Since the middle of last week there's been an email circulating around Roxbury containing photos of the Dudley Station El crash in 1910. As far as I can tell, there were no fatalities in the crash, but the wreckage is incredible. These photos are also a great look at Dudley Square before urban renewal changed the landscape.
Last night I had the opportunity to watch Vox Lumiere at Emerson's Majestic Theater. Prior to going, I watched a short video of the production on the theater's website. Although I didn't understand what I was watching, I was excited about the show and encouraged by the LA Times review, which called it "absolutely riveting." Nearly 24 hours after the show, I'm still not sure how I feel about it.
First, I think the idea behind the show is brilliant. The creators played the silent movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame on a large screen floating above the stage and had rock musicians and singers perform on stage in front of it. I suppose it's kind of like taking the piano soundtrack that silent films used to have and putting it on some serious steroids. The music definitely fills the theater and gives the performance power.
But the production's brilliance also makes it challenging to follow. Specifically in the first act, there's almost no interplay between the silent film and the cast. The film doesn't explain what's happening on stage and vice versa. Much of the time, it looked like there were two shows happening simultaneously, a movie and a rock concert. It was somewhat disorienting and confusing because I didn't know which to follow and it was annoying trying to read the few remaining caption left in the film.
I was also surprised by the frequency and length of the periods when the audience only had the movie to watch while the singers were offstage. If I had paid for my ticket, I would've been upset that I was basically watching a movie when I paid for a stage production with live action. The film-only periods weren't interesting, and just left me wondering what was the point. On the other hand, I thought the singers were great, but I wish the producer had used them more. They were just singing, not acting, and didn't really become any characters. Although they sang beautifully, they didn't clearly identify who they represented, which made it hard to follow who was who. The film and the live action also didn't always match up, and the production had a level of emptiness to it because the singers seldom interacted with each other or with the audience. My friend and I felt the most engaged when the solos and duets (with lyrics) were performed, primarily because the production became more focused on those people and becuase there were lyrics which moved the story forward.
The strongest piece, however, was the Court of Miracles scene in the middle of act two. Unlike most of the show where the performers had tightly constrained dances and very static movements, that piece - which mirrored the attack against the aristocracy - was wild! The cast let loose, made use of the stage, and looked like they were finally having fun. Unfortunately it didn't last long, but it was a welcome contrast to the limited choreography and awkward movements happening throughout the rest of the show. I couldn't decide whether some of their awkward gesticulations were meant to be edgy or if they were adopting the kind of moves that silent film actors would have done. Either way, there was an overall lack of clarity that no amount of great singing could overcome.
Overall, I'd say it was an interesting experience. I can see this kind of theater becoming popular, but the best productions will have to continue to guide the audience experience rather than overwhelm them with lots of sound and fury, but little substance.
The question isn't being posed to fault Menino for not doing something, I'm genuinely curious to identify the spaces and places which have been significantly improved due to his influence. The Strand Theater and the slow growth of the Seaport District come to mind, but I can't think of anywhere else in the bulk of the city which has seen major physical changes. I'm thinking about it for two reasons.
First, he might run for a 5th term. Does he deserve it? Has the city improved noticeably or are we stagnating in goodness rather than excelling to greatness? I don't know how what the candidates for mayor would do if they were elected, but I'm not opposed to seeing a new mayor in place either.
Second, recently I've been reading articles about grand visions other leaders have for their cities. Bloomberg has ambitious plans for New York and Sarkozy has his for Paris. We've also seen how Shanghai, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Dubai have been steered toward growth, with more cities can be expected to do the same once the economic downturn is over. So where is that going to leave Boston in the long run? Has Menino laid out any plans to keep Boston attractive?
I know winter is almost over and the snow is supposed to melt over the weekend, but I need a break. Despite the travel advisories, I'm off to Cancun for a long weekend. If all these storms and the record amounts of snow are going to drive me to drink, I may as well do it somewhere tropical. See you next week.
Today marks the halfway point in my third decade. For some reason friends keep asking if I feel badly about turning 35. My response is not at all. Why should I? The thirties are great! Forty has me a little worried, though.
Anyway, I did a search to see which celebrities and famous people in history would be celebrating with me. Although there are lots of people, I didn't actually recognize many of them. Of the folks I recognized, I think these six would be fun to party with for a night. I left out Desi Arnaz, though. I think he'd be a bit annoying.
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