"HERSELF" By: Tim McGillicuddy: At Goural theater: Part of Origin's Ist Irish Festival

"HERSELF"  By: Tim McGillicuddy:  At Goural theater: part of Origin's Ist Irish Festival;          Directed by Hamilton Clancy

Scene Design: Rebecca Lord Surrat; Light/Sound: Eric Nightengale; Costumes: Lisa Renee Jordan

"HERSELF"  A  World preimere, Produced by the drilling company, authored by Tim McGillicuddy is about a family story which has also effected the community and their social life. The story is about guilt, remorse, anger, shame, rumors and lots of serious gossip without many answers.

It takes place in a pub at the harbor sight in Gallway. Pub was owned by Jim Hays, co-owned by Peddy (Drew Vallins) Jim who was an alcholic and now deceased has left the pub for her sister Mureen (Kathleen Simmonds) who has come back from New York. She escaped to NY to suppress her dark memories of dysfunctional family and the father who was a tyrant and still is. Mureen is livid  still with her father and has never forgiven her father for mistreating her mother who is also deceased and her memory suffers from false rumors of perhaps having an affair with a parish priest which is a hot topic of gossip in the community which terribly effected jim.

This kind of scenario of a very prominent and wealthy family which has a lot of influence in  that town has left half baked rumors of impropriety which won't go away. Martin, the father brilliantly played by Hamilton Clancy. With incredible force, confidence and raging energy. He declares that he would rather built a shopping mall instead of his daugther keeping and repairing the old pub with the rotten pipes and floors. Mureen is also his father's daughter, ferocious Kathleen Simmonds dressed in a sytlish black designer's dress and an expensive rain court and high heels is livid and accuses her father about his maltreatment towards Jim and her mother. Hamilton Clancy doesn't give up, after all he is a billionaire and what do the billioners do? Build shopping malls...Wonderfully powerful scenes between the raging father and a very angry daughter.

The pub is frequented by the regulars, Peddy ( Drew Valins) who is also a bartender is a very nice peace loving person who likes to resolve every one's conflicts in a calm manner. There is Mary (Una Clancy) who is the town's gossip mongerer and knows all the secrets of every one as if she was an invisible presence at all occasions in every one's life. Una Clancy gives a stunning performance at once serious and hilarious.

Then there is Jane (Natalie Smith) pregnant girl friend of late Jim constantly consoled and loved by Maureen. Mureen has some kind of fetish of kissing the young Parrish Priest, father Michael (Skyler Gallun) who also is attracted towards Maureen and eventually goes for a confession. Of course this is an Irish play, a brilliant one on top of it full of the regular stuff, the pub, the lager, regulars, the gossip and rumors of all kinds with lot of dark humor, balm to the soul of Ireland.

The whole cast is absolutely brilliant. Kathleen Simmond, multi talented Hamilton Clancy, the director/artistic director of Drilling company theater and a powerful presence as an actor are scene stealers. Aiden (Patrick Hart) a handsome young fellow with a beautiful voice is also a heart breaker.At the end there is a surprise.

I throughly enjoyed this play as I enjoy most of the Origin's Ist festival's productions. I actually wait and wait for it's arrival. This year I haven't seen everything because I wasn't around but this is my usual experience.

Whenever I see a production of Origin's Ist show, I say to myself, "Oh! this one is the best" like recently I saw KING and was blown away, then I saw a sweet play brilliantly acted, "BUMBLED" and I said to myself, "Oh!  This one is the best and now, "HERSELF" and I declared to myself, "Oh! dear, this one is the best." I have come to a conclusion that almost every show, every reading, every event in this amazing festival is equally superb.

REVIEWED by

BINA SHARIF

ATCA

Editor/Publisher:artsinternationl.blogspot.com

email:binashariff@gmail.com

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BUMBLED: Part of Origin I st Irish Festival At NY Irish Center

         
                                      Tir Na Theatre presens Bumbled at New York Irish Center                                            

                                                      "Bumbled", written by Bernard McMullan.                                                                 Directed by: Carmel O' Reilly; Performed by Colin Hamell

At the NY Irish center Carmel O'Reilly offers up a stingingly (pun-intended) directed presentation

of a skillfully acted one man performance thanks to the fine, energetic actor Colin Hamell in "Bumbled".

"Bumbled", over one hour plus minutes, give the audience a buzzingly (Pun-intended) smart look at the

 behavior of bees, drones, workers and the queen herself.

Deftly written by Bernard McMullan, "Bumbled" gives us a tour of ourselves. As the bumbled bee

actor Colin Hamell who is dressed just like a bee himself take us on a tour of warning about life.

