Philadelphia Spotlight: June 2005
At the nEW Festival (May 31-June 12). Included on the diverse program is the world premiere of Paul Turner/court’s visceral dance drama Touched, which focuses on the difficulties of being a gay African-American man in contemporary America. The veteran outfit Group Motion Dance Company looks at virtual reality in their new multi-media piece Screens while the magnificently fun Bessie Award winning Headlong Dance Theater presents a spare and unadorned collection of dances Mixed Tape for a Bad Year. There is also a double bill featuring the theatrical experimental troupe Subcircle’s solo-piece Somewhere Close to Now and choreographer Lauren Peterson’s bold new work Security, a complex mix of live performance, video and site-specific choreography that is said to address “our current obsession with tracking each other.” In all, the festival boasts nearly 20 artists and companies that together represent the best of the city’s progressive dance-theater community.
The only multidisciplinary festival in the world showcasing art crafted from real-life experiences, the First Person Festival of Memoir and Documentary Art takes place in the city June 2-12. It’s a diverse affair with artists working in film as well as the visual, literary, and performing arts. For theatergoers, First Person is presenting Double Header, a double-bill of one-man theatrical performances June 3-5. Performed as a series of monologues, Brian Lobel’s Ball depicts a young man faced with testicular cancer. Ball relates his story of the awkward young man in stark detail. The specter of similarly stricken bike racer Lance Armstrong hangs over the tale, serving as both an inspiration for the awkward and effeminate lead character and a symbol of the inflated expectations placed on him by his loved ones. Yet for all the character’s insecurities, Lobel’s irreverent depiction of the young cancer victim shows us that profound courage can be found in the most unlikely places. Also on the bill is the acclaimed storyteller/actor Robert Greygrass’s Ghostlands of Urban NdN. Greygrass tells of how he went from being a wayward teen to an accomplished actor after immersing himself the spiritual practices, language and history of his Lakota Indian ancestors.
In 10 days the Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival (June 9-19) offers nearly as much gay and lesbian drama as the major companies stage in an entire season. Boasting six shows and a staged reading, the festival opens with the world premiere of Joseph and David Zellnik’s musical Yank! A WWII buddy-story, Yank! tells the story of on an army private and war correspondent who meet and fall in love during basic training. Also featured at the festival is the family drama Kilt, ‘Round Midnight, a sexy mystery with music and puppets, Lounge-zilla from the outrageous comedy duo the Oops Guys, the acclaimed solo show Like a Dog on Linoleum from Will & Grace regular Leslie Jordan, the 15th anniversary production of Michael Ogborn’s tender musical response to the AIDS epidemic C’est La Guerre, and a staged reading of the new one-act musical with a great title Fags and Cellphones.
After a few lean artistic summers, the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival rebounded last year with a series of strong productions. Featuring an exciting line-up of Broadway, national and local talent, PSF kicks-off with Moliere’s comedy The Imaginary Invalid (June 8-July 10). The Bard is represented with Henry IV, Part I (June 22-July 10) in a production starring Drama Desk recipient Ken Jennings and featuring Barrymore Award-winner Ian Merrill Peakes.
Over 25 years after it initially caused a sensation, the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice musical Evita is embarking on a national tour. It’ll stop by the Academy of Music for a brief run (June 21-26). Telling the rise and fall of the legendary Eva Peron, the show’s success depends greatly on who plays the musical’s three main characters. Luckily, the show’s original director Hal Prince is reportedly in charge of casting the production and Prince has a great eye for talent.
The Prince Music Theater wraps-up its season with Tracey Friedman’s contemporary “minstrel” show The Middle of Nowhere. Set in 1969, the show focuses on five disparate characters. Using the songs of Randy Newman, Nowhere looks at a nation dealing with upheaval, change, and ultimately triumph. The production stars Jeffrey V. Thompson, who delivered a staggering performance in the Prince’s production last season of Ain’t Nothin’ but the Blues.
