Center
Stage with Pat Launer on KSDS JAZZ88
THEATER REVIEWS
“Hello, Dolly!” – Starlight Theatre
“miXtape” – Lamb’s Players Theatre
“Song of Extinction” – ion
theatre
AIRDATE: AUGUST 27, 2010
Sometimes, you need a bit of outside
intervention to get you back on track. It could come in the form of a
matchmaker or a music mix or an interested immigrant. In a theatrical trifecta – “Hello, Dolly!,” “miXtape”
and “Song of Extinction” – three knockout productions show you that a little
push propels you forward, urges you to move on – from stagnation or age or even
illness and death. In other words, you get by with a little help from your
friends -- or a teacher, or even a yenta.
Like Dolly Levi, the ultimate meddler.
There’s nothing she loves better than butting into other people’s business, to
find them – or herself – a mate, a night on the town or a taste of happiness.
There’s a reason that Dolly isn’t seen too often around town. The immortal 1964
character, whose music and lyrics were created by the incomparable Jerry
Herman, is way larger than life, both dramatically and vocally. Fortunately,
Starlight Theatre, and director/choreographer Dan Mojica,
have a powerhouse in local favorite, Melinda Gilb.
With her big voice and huge hats, she commands the stage -- and its colorful
characters. If she ramped up the humor a notch (she’s definitely got the
chops), she’d be absolutely perfect. The cast, production and orchestra, are
stellar, too. Isn’t it high time for you to say “Hello, Dolly” again?
And while you’re humming timeless tunes,
take yourself back to the ‘80s, that era of outrageously unfortunate outfits
and diverse musical output. Lamb’s Players Theatre’s talented Colleen Collar
Smith and Jon Lorenz have mined all the rock anthems, TV-show themes and sad
laments to bring us “miXtape,” the tales of eight
perpetually unsettled Gen Xers, whose lives are
chronicled in mix-tapes that they made or were given, to mark their feelings
and the stages of their unfulfilled lives. In the tradition of “Boomers,” this
vibrant, inventive, enormously energetic creation, sung by a spectacular cast,
accompanied by a sensational band, is destined for a long and triumphant run.
But not everything is melodious in these
dog days of summer. You should definitely not ignore thought-provoking dramatic
fare, especially when it’s as gripping and splendidly presented as ion
theatre’s “Song of Extinction,” winner of the American Theatre Critics
Association’s 2009 New Play Award. Playwright EM Lewis sets her piece in
Three killer productions to choose from;
why not end your summer on a high note?
“Song
of Extinction” runs through September 4, at ion theatre in
“Hello,
Dolly!” continues through September 5, at Starlight Bowl in
Lamb’s
Players’ “miXtape” is an open-ended production at the
Horton Grand Theatre downtown.
©2010 PAT LAUNER