EMAV Review: Nerve cells connect 'Incognito' at A Public Fit ★★★★☆

★★★★☆ - Delicious

"Who tells the story of self? That's like asking who thunders the thunder or rains the rain. It is not so much a question of us telling the story as the story telling us." (Paul Broks, neuropsychologist)

Neuropsychology is the science of analyzing the relationship between personality, performance, and the anatomical and physiological structure of the brain. Broks is one practitioner who asks the question: What is the relationship between the brain and the mind and the self?

"You can learn a lot about the brain, but you don't necessarily learn much about the self because that's a different layer of existence. What makes a person unique is how the mind utilizes the brain, and how the mind is shaped by interacting with other minds to form the self.”

Audiences are miraculously transported to a theatrical illustration of this very conundrum in a delicious 4-Star presentation of Nick Payne’s “Incognito”, the first production of the 2018-19 Season by A Public Fit Theatre Company (APF), which runs through December 16th in co-production with Cockroach Theatre Company at the Art Square Theatre.

Four gifted actors play a combined 21 characters within the play’s three artfully interwoven stories: A pathologist steals the brain of Albert Einstein; a neuropsychologist embarks on her first romance with another woman; a seizure patient forgets everything but how much he loves his girlfriend. “Incognito” braids these mysterious stories into one breathtaking whole that asks whether memory and identity are nothing but illusions.

“Incognito” features Tina Rice, Jasmine Kojouri, Marcus Weiss, and Erik Amblad. Each member of this exceptionally supple quartet transfers the dramatic energy of their multiple characters as if part of one shared central nervous system – like synapses found where nerve cells connect with other nerve cells to guarantee that the signal of the brain reaches its destination. They switch characters at the drop of a hat and fluidly move between wit and deeper emotion. Through and through it is a compelling, humane story enacted by absorbing characters with whom we feel a connection.

Directors Ann Marie Pereth and Joseph D. Kucan maintain a lively pace throughout the evening, skillfully balancing playwright Payne’s ability to meld complicated philosophic and scientific tenets with simpler human struggles. The production team has kept their components intentionally modest so as to ensure that our focus remains fixed on the thought-provoking human interaction before us. Kudos to Mariya Radeva-Nedyalkova (costumes), Ellen Bone (lighting), Yale Yeandel (sets), and The Dog & Pony Show (sound).

Nick Payne is the recipient of the 2009 George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright, 2012 Harold Pinter Playwright’s Award, and the 2012 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Play for Constellations. The play was originally produced in the USA by Manhattan Theater Club at City Center in May, 2016. As Ben Brantley wrote in The New York Times:

“Mysteries swirl in storm clouds in Nick Payne’s “Incognito,” enough to fill many seasons of cliffhanger soap operas. The subjects of these tantalizing puzzles include questions of paternity, a man who murdered his wife on their 30th wedding anniversary, the secrets that lovers keep from each other and the disappearance of an essential anatomical part of a great scientist.”

“Yet the biggest mystery of all, the one that dominates every aspect of this lively, self-examining drama of ideas, is the very apparatus that you’re using to make sense of this sentence. I mean your brain.”

Incognito, written by Nick Payne and directed by Ann Marie Pereth and Joseph D. Kucan

Presented through December 16th by A Public Fit Theatre Company at Art Square Theatre, 1025 South First Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101.

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Sin City Opera and the City of Las Vegas co-present Richard Wagner’s turbulent opera, “A Night with

★★★★★ - Irresistible

Sin City Opera and the City of Las Vegas came together to present a synoptic, multi-media premiere operatic presentation of Richard Wagner’s turbulent opera, “A Night with The Flying Dutchman” -- the first-ever Richard Wagner opera production in Las Vegas, on October 25th & 28th at Charleston Heights Arts Center.

Created in 1843 in Germany, and performed in German in 2 Acts, the opera takes place off the coast of Norway during the 18th century. It featured a 14-piece orchestra helmed by Maestro, Dean Balan; staging by Skip Galla, Artistic Director of Sin City Opera; and multi-media video, projections and movies created by Andrew Stephenson Kurcan.

Wagner's operatic masterpiece is haunting. The music is rocked by the sound of waves as soon as the curtain rises. The drama unfolds relentlessly, based on a story that never fails to fascinate, even those who do not believe in legends. Using a number of leitmotivs (musical themes, Wagner takes his audience on an irrational journey where the Dutchman, an otherworldly, supernatural being, seeks Redemption through the love of a faithful woman. It is a breathtaking story of sacrifice, punctuated with raging monologues, dizzying duets, rousing choruses and accompanied by an orchestra that is much more than a background for the voices, acting as a full-fledged player in the drama.

The Dutchman, desperately seeks out love every seven years, and is now in the little fishing village of leading lady, Senta, who must agree to marry him and break-off with her intended Erik, to lift the curse the Dutchman and his ghostly crew have been under for hundreds of years.

The title role was sung by bass-baritone, Eugene Richards III. Eugene has spent the last three years studying with dramatic soprano, Luana DeVol and the past three summers as part of Dolora Zajick’s Institute for Young Dramatic Voices in Reno, NV, in the American Wagner Project division. In 2017 this study of Wagner led to his being selected as 1 of 16 finalists in the Lauritz Melchior International Vocal Competition which took place in Aalborg, Denmark. This summer Eugene participated in The Miami Music Festival in their Wagner program where he covered Alan Held as Wotan in Die Walküre & sang King Heinrich in Lohengrin.

