Alejandra Aguilar – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com Breaking news from the Farm since 1892 Wed, 07 Dec 2016 09:36:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://stanforddaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cropped-DailyIcon-CardinalRed.png?w=32 Alejandra Aguilar – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com 32 32 204779320 Theater review: Life ain’t a cabaret for At The Fountain’s ‘Oh Say, Can You Sing?’ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/12/06/theater-review-life-aint-a-cabaret-for-at-the-fountains-oh-say-can-you-sing/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/12/06/theater-review-life-aint-a-cabaret-for-at-the-fountains-oh-say-can-you-sing/#respond Tue, 06 Dec 2016 21:17:40 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1120820 The past month has been a firestorm of political upheaval and precariousness. From the shocking election results to the sadness, fear, anger and violence that have followed, this country is in a fraught state filled with uncertainty. From this uncertainty, artists have taken to their craft to react, speak out and find respite. The Fountain […]

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The past month has been a firestorm of political upheaval and precariousness. From the shocking election results to the sadness, fear, anger and violence that have followed, this country is in a fraught state filled with uncertainty. From this uncertainty, artists have taken to their craft to react, speak out and find respite. The Fountain Theatrical’s premiere performance of the year attempted to provide a similar moment of relief, a celebration of the values we hope to be American of inclusivity and diversity. Unfortunately, “Oh Say Can You Sing?” fell short of this goal, providing instead a show riddled with vocal issues, inconsistency and ambiguity, ultimately coming across as an excuse to sing musical numbers from shows we will not see on this campus anytime soon (“Hamilton,” among others).

Define America. Too broad? Define American musicals. Do we mean shows written by American artists? Shows about the United States? Shows simply set in the United States? Shows about American values? Songs with the word “America” in them? Simply put, it is difficult to build a cabaret — an inherently disjointed performance structure — around such a loose theme. Though framed with good intentions, “Oh Say Can You Sing?” felt disorganized, a set of isolated musical numbers held together by a thread on the verge of snapping. From “Hair” to “West Side Story,” fast forward to “American Idiot” and “If/Then,” vaguely related selections with wildly different messages flailed at the “American” sentiment. Art for art’s sake is all well and good, but this performance tried desperately to force an audience to pick up on a deeper meaning where none could be found.

Technical elements of the show further exposed the inconsistency plaguing the production. The set was a cluttered jumble of mismatching prop pieces, some of which were never touched throughout the course of the show. The Nitery Theater, as a black box, can easily feel empty unless strategically and thoughtfully used; this production seemed content to slap some empty bottles of liquor, assorted chairs and lamps, Betsy Ross’ flag and a room divider on an empty stage and call it quits. The same thought apparently went into disheveled and superfluous costume changes as even within scenes, actors were unable to agree on the extent to which they must assume a new character’s identity over their standard blacks. The disarray could have been managed with a larger tech team, yet the production was helmed by a single producer (Robin Yoo ‘19) attempting to cover all technical aspects herself.  

In a show bedeviled with vocal issues, from tone to pacing to pitch, a few talents stood out and absolutely shone. Lorin Phillips ‘20 was a powerhouse of a singer. Her performance of “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” from “Gypsy” highlighted her dynamism as a singer, with her colossal belts nearly shaking the theater. In “Love While You Can” from “If/Then,” Phillips’ solos added much needed emotional depth to an otherwise bubblegum-flavored showcase.

Another incredible talent in the show was Victor Ragsdale ‘19. His solo performance of “Make Them Hear You” from “Ragtime” carried immense power and captivated the audience. While some performers failed to distinguish their characters from piece to piece, Ragsdale did a stellar job of keeping the performance interesting and differentiating the characters he portrayed from one another through clear choices in affectations vocally and physically.

Perhaps one of the most impressive performances of the show aside from the above mentioned was the one by Paul Gregg ‘17, music director and accompaniment for the cabaret. Gregg’s dexterous work on the keyboard consistently elevated the performance, keeping the music going when vocal performances floundered. Vocalists lost their place, sporadically changed their pace or generally struggled to push the show forward, and Gregg attempted — and nearly succeeded — to hide their errors from the audience, only just saving the performance from complete breakdown.

Though “Oh Say Can You Sing?” may have fallen short of the goals it set for itself — to have the audience “laugh, cry, think and feel” as stated on its posters — the overall performance proved an opportunity for performers to showcase their love of musical theater on stage. As a format, these kind of cabarets provide an excellent opportunity to see theater in a different way, to give performers and technicians the chance to showcase their talents on a smaller, more intimate scale. With a more focused theme, a flush tech team and a cast filled with passionate performers as featured in this show, ATF’s annual fall cabaret could see a great amount of success in the future. As yet, it still dreams of a revolution that has not quite reached the horizon.

