Theatre Notes

Lie to Me

originally published March 29, 2006

In an effort to head off the inevitable accusations of teen angst at the proverbial pass, note: first, that the clatter on keys forming this particular stream of words is the product of fingers, gratefully, several years divorced from ages beginning with one; second, that the following sentiment is not born of angst, but can, rather, be chalked up to mere idle rumination. Preemptive caveats dispensed with, consider why, with a world painted in dissembling shades of grey, the vast majority of material we choose for entertainment is false. Why is it that, with most of the facts that serve as signposts for our conception of the reality around us assiduously wrapped up by bossmen, anchorpeople, politicians and any number of other interested parties, in cloaks of convenient fiction, that we still derive escape and comfort from a swaggering pop persona, a fantastical yarn, or a tall tale made alive on a stage through the machinations of conjured characters and emotions? Why do we spend our nights lovingly admiring lies when we have to stare at them in some form for most of the daylight hours? Perhaps it is that a lie honestly told is the only anodyne for citizens of a dishonest world.

INRI: Moses Pendleton was on target to join the U.S. Olympic ski team while at Dartmouth College studying for a degree in large-animal veterinary medicine. Unfortunately for his downhill aspirations and fortunately for the world of modern dance, Pendleton broke his leg and took dance classes as part of the healing process. Shortly thereafter, he and several of his athlete-turned-artist compatriots (he has been known to dub his work “sparts”), formed what would become one of America’s most influential dance companies and named it Pilobolus, after a fungus that grows on cow dung and explodes its spore-pouches with an acceleration that holds the silver-medal for speed in nature. After receiving a Guggenheim fellowship for his unabashedly inventive choreography, Mr. Pendleton played shepherd in the evolution of his next project from closing dance to the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” at the Lake Placid Olympics to a fully-fledged stand-alone dance company. Named for a dietary supplement given to calves and, in accordance with one of the company’s hallmark traits, playfully evoking multiple mixtures, Momix has earned a reputation as one of the most consistently astounding and internationally respected dance experiences in the world.

After performances in more than two dozen countries with relentlessly surreal shows born of Mr. Pendleton’s insatiable imagination, Momix hitched its amalgam of athletic, physical artistry, psychedelic technical work, high-flying acrobatics and sorcerous illusions to Peter Gabriel’s ethereal Middle-East-inspired score for Martin Scorcese’s controversial The Last Temptation of Christ to create Passion. Ever cognizant of his multifarious interests (he still runs a farm in Connecticut and skis in the winter), Mr. Pendleton and his troupe never fail to give performances that defy both explanation and classification. The experience that is Momix: Passion will be at the Classic Center Theater as part of their Broadway Entertainment Series for one night only, Saturday, Apr. 1 at 8 p.m. Ticket prices range from $30–$60 (well worth it) and can be obtained by calling the Classic Center Box Office at 706-357-4444 or on-line at www.classiccenter.com. For more information on Momix, visit the website: www.mosespendleton.com.

Every Story is a Love Story: Ever since Verdi’s Aida, commissioned by the Ottoman Khedive of Egypt, opened in Cairo in 1871, the story of ill-fated love between a would-be Pharaoh and a captured Nubian princess has been a staple of the operatic stage. In an effort to translate the classic tale for a wider English-speaking audience, Disney Theatrical commissioned the award-winning team behind The Lion King, including Tim Rice and Sir Elton John, to rework the script into a musical. Four years on Broadway, four Tony Awards and a Grammy later, the revamped production has become as central to American musical theatre as the original was to the operatic world. As part of their never-ending quest to redefine the boundaries of what young production companies are capable of, the Oconee Youth Playhouse has chosen to tackle this often-challenging score and emotionally complex script for their spring performance. This is the first performance of Aida in Georgia since its initial test run at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta in 1998. With the central lovers being played by two talented-beyond-their-years actors that some may remember as Tony and Maria from OYP’s production of West Side Story two years ago, this promises to be yet another entry in a long line of extremely pleasurable musical theatre performances from the young company. Aida plays at the Oconee Civic Center, Thursday, Mar 30–Saturday, Apr. 1 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Apr. 2 at 2 p.m. Call the studio at 706-769-2677 for tickets and information.

Young Americans: Both of UGA’s student-run production companies will be showcasing the fruits of their invention in the next pair of weeks. I Commedianti Georgiani, the Uni’s resident commedia troupe, whips up yet another batch of its mid-millennial madcappery on Tuesday, Apr. 4 at 8 p.m. As of press time, a venue had not yet been made public (though the Cellar Theatre seems to head the rumor list, so visit www.drama.uga.edu for the latest) and neither had a title for the scenario. Rest assured, however, that they’re a-cookin’ somethin’ up. The perennially adventurous undergrads of Thalian-Blackfriars present their annual Telling Tales, a collection of productions written, designed, directed and performed by the students themselves. Telling Tales plays in the Cellar Theatre on Friday, Apr. 7 and Saturday, Apr. 8 at 8 p.m. Call the UGA Box Office at 706-542-2838 for ticket information.

Going On: Naomi Iizuka’s PEN Center-Award-winning reworking of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, titled Polaroid Stories, continues in the busy Cellar Theatre, Wednesday, Mar. 29–Saturday, Apr. 1 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Apr. 2 at 2:30 p.m. Call 542-2838 for $10 tickets ($8 dollars for students and seniors). Town and Gown Players’ mainstage production of George Bernard Shaw’s American Revolutionary melodrama The Devil’s Disciple plays for one more weekend in the Athens Community Theatre on Grady Avenue, Thursday, Mar. 30–Saturday, Apr. 1 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Apr. 2 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 with $12 student/ senior tickets on Friday and Saturday night and a steal at $5 for everyone on Thursday and Sunday. Call the box office at 706-208-TOWN to reserve a seat.

Brandon Waddell Send your theatrical truths to outthere@flagpole.com and don’t forget to include “Theatre Notes” in the subject line for ease of consumption.

Brandon Waddell

Send your theatrical truths to outthere@flagpole.com and don’t forget to include “Theatre Notes” in the subject line for ease of consumption.