He first dances up a wiggly-backside jig when the show begin and after a time of humerous tugging

settles furthur into more serious reflections, the plight of bee species itself which seem to have dwindled

world wide over the past many years. Why? How? Is it the canary inside nature's mine- are we being

 warned as a human species?

'Bumbled" is smart. apt reflection in lots of ways making it more than just a spoonful of honey.

Colin Hamell is blessed with the ability of  doing all kinds of accents and display his huge talent full of 

  humor and empathy while narrating the international bee festival in Ireland. He is so incredibly funny

    that the audience on first night of his performance were roaring throug out with  sudden bursts of

    laughter.

A brilliant and extremely enjoyable performance, well directed and well lit.

Run to catch the remaining performances. It's great fun to watch the talented Colin Hamell.

Reviewed by

BINA SHARIF

ATCA 

Editor/Publisher:artsinternational.blogspot.com

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Fishamble: The new Play Company presents KING at 59E59

 Fishamble: The New Play Company presents: Origin I st Irish Festival

"KING" at 59E59

Written and Performed byPat Kinevane

Directed by Jim Culleton.              Lighting design: Pius McGrath  Choreographers: Kristina Chaloir and Julian Brigatti                                                                       

In a dim and shadowy room appears a mesmerizing figure who is totally absorbed doing Tango and

wrapped around his troubled memories of the past, of his father, his school days and of his cherished grandmother. His grandmother named him Luther after Martin Luther King who was her hero.

His grand mother used to tell him," that the pain and oppression of the Irish and black people is the samebut now we are free."

Luther is very bitter about the history of Ireland and the occupation and maltreatment by the British.

It also makes him think how like Ireland he had been mistreated and abused many times by many

people and circumstanes but he keeps doing his Tango and keep dancing. Keep seeing light in the dark.

He is hopeful and is getting ready for a big night full of fun, dancing and of bright light of hope and

 promise.

His mind races and struggles with his past memories in a stream of consciousness manner which

combines incredible sadness and humor.

He often relates to the audience in a very intimate manner making believe as if they are part of the show.

I loved that sense of intimacy.

But his sharp humor and his Tango is the saving grace for his non-stop racing stream of memories and

wonder.  At one point he says, "I am mad but people who claim they are not mad are lethal."

It's mysteriously vague if he had been in mental institution some time ago and now recalling the time in 

a ward, the nurse and his difficult thought process like water flowing and not flowing at the same time.

But now he lives alone in a single room by himself and his present occupation is overflowing memories

 entangled in his most favorite occupation whic is the Tango and Pat Kinevane can do that Tango in a

fast and furious manner lit by beautiful and ominous and haunting lights by Pius Magrath.

It's the best lighting design particularly for this show, enhanced by the voice of Tango instructor, Jose

 Miguel Jimenez.

Pat Kinevane is an extremely versatile performer with booming voice which has a lot of range all

the way from a scary shout to a melodiously soft whisper which takes your breath away. He is

 agile, dramatic and stunningly captivating.

It's another fantastic production by the most wonderful Fishamble.

There are more fascinating plays in this amazing festival, Origin's 1st Irish festival is one of the best theater festival in NYC right now, The plays and readings are happening at many venues such as Cell theater, Irish arts center Ny Irish arts center in Queens, Irish historical society, 59E59 st and lasting till April 29. Plays are from Ireland as well by local Irish American playwrights/directors/muscians.

It's my most favorite theater festival and I am always excited for it's arrival and have been covering it for the last couple of years and it's such a delight to encounter the poetry and music and passion and humor and many other jewels and gems in such marvelous work of art. Don't miss it, still one more week left for you to treat yourselves.

Reviewed

by

BINA SHARIF

ATCA

Editor/Publisher:artsinernational.blogspot.com

email:binashariff@gmail.com

Cell:212-260-6207

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This review is also posted on www.facebook.com/hidramas

THE LOOK OF LOVE AT BAM

 "THE LOOK OF LOVE" at BAM

An Evening of Dance to the Music of Burt Bacharach

Choregraphy by Mark Morris

Mark Morris Dance Group and Music Ensemble

Lighting Design by Nicole Pearce.

Costume Design by Isaac Mizrahi

THE LOOK OF LOVE

A full enthsiastic house happily witnessed a choriographic musical medley of Bacharach's excellence.

Marcy Harriell's powerful and melodious singing elevated the retro songs such as, "Do You Know The

 Way to San Hose" "Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Head, "What The World Needs Now" by way

of her soaring magical voice. Her Stupendous singing is a superb interpretation of Hal David's lyrics.

The movements of colorful, playful and highly energetic dancer choreographed by the most brilliant

Mark Morris that accompanied each song skillfully and gracefully reflected the idea of each one.

