United States, he made a delightful stop in Marion between extended performances in Newport and Chautauqua. Billed as “An evening with Roberto Plano and Friends,” the event was held as a fund-raiser for the NBSO at Tabor Academy’s Lyndon Auditorium. First on the bill were two duets with NBSO concert master Jesse Holstein: Mozart’s Sonata in G, with the piano playing the dominant role, and the inventive Tzigane of Ravel, with the violin having center stage. Both were played flawlessly. A short interlude was provided by the Planos’ daughters, 6 and 8, making their “North American debuts.” They played short pieces separately and then as piano 4-hands, and performed like young professionals. Next came arias sung by NBSO development assistant and professional soprano Martha Gannon, accompanied by Mr. Plano. Her voice was rich and nuanced, and the “O mio babbino caro” brought a standing ovation. The evening ended with a piano 4-hands duet with Mr. Plano’s wife Paola Del Negro, an accomplished pianist and teacher in her own right. They did rousing renditions of Schumann’s Polonaises and Brahms’ Hungarian dances to well-deserved applause. For an encore, the duet did Victor Borge proud by “fighting” over the piano keyboard. A wonderful, if all too short evening. Please come again, Roberto.

Beautiful music by the shore

The Buzzards Bay Musicfest is the best summer music festival you have probably never heard of. Now in its 19th year, the festival brings in musicians of national caliber to the seaside town of Marion, Massachusetts, every July for a week. The musicians must enjoy it, because many return year after year, staying with host families in town. With little rehearsal time, they present 5 days of concerts. This year we had two chamber music concerts and two orchestral concerts. An innovation last year was devoting one evening to jazz. This was a big success in 2014 and so was repeated, bringing back the Sean Jones Quartet. The music selection is heavy on the classics: Mozart, Brahms, Bruch, Rossini, Beethoven and JC Bach. The only 20th Century composer represented was Rachmaninoff, but they clearly know their audience. The playing is uniformly strong. Perhaps because these are all seasoned professionals, you would never guess they may have only had a day or two to rehearse together. While I hate to single out any work over another, the Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals, complete with Ogden Nash’s witty narrative was a favorite, and conductor Andres Cardenes did a tour-de-force on the final day, both conducting and playing the violin solo in Bruch’s Violin Concerto #1. The festival is funded by contributions and entry is free, though donations are accepted. Do plan to put it on your calendar for next July.