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Show M L18 - The Daily Utah The Lens Chronicle Feature Openings Performing Arts Salt Likes Professional Performing Arts Organizations: A Brief Season Preview. by Carl Cederliolm with contributions by Rick Mortcnscn Jt's time to throw away all the cliches summertime fun and prepare for the upcoming autumn, winter and spring offerings in the arts. Sure, we all saw the movies, perhaps "The Truman Show" and "The we also saw the concerts, the Steve Miller Band or Van Halen for instance; there were also fireworks and the Utah Symphony at Sugarhouse Park. . . But these are summertime givens, things we come to expect, things that remind us of summer, things that disstudent tance us from long-forgott- en responsibilities. But with semester transition putting us back into the corridors of Orson Spencer Hall and the stacks of the Marriott Library one month earlier than usual, we must turn our attention to the arts to round out all the studying, all the writing, and all the worrying about grades. Forget about the action movies and the rock concerts, its time to get exposed to Utah's cultural life. And, if we plan ahead, budgeting our time and money so we can attend as many of the quality happenings in the arts as possible, we can have a profitable year. What follows are some selections and suggestions for the 1998-9- 9 season. da nee Far too many people skip out on modern dance concerts. Yet Utah has a rich dance tradition that regularly offers audiences performances that are beautiful, thoughtful, and fun. Let yourself go and experience what may become a permanent change in your artistic taste. And most Dance performances are easily affordable on a student budget. This year, the Repertory Dance Theatre offers its "Millennium Season II" as part of its celebration of Utah's historic hosting of the 2002 Winter Olympics. To highlight this season, the RDT is offering selections in world dance, Asia, and 20th century master"' pieces. Of particular note are the upcoming on Asia. "Worldview II" will feature two works by the innovative Chinese choreograwho is the artistic pher Lin Hwai-midirector and founder of the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, the first modern dance focusing performances n, company organized exclusively by Chinese dancers. In "Crossing Black Waters" and "Homage to the God of the Clouds," RDT will show off Mr. Lin's unique blend of Chinese myths, legends, folk- lore, Western dance techniques and traditional theatre. "Crossing Black Waters," for instance, is a epic that celebrates the difficult voyage of Chinese pioneers who crossed miles and miles of difficult seas to settle Taiwan over ; 300 years ago. This performance will include members of Utah's own Perte forming Dance Company. "Worldview II" also offers Mr. Lin's "Homage to the God of the Clouds," from "Nine Songs." Choreographed in 1993, this piece was inspired by poems written over 2,000 years ago by Qu Yuang, perhaps one of the greatest Chinese poets. I wouldn't rule out "Downstage Left," a production that promises audiences "the edge of the future, the risk of the unexplored and the appeal of the unknown." In short, "Downstage Left" offers audiences several premieres of works by emerging choreographers pere formed by dancers. Though much of these performances will be experimental, even unfamiliar, to audiences, they will also demonstrate the future of dance and will provide audiences with a significant glimpse at tomorrow's modern dance. For those not quite ready for modern dance, Ballet West is offering a mixed package of the traditional, the contemporary, the local and the interfirst-rat- -EXPERIENCE Four-Seas- on national. For the traditionalist, top choice should go to the September performances of "Swan Lake," the traditional December performances of "The Nutcracker" or the February performances of "Cinderella." These shows provide an excellent foray into the world of ballet and will surely be worth the price of admission. For my money, I would go to either "Ports of Discovery" or "Spring Collage," two performances that mix favorites such as "Lambarena" and . opera events, activities, concerts and tours d in acres and acres of natural areas, floral gardens and mountain trails. ' , i ? : 1 1 : , Call (801) 581-IRI- S. - i . if Red Butte Garden http:www.titah.eduredhutte dimension of this stubborn, dynamic composer. "Fidelio" relates the trials of a man wrongly imprisoned by a hardened military officer. This suspenseful, grip- ping opera will keep your attention fixed to the stage and will introduce you to the power and strength of opera's dramatic range. If Utah Opera is true to form, its performance of "Fidelio" should not be missed. theatre . "Western Symphony" with new ballets. These performances offer such a variety that you shouldn't fall victim to the cliche that ballet is somehow boring. If "Swan Lake" isn't your speed, then opt for the variety of "Ports of Discovery." If you're going to go to the ballet, you might as well get a mixture of the popular and the brand new so you can begin defining your taste for dance. Year-roun- "Fidelio" , is no exception to Beethoven's litany of strengths and will introduce Beethoven fans to another For many students, opera is hard to get into. There are, perhaps, just as many cliches about opera as there are about ballet. Utah Opera always provides excellent performances that will allow fans of the opera, both new and seasoned, the opportunity to discover and rediscover this dramatic musical art form. All of the operas, including those sung in English, feature very readable subtitles that do not significantly distract attention from the stage. Don't pass up the opportunity to sec great performances just because you feel you have to "read" all night. While this season features a delightful mix of the traditional and the contemporary, with works such as "The Marriage of Figaro" being counterbalanced with "Of Mice and Men," the opera not to be missed is Beethoven's As for drama, the Salt Lake Acting Company is celebrating 20 years of d wackiness" with the return of "Saturday's Voyeur." This time, SLAC is promising that "Voyeur "98" will be the best yet. If you are a fan of original, local satire, "Saturday's Voyeur" will be the perfect choice for this upcoming season. ; If you are looking for something less 's satirical, I recommend Moises "Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde." This play has been a huge hit in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco and will "fun-fille- Kaufi-nan- soon open in London. SLAC's performance will provide Utah audiences with a significant opportunity to experience the latest in popular and insightful drama. The Winner of the 1998 Drama Desk Award, "Gross Indecency" presents the true story of Oscar Wilde's celebrated and notorious moral trials. Wilde's colorful character is the stuff of drama, not to mention comedy, tragedy, satire, romance and the lampoon. His contri- butions to belles lettres are brilliant and provocative. Don't miss out on the opportunity to get acquainted with this truly original character. Of course, there's the obvious choice for professional theatre in Salt Lake: Pioneer Theatre Company. This year's PTC season features three distinct views of politics: the musical comedy "1776" which opens the season, modern drama "An American Daughter" (by celebrated playwright Wendy and Shakespeare's Wasserstein) "Richard III." Artistic director Chuck Morey wrote an adaptation of "The Count of Monte Cristo," and the season ends with the Rogers and Hammerstein favorite "South Pacific." It also features two modern comedies: Alfred Uhry's "The Last Night of Ballyhoo" and "Rough Crossing," adapted from Molnar's "Play at the "Fidelia" Castle" by Tom Stoppard. It seems PTC is trying to shed its image as a "tired old company." A main attraction to PTC is the $4 student rush "Fidclio" is Beethoven's only opera, is certainly not the work of a rank amateur. Beethoven's talents were far- - reaching, from his beautiful violin concerto to his celebrated, though technically demanding, 9th Symphony. ticket price, though you may want to get tickets for musicals in advance. Definitely not an economical option, the theater league of Utah sells tickets 0 in the range for touring broad-wa- y productions. This year they offer but it $50-10- "Chicago," "Rent," "VictorVictoria" and "The Phantom of the Opera." Apparently the first three are rated 'R' as they're not recommended for children under 17. While going to these shows doesn't support local arts, it's the only place in town to see Broadproway's hits in mostly ductionsprovided they don't cancel top-quali- ty like "Showboat did." sympnony There is so much on the plate of the Utah Symphony this season. The best guide can only be a schedule and your individual tastes. There are, of course, the usual evenings of and None of these offerings would disappoint, and for the very cheap student price, you could hear some of the music every weekend for under ten h, rt. best-kno- dollars. . As usual, the Utah Symphony is offering a variety of pops concerts, fea- turing guest conductors and guest singers such as Marvin Hamlisch and Lou Rawls. Popular favorites such as Peter Nero and Mitch Miller will also return to Abravanel Hall for encore performances. This season will also include the welcome of Keith Lockhart as the new music director. He will be directing the Masterworks series, which offers audiences traditional works such as "The Planets," "Scheherazade," and selections from "Porgy and Bess." Also returning to Utah this season o will be the Canadian Brass and Yo-Y- Ma. The Canadian Brass always offers an entertaining evening, featuring a broad variety of music. Theirs is a show not to be missed if you enjoy popular groups and capacity crowds. o Ma, who recently Likewise, began branching out into alternative musical genres, will perform works by Haydn and Brahms. If you've never listened to o Ma perform, don't miss out on this opportunity. His enormous popularity has yet to affect the quality of his playing. Also recommended is the Yoshio Japanese Koto Ensemble. This performance is being touted as "one of the most unique events ever presented" by the Utah Symphony. Because the Utah Yo-Y- Yo-Y- Symphony features so much traditional music, it is nice to support their more diverse offerings. This concert, dated October 24 in favor of U.N. Day, will feature traditional Japanese music played on period instruments. Another thing recommending this concert is the o ticket price. As you can see from the above, Salt Lake City has plenty to offer in the world of the arts. So get out there and take advantage of the student prices, and enjoy a great season of music, drama, dance and opera. If you don't, you'll probably just end up watching television and complaining about the lack of "quality entertainment." sub-$i- |