The dance is set to the enthralling songs by the legendary Bacharach with new arrangements by

Ethan Iverson and it's a perfect match.

Morris uses these songs which adds pure joy of feeling of love. The whole dance is about love, love

 found, love's incredible heat and energy which also fades at times into cold rain, again seeking the

 warmth of love. Love is the thing which matters in this marvelous combination of love songs and the

 dancers incorporating the feel of love in their arms, knees, long legs and rhytmic movements.

Lovers come together, they embrace, they part, they move away, they find new lovers, they carry folding

 chairs, create a new area for new love,  play withe colorful cushions as if they were their intimate

 companions, a source of love and comfort and surprising heart break some times but the flow of love

 continue to sooth the senses and the colorful costumes of orange, red, purple, light olive green, and

 yellow by Isaac Mizrahi add so much to the feel of love that one almost want to fall in love with some

 one in that auditorium.

The beautiful lighting design by Nicole Pearce is effective and matters a lot in The Look Of Love.

All the songs were delicious but I loved, "Walk By" Just a walking dance was amazing, the walk on

 some road might take you to many optimistic choices, one might be the pursuit of love?

And I also throughly enjoyed, "Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Head." Dancers danced like the rain

 drops of water with their arms raised and their palms up as if they were trying to catch a few drops and

 all of a sudden the lightining flashes surprise them with some unexpected anguish.

"The Look Of Love" is a marvel.

Reviewed by Bina Sharif

Editor/publisher:artsinternational.blogspot.com

Member of ATCA

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BAM and Dance Reflections by Van Cleef &Arpels Present Corps extremes

Corps Extremes at BAM

Choreographed by Rachid Ouramdane

Video: Jean-Camille Goimard

Music: Jean-Baptiste Julien

Chaillot- Theatre national de la Danse

Corpse extremes is a testament of human resolve, energy, strength and desire.

Most brilliant Rachid Ouramdane expresses a desire and the desire is, " To be really focussed

on the fascination triggered by the wish to take off, to drifft, a state of weightlessness, a suspension."

That manifestation of Rachid Ouramdane comes to life in Corps extremes in mesmerizing reality.

It is beyond human power to reach such heights of desire, such an out of body experience, to overcome

 unfathomable fear and achieve and fulfill that desire,  is beyond human ability but with resolve,

 concentration, will and belief in yourself and the divine power bestowed upon you and the

talent and perseverance, you reach the heights of your imagination and create and Rachid has created

 with all those blessings the most incredible dance piece the likes which I have never seen before and I

 am so, so...

 fortunate to have seen it. It makes you believe again in human power and the will to accomplish the

extremes of your desires.

The set has an impressive big wall across the back of the stage.A long rope crosses high above.You see a highliner, a tightrope walker (amazing Nathan Paulin) His balance and control is a miracle happening right in-front of you.  Sometime the wall transform into a screen and most beautiful images of French Alps, the sky and the earth are projected.  You forget that you are at the Howard Gilman Opera house.  The stirring music by Jean- Baptiste- Julien accompanies the images of natural landscape which transport you to a dream world in between the sky and the earth wondering and holding your breath , watching, at the divine power and lack of fear which is a major factor of all humans, not imbeded in these marvellous human beings to create works of such enormous beauty and courage.

There are acrobats and climbers of un-believable ability. They throw each other up in the air, on the wall and then catch them while they just fly back into your hands and arms as weightless, fragile and soft feathers. You have to see these craftsmen, atheltes  fullfilling their dreams with extreme power.

Watching Corps extremes was one of the greatest experience of my life.  Most of the time I felt I was flying with them,  jumping high above,  falling safely back on earth.  What a dream I was dreaming while I was still sitting at the majestic Opera house where audience was riveted. At the end we all stood 

and  in ravenous disbelief gave standing ovations at the performers god given ability, talent and the will to achieve their dreams and desires and making us part of that adventure which also took us above the sky for a little time.  I felt like a singing bird flying with Nathan Paulin...Oh! how I wish...

I am also very blessed that I was given the chance to see human beings who are so capable and equipped with divine energy and power to do and create such beauty with such strength.

REVIEWED by BINA SHARIF - Member of ATCA

Editor/publisher: artsinternational.blogspot.com

Email: binashariff@gmail.com

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HOW TO BE A DANCER IN 72.000 EASY LESSONS AT ST. Ann's Warehouse

HOW TO BE A DANCER IN 72, 000 EASY LESSONS

By Michael Keegan-Dolan; Choregraphed and performed by Michael Keegan-Dolan and Rachel Poirier

Directed By Rachel Poirier and Adam Silverman

How to be a dancer is a memory dance and theater piece.  Michael Keegan who came from a big familyrecalls how he always wanted to be a dancer but his feet were a problem. He was told that with his pigeon-toed feet, it might be very hard to be a dancer but that's what he desired the most and inspite of all odds he joined a ballet school where he was the oldest boy in the class.

