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royberko.info
April 23, 2010
Intriguing, must see ‘SOLDIERS TALE with CATCH AND RELEASE’ at CPH
By Roy Berko
What happens when you
combine the talents of members of The Cleveland Orchestra, one of the
top musical assemblages in the world, with Groundworks Dance, one of
Cleveland’s premiere dance companies, with the Cleveland Playhouse, the
oldest regional theater in America? You get a compelling, artistic,
meaningful, exciting evening of entertainment.
The three arts units are
now in a unified production entitled, ‘A SOLDIER’S TALE with CATCH AND
RELEASE,’ which is being staged as part of the Play House’s Fusion Fest,
a celebration of new works in music, dance, and theatre.
The festival, which is in
full production, and will be extended into May with extra performances
of ‘BILL W AND DR. BOB,’ the story of the founding of AA in Akron,
reached its zenith with the staging of ‘A SOLDIER’S TALE WITH CATCH AND
RELEASE.’
The intermissionless
production opens with ‘CATCH AND RELEASE,’ a 22-minute composition by
Esa-Pekka Salonen, the former Music Director of the Los Angeles
Philharmonic. The music was written specifically as a companion piece
for ‘A SOLDIER’S TALE.’ Salonen states that “the intent of the
composition was to complement Stravinsky’s piece by using the same
instrumentation in new ways. The piece features identical scoring.”
With music superbly
performed by a select group of musicians from the Cleveland Orchestra,
and conducted by Tito Muñoz, the staging of ‘CATCH AND RELEASE’ was
choreographed by GroundWorks’ Artistic Director, David Shimotakahara,
and superlatively danced by Amy Miller, Felise Bagley, Kelly Brunk,
Damien Highfield and Sarah Perrett.
As the music changes in
mood and intensity, the dancers parallel those vibes. Lifts, twists,
body engagements, turns, hops, and caresses mirror the classical, jive,
contemporary music, varying from seriousness to the ironic. The staging
is enhanced by video art by renowned artist Kasumi and lighting design
by Dennis Dugan, which covers the floor in an ever changing cacophony of
colors and figures, paralleling the music and the movements of the
dancers.
‘CATCH AND RELEASE’ is
dance and Groundworks at its very best.
‘A SOLDIER’S TALE’ is a
morality story of war in an absurdist world. Conceived by Igor
Stravinsky, it is ballet, camera opera and theatre which was made to be
read, played and danced. Based on a fable by C.F. Ramuz, it was first
staged in 1918 and centered on a story of a soldier who trades his
fiddle to the devil for a book that predicts the future of the economy.
In 1993, United States
novelist Kurt Vonnegut reworked the libretto into a tale about World War
II Private, Eddie Slovik, the first soldier in the United States
military to be executed for desertion since the Civil War. It is this
version that is being staged at CPH.
The Groundworks dancers
weave in and out between the actors, often playing parts in the story,
enhancing the visual images. The acting cast, under the direction of
Seth Gordon, is excellent. The staging, a blend of Gordon and
Shimotakahara’s imagination, is intriguing.
Justin Tatum creates a
truly sympathetic and real character as Slovik, a soldier who hates war,
has seen too much horror, and needs to escape from life as he knows it.
His mobile face, appealing voice and ability to blend in with the
dancers, all add up to a well performed role. Robert Ellis is properly
gruff, yet human as the General. Zac Hoogendyk gives an excellent
reading of Dwight Eisenhower’s reasoning for Slovik’s conviction.
Lindsay Iuen is fine portraying the Red Cross Girl.
CAPSULE JUDGMENT: ‘A
SOLDIER’S TALE and CATCH AND RELEASE’ combine to be the highlight
performance of CPH’s 2010 Fusion Fest. This is a must see experience!
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