Colin Fleming-Stumpf - Page 5

After nearly 16 months without setting foot in a physical performance venue, it was such a thrill to return to the 'theatre' this past weekend to enjoy an afternoon of Shakespeare-inspired absurdity, laughing and applauding in the company of *gasp* other human beings. No, it wasn't technically the Centerstage Theatre that we're used to; the show took place under the 'Dawn Lipson Canalside Stage', a large covered tent being utilized by the JCC and other community arts organizations until this fall, when most theatre and performing arts companies in Rochester will be returning to full in-person performances. Yes the Sunday matinee performance I attended was rainy and overcast, but it was the perfect weather for a musical taking place during 16th century England, adding a distinctly British flair that no tech crew could ever recreate indoors. Something Rotten!, one of the great musical comedies of the last 20 years, was the perfect antidote to a theatre-less year in which surely we were all growing tired of Zoom play readings and what icon Tracy Letts lovingly referred to as 'computer theatre' in a recent New York Times interview.

I learned early on in the pandemic (Spring 2020, aka COVID 1.0) that filmed/livestreamed/Zoomed theatre doesn't really do anything for me. That's not a knock against any particular show or performer or theatre company, just a reality of the medium itself. When you take the quintessential elements of live theatre-the energy, urgency, proximity, and community of fellow audience members-and strip them away, something vital to the art form is lost. If I'm going to devote two-or-three hours to consuming a piece of storytelling, I asked myself, why would I opt for a piece of filmed theatre instead of one of the innumerable offerings on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, etc., all of which are teeming with movies and TV shows that were designed to be viewed on a screen? Thus I haven't accepted many invitations to do theatre criticism over the past year; the invitations have almost exclusively been for streaming productions, and it didn't seem fair to subject a production to my critique when I had a baseline objection to the format.

Given the current reality of social distancing and isolation that we're all grappling with, there has perhaps never been a greater need for art that is collaborative and deeply reflective. Kelly Izzo Shapiro, a local singer-songwriter, is hoping to bring that experience to Rochester through a multimedia work titled 'Ceci n'est pas: The Treachery of Images', a project that channels surrealist art and the human psyche, and conveys the idea that our subconscious is going to reflect onto the art that we consume.

There is no facet of life that hasn't been impacted in some way by the COVID-19 outbreak. Streets are empty, people can't go to work, students can't go to school, gatherings large-and-small are forbidden, and that's to say nothing of the devastating public health realities of widespread illness, the plummeting economy and skyrocketing unemployment rate, and the emotional tolls of social isolation. Here in Rochester schools have been closed since mid-March, as have most non-essential employers (many of which have their employees working from home), and the number of positive coronavirus cases within Monroe County currently stands at 512. Given the scary and unprecedented moment that we're all living in, speculating about the future of theatre and the performing arts seems trivial. But in Rochester, home to one of Upstate New York's most vibrant artistic communities, it's anything but trivial. Our region's theatres are employers and economic drivers of the Finger Lakes area, but more importantly, they bring tremendous joy to the community, which is palpably missing during a crisis that has forced the temporary shuttering of our city