In a bare room, there is a huge crater and Michael and his dance partner Rachel Poirier (extremely energetic and skilled in more than one way to say the least) opens it and take out certain items, such as flowers, tools and even a colorful children bicyle.

They set up the stage. right infront of us. Poirier happily rides that bicycle in a joyous manner. She is an amazing and fascinating presence throughout.

The story is about Michael growing up as an Irish boy surrounded by lots of brothers and sisters and

big dreams to dance. He was told by a teacher, " Is there anything else you might like to do with your

 life?" But no, that's all he wanted, He was obsessed with dancing.

He eventually moves to England where in the 1980s he is not welcomed because the violence of 

I.R.A. He was an outsider, a foreigner and lonely but with persistence and circumstance he turns to choreography and theater and dance and eventually achieved great success as a dancer, and a choreographer.

His last appearance as a dancer was in 1994 but he rose to acclaim as a choreographer of Opera and started his own company, Teac Damsa with Rachel Poirier.This is the story of his life told by him with great sense of humor and pathos. He is a superb story teller,

He doesn't dance much in the piece, but is a master of spoken words. 

It's the most mesmerizing Rachel Poirier who is blessed with incredible talent of all kinds. She can sing, she can act, she is an expert with handling the props, jumping up on the crater, coming down with ropes and she can dance. Oh! can she dance? Yes, and yes again.

The highlight of the show is a fifteen minute solo dance by faboulous Rachel Poirier to Ravel's "Bolero". It's breath taking, she is lighter than air, she floats, she moves like a dream, she is so absorbedthe moment and throughly enjoying and enjoyable. What an ability, what a talent!  It was amazing to watch every move she made on that stage. She is totally blessed with talent and grace.  Both Rachel and Michael choreographed the dance and thay did a marvelous job.

Everyone should make an effort to see this vibrant show. I loved it.

REVIEWED

By

BINA SHARIF

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BROKEN CHORD AT BAM

 BROKEN CHORD AT BAM

A memory of a difficult relationship between the colonised and coloniser, shaping their existence of resentment with each other in South Africa through dance and music and their history of the past and the present.

It's about a particular memory of a 19th -century Westward journey of an African choir.

This amazing dance piece begins in the darkness. After a few seconds the dim lights refelect a man (Gregory Vuyani Maqoma) twirling around and around with a long white chord. Brilliantly focused dim light has a stunning effect on the dancer and the chord which is moving in a fascinating snake like movements. In the mean time we hear faint sounds of a song which eventually becomes louder and we see four vocalists, Tshegofatso Khunwane, Luvo Rasement, Nokuthula Magubane and Avuya Ngcawent and the choir of Trinity Wall Street walk in and settle in the back row. 

The song by the vocalists is melodious and haunting at the same time.

Their story is of a group of young African singers travel to Britain, Canada and America by boat. Gregory Maqoma is so equipped with his dance movements that we really believe by the movements of his feet and precise steps that he is in a boat. This imaginary journey is just breathtaking. 

Finally their songs and dance swells with joy and anticipation of seeing London and then the excitementis replaced by racism and colonial attitude of power and control.

In one of the most effective though very painful scene,  all members of choir circle the African vocalists and dancers and shout at them telling them to, "Go home, why are you here? you are not like us." these words chill you to the bone. The choir is all white and the African group is all black and though the play/dance is taking place in 19th Century and here we are in 21st Century,  we are aware that we have heard these racists words recently and history seems like repeating itself. The white choir sings, "God save the queen." African performer also participate and asks, " You think I am only here to be a good black, just to sing for you, but in truth I am here to disrupt and dismantle." 

This beautifully rendered piece is about the clash of cultures which are unfortunately still going on.

The scene I loved the most is when the whole group do a dance and song out of kneading flour and there appears stunning shafts of light as if their hands are burning in fire. and we hear these words, "I want to go home." The brilliant lighting design is by Ralf Nonn.

This dance and song represents the global tensions in a mesmerizing manner, a very difficult task made throughly moveing and enjoyable by the whole cast, the choir and Maqoma who has such sense of command and balance over every step he takes on the stage and Thuthuka Sibisi, the great Composer.

So very thankful to BAM for bringing such facinating cultural events here in NY and just a train ride away, we are exposed to amazing countries and their glorious cultures.

REVIEWED By

Bina Sharif

ATCA

Editor/Publisher: artsinternational.blogspot.com

email:binashariff@gmail.com

Cell: 212-260-6207