Contact Alex Aguilar at aaguila2 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Theater review: ‘Spatial Shift’ and the elegance of human form https://stanforddaily.com/2016/05/28/theater-review-spatial-shift/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/05/28/theater-review-spatial-shift/#respond Sun, 29 May 2016 04:23:00 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1115790 Contemporary dance offers a unique style of artistic expression. It offers the chance to display beauty and grace through movement. It can tell a story or explore meaning. It exults the human form. On the Memorial Auditorium stage in the Theater and Performance Studies dance showcase ‘Spatial Shift,’ contemporary dance celebrates an often overlooked side […]

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Contemporary dance offers a unique style of artistic expression. It offers the chance to display beauty and grace through movement. It can tell a story or explore meaning. It exults the human form. On the Memorial Auditorium stage in the Theater and Performance Studies dance showcase ‘Spatial Shift,’ contemporary dance celebrates an often overlooked side of the TAPS department. Through four unique pieces, ‘Spatial Shift’ highlights the talent and expertise of the choreographers and dancers alike.

As a showcase, ‘Spatial Shift’ centers on the theme of space: the definition of space, and how we interact in and with it. As choreographer Diane Frank notes, “dance is, above all and fundamentally, the body in action over time and through space.”

‘Spatial Shift’ opens with “Spring Charrette,” choreographed by Aleta Hayes. The term “charrette,” in its current usage, refers to a collaborative process, through which artists work to resolve some challenge of design. Aptly named, Hayes’ piece demonstrates collaboration in the creative process, seamlessly incorporating differing dance styles and design elements into one cohesive vision. Rather than a dance set to some backing track, “Spring Charrette” includes a live DJ (Patrick Lotilla), vocalist (Aaron Grayson) and drummer (Daniel Guaqueta). The movement itself is varied, ranging from contemporary lyrical to a style resembling form sequences in Tae Kwon Do. What could easy devolve into chaos blends.

Though times some techniques feel stunted, an extension not fully elongated, a movement stopped short of its natural finish, the overall quality and precision of the dance outshines these minute missteps. All bodies are bursting with energy, even in moments of stillness. As the dancers cut through the space, they wash the stage with joy and pride in the work they have created.

The showcase continues with “New Work,” choreographed by Robert Moses. Transitioning into this second piece, the stage contracts with the use of a scrim, condensing the dancing to the space downstage of the proscenium arch. The movement in the piece is precise, underscored by the heavy drums of the backing track. Unfortunately, such music calls for perfection, and slight mistakes are more noticeable than in a lyrical piece, in which the legato movement more easily hides asynchronicity. The dancers, however, recover quickly from mistakes, and hiccups in the flow of the piece are limited.

The third segment of the showcase is “Poem (Fragment Expansion),” choreographed by Alex Ketley. The first moments of the piece are breathtaking. A single dancer enters the stage by crawling onto it from the front of the house, and begins a solo performance downstage center. Dancing in silence, she is captivating. Even without an audible external rhythm, her dancing is fluid and precise – the movement feels natural and dynamic when it might otherwise feel forced and uncomfortable. As the music begins, the scrim rises and the stage opens to reveal an entire ensemble.

Ketley’s choreography is engaging, balanced in the level of complexity, in turn capturing the audience’s attention and maintaining a simple elegance that keeps the performance sharp. The piece is staged around a set of tables for the dancers to engage with: around and under. At times, the group lacks unison, an unfortunate shortcoming in a piece that demands sharp, pointed movements. Luckily, the piece transitions from sequence to sequence often enough that the disjointed moments are brief.

The final piece of the showcase is “Branch, Tendril, Vine,” choreographed by Diane Frank. Characterized by softer, graceful movement, the piece is arguably the most lyrical of the showcase. Frank’s choreography is unique in its ability to feature many dancers and movements at once without feeling overwhelming. The ensemble moves across the stage in what initially seems like a group of individual dances lumped together, but a closer look reveals sets of dancers in unison consciously spaced. There is clear intentionality behind the choreography, despite infrequent questionable moments. Particularly impressive is the partner work within the piece, as pairs cooperate impeccably together to paint the space with their dancing. Even the lifts are effortless and natural. “Branch, Tendril, Vine” provides a satiating close the showcase.

The design of the showcase wonderfully complements the dances and provides a consistent thematic undercurrent. The lighting (Stephen Hitchcock ’18) enhances each performance, adding an artistic element that highlights the dancers rather than becoming a distracting presence. Connie Strayer’s costume design is elegant and appropriate, as the costumes flatter the dancers and allow them the flexibility needed. No piece is gaudy or out of place, and each draws focus to the forms the choreographers have worked to create. The set design (Erik Flatmo) adds metaphorical meaning to the pieces, helping define the space of the dance. One particularly beautiful piece is a disc abstractly resembling a clock that slowly cuts across the stage throughout the fourth and final dance.

‘Spatial Shift’ serves as a beautiful culmination of the academic year for the Theater and Performance Studies department. The performance showcases the immense talent of the choreographers within the department, and provides an opportunity for gifted students to partake in a creative and professional environment to produce something spectacular. ‘Spatial Shift’ is well worth every second, a time to celebrate contemporary dance and revel in the beauty the body can create.

 

Contact Alejandra Aguilar aaguila2@stanford.edu.

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