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Show R8 - THE ARTS - 1 i 1 ! n DEC03 RED I tfefe&a&&ghfo by CHARLOTTE PTC Plays the fl better holiday gift for Repertory l J Dance Theatre to give to its audience than a collece favorite hits" tion of in one delightful, amusing package? RDT's Packages at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center was not only visually entertaining, but full of wit and humor as well. It was packed with four of the most popular dance pieces from the company's repertoire. The concert opened up with a hilarious and intriguing piece by David Parsons enti- Blue-hai- rs nj Waldman's I incidental music to U Ail "Last Night of Ballyhoo" is fresh and charming. Unfortunately; the rest of this bland and shallow play measure doesn't up. it Although has a few bright moments, PTC's latest offering is, for the most part, as tired and conservative as most of its season subscribers. The story of a Jewish family in Georgia, "Ballyhoo" examines the issue of Jewish assimilation into South-emainstream culture." "There's no star at the top of Jewish Christmas trees," is one of the first things the audience learns, and it's a metaphor for the entire play, which seems to be about little else. ': It begins with Boo Levy (Darrie Lawrence) trying to make her only daughter Lala (Mandy Fox) socially acceptable. This seems quite a feat as Lala is a complete idiot. Neither Lala nor her mother garner much sympathy in the OBERT tled "The Envelope." m shrill-voice- d opening scenes, but the audience does warm up to them in the second act. The dialogue has a sit- e rhythm which builds to very few big laughs. What laughs do come are due more to the actors' comic timing than the play's stale lines. None of the characters break out of stock molds: we have a flighty daughter, domineering mother, affably cantankerous uncle, spacey aunt and bookish, com-esqu- ; sensible cousin. Even Joe Farkas, a Jew from New York, fits the mold as urban gentleman caller. The audience leaves stuthe theatre in a post-T- . V por. The contrived romance,' between the two normative characters (played by Michelle Six and Harry Bouvy) has a few good moments. Bouvy and Six play well off of each other and their characters seem the most real. However, the injustice of a Russian Jew feeling out of place at a supper club for mostly German Jews fails to grab in the same way "The Diary of Anne Frank" does. There is some high drama when the indignant Joe Farkas calls Sunny Frietag (the bookish cousin and other normative character) but on her this shallow romance never seems in any real danger. The brightest moments of the play are those involving Jordan Matter as the obnoxious and shallow Peachy Weil. His buoyant manner is about all besides the opulent set that keeps it afloat The Last Night of Ballyhoo runs through Dec. g at Pioneer Memorial Theatre. "Jew-hating- ,? , lemurs RDT's Packages: 11 HAT "all-tim- by RICK MORTENSEN trtfiwf ofrtiwiSffli FIFE 1 to tiffed The central idea behind the piece was the cast's manipulation and reaction to an envelope that seemed to take on a life of its own. The mystery of the contents, significance, and origin of the envelope created an obsession and craziness between the characters, which propelled the piece into the realms of comedy. Awkward contortions of the dancer's bodies', such as hunched-ove- r backs and inverted elbows, were the signatures of Parsons' choreography. Adding to the innovative choreography was the unique costuming. Each cast member wore a black, hooded outfit and rounded black sunglasses, which created a bug- - and spy-lik- e appearance. The company's performance on Sunday's matinee wasn't as tight or as sharp as it could have been. However, Todd Allen, who amused and captivated the audience, delivered an impressive solo part. After seeing a performance of "The Envelope," it is no "mystery" why this piece is one of RDT's audience favorites. Between each company piece was a delightful interlude of mime, exquisitely performed by one of Utah's most admired artists, Joe Pitti. The three interludes carried the titles "Spinning Time," "Flying Lessons," and "Fifteen Minute Nutcracker." The pieces were funny at - 1998 Delightful Holiday Concert times, but captivating, and touching throughout. Viewers were moved by the sentimental "Spinning Time," which captured all the emotions involved in raising a child and experiencing the cycle of life. This piece was performed with genuine pathos; it was a shining example of Pitti's ingenuity and natural artistic abilities. Another one of RDT's staple pieces performed at this concert was "Time Out," choreographed by former University of Utah dance student Tim Hadel. "Time Out" mixed nicely with the other pieces in that it was light and humorous in nature. It played with time by either slowing or speeding up everyday gestures. The piece featured Jim Moreno and Michael J. Eger in an energetic performance of precisely-timemaneuvering of props. The props proved to be somewhat risky in Sunday's performance. At one point, a lamp is supposed to come on at a precise moment, but it was not plugged in. Like a professional, Moreno handled the situation well. Oneof my least favorite pieces on the concert was an odd piece from the seventies called "Spel Id Owt,"by renowned choreographer d Chris Gillis. Perhaps it was the repeti- tion of the quirky, symbolic movements that purportedly spelled out lyrics of Dionne Warwick's pop tune, "What Do You Get When You Fall In Love" that made this piece annoying. Or maybe it was just the music itself. When juxtaposed next to the music of Rossini and Ravel, this music seemed rather cheesy. Regardless, the duo performers, new company member Andrew Noble and Angela Repertory Dance Theatre Cast members don their mystecostumes in The Envelope. rious, insect-lik- e gave a topnotch performance. A definite winner on the program was the concluding piece, "Pigs and Fishes," by Elisa Monte. This piece displayed RDT's athletic abilities, specifically those of soloist Todd Allen. The sensual, exotic choreography produced a hypnotic effect with its perpetual rocking motion. It proved to be an exciting d finish to an otherwise and comical holiday dance event. RDT's Packages runs through December 5th. Tickets are available through ArtTix and range from $10 to philosophy is Angel, a transves-tit- e who gives his money, shelter and love to whoever needs it. He lives with AIDS and is in the final stages, but still gives himself completely to Collins, who is also HIV positive. Their love affair, in which they hold on to every moment, is a touching model for the other characters' relationships. Mimi and Roger, two other people with AIDS, struggle more in their relationship to be open with each other. "I Should Tell Banchero-Kellehe- r, clean, light-hearte- (355-278- $14. Time Capsule Filler by RICK MORTENSEN switch unperceptively from a or Motown belt to speechlike recitative. Setting simple words to music, Larson creates a naturalistic style that reflects the show's theme of celebrating everyday life. The duets, quartets and ensemble numbers happen naturally and are occasionally intricate, but none of the songs really stand on their own as showstop-pers- . "Seasons of Love," sung by the entire company standing in a line, comes closest, but it would still come off like a sappy pop ballad if not for the story surrounding it. The same is true of all the songs: They are heightened by the way they fit into the show. It is a show about living with "no regret," as the people in the AIDS Life Support group repeat. It's about letting go and letting yourself love. It's about acceprock-'n'-ro- ll MUCH . has been made of "Rent" was librettist Jonathon Larson spent 10 years writing it and died three weeks before its world premiere, as poor as one of its characters. The "Rent" character who most comes to mind when that story is told is Roger, a hurting songwriter with AIDS who lives for one thing: to write a great song before he dies. What "Rent" has, more than anything else, is heart: an honest and unabashed love that makes its shortcomings forgivable and even endearing. With the house lights still up and the audience still talking, Mark a filmmaker who shares an apartment with Roger-addrthe audience. He introduces Roger, and the "Tune Up" ensemble begins. The lyrics are natural and speechlike, and the characters esses tance. The character who most embodies this distinctly '90s . You" is their mantra, and the audience really hopes they'll overcome their fears and get together. There is a "Touched by an Angel"-esqu- e supernatural ee RENT, pagiRll |