“The American Wagner Project has been amazing for me. The three weeks I’ve spent there the past few years, allow me to fast forward my progress. I leave every summer a more confident and complete artist. The level of coaching is incredible and the artists it attracts are unparalleled. Luana’s and Dolora's support has opened many doors for me that I know would have remained closed otherwise. I can't thank them enough for what they've done for me,” stated Eugene.

His musicality and ability to learn quickly, coupled with a noble, bass baritone voice have won him recognition. Awards include scholarships from New York based Career Bridges as well as the Wagner Society of Washington, D.C.

The role of leading lady, Senta, was sung by dramatic soprano, Rebecca Morris. Her rich, powerful sound and commanding stage presence, accompanied by an impressive range, have made her a stand out in the Verdi and Wagner repertoire. Rebecca has spent most of her career singing the Dramatic Mezzo-Soprano repertoire, but has recently transitioned into the Dramatic Soprano roles. She attended Northern Arizona University on a vocal scholarship, where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree. She is also a graduate of the Crittenden Opera Studio, The Bay Area Summer Opera Theater Institute, The Opera Academy of California, The American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, and The Flagstaff in Fidenza Program in Fidenza, Italy. She has sung in numerous Productions with Phoenix Opera, Arizona Opera, Sin City Opera and Opera Las Vegas.

Born of a desire to train young dramatic singers and help them reach the world stage, the Institute for Young Dramatic Voices is the brainchild of Dolora Zajick, Rosemary Mathews, and Sarah Agler. It is an innovative 3-week intensive summer program of study for singers ages 15–36, with large or unusual voices, at varying levels of vocal development. The Institute’s carefully selected experts from across the industry work in close collaboration not only with the students, but also with each other, to provide a solid foundation of skills a professional singer really needs to embark on and survive a successful operatic career.

In 2013, the Institute developed a partnership with the Wagner Society of Washington D.C. The result is the American Wagner Project offering role study, German language diction, and specialized coaching and classes for future Wagnerian singers as well as presenting annual Wagner concerts in Washington and a series of symposia.

Sin City Opera is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Las Vegas that serves the residents and visitors of the Las Vegas area.

#Theatre #Music #sincityopera #CityofLasVegas #Stalter

EMAV Review: “Oh What A Night” you'll have at Signature Productions! ★★★★★

★★★★★ - Irresistible

Oh What a Night it was, indeed! If you're looking for irresistible, 5-Star entertainment singing, banter, & precision choreography, just ask any audience member who sang along and gave a standing ovation to this crowd-pleasing production, through November 10th at the Summerlin Library Theatre.

The popular Las Vegas revue, Oh What A Night: A Musical Tribute to Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons was written by Motown producer and creative consultant George Solomon, conceived and directed by award-winning producer/director Michael Chapman, and choreographed by Paul Holmquist.

You almost don’t believe the four performers are singing live, until their remarkable a cappella rendition of “Silence is Golden” proves that to be true. Noteworthy in its tight harmonies and clarity, and without a backing track, the voices are left to stand on their own and were up to the challenge. On the opening weekend, four rock-steady musical theatre performers -- Brandon Albright (a regular with Signature Productions), Colin Cahill, Taylor Campbell, and Christian Nielsen -- "nailed it" perfectly.

They are four of nine artists who will be performing in this local production. Others include: writer George Solomon, choreographer Paul Holmquist, James Bullard, Katch Gray, and Rob Hyatt. Solomon formed the tribute group with Holmquist and director Michael Chapman in 2008; and there's a pool of about 40 singers who tour and perform across the globe.

Since the show isn't a biography, the performers aren't playing characters. They are being themselves onstage and each cast member brings something unique. Split into two 45-minute sets with a 20-minute intermission, the show did provide a number of highlights – literally hitting all of the highest notes easily, which made the program even more memorable.

Although many have compared the show to stage musical Jersey Boys, writer and performer George Solomon said Oh What a Night! is not a biography.

“It’s more of a variety show; it’s a concert but with a lot of humor, a few costume changes and a lot of great dancing.”

While Jersey Boys is a scripted musical biography of those boys from Jersey, Oh, What a Night! is an intimate concert and tribute that features the Four Seasons’ hits, several Top Ten releases not in Broadway's Tony Award-winning show, and Frankie Valli's biggest solo hit from the movie Grease!

The show actually started in Las Vegas in 2008. It was an immediate success and what used to be only four cast members has grown into a wonderful talent pool that performs all over the world. Oh What A Night! spans two decades of magic music-making, from early 1960s doo-wop (Rag Doll) to late '70s disco (Who Loves You). Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons were at their prime during the 1960s and 70s. More than 40 years after their last release, their music has managed to stand the test of time.

Executive producer Karl Larsen, his production team, lighting designer Elizabeth Kline, Board members, and all of their dedicated volunteers should be as delighted as their audiences with this top-notch, high energy production.

#Stalter #Theatre #Review #Signature #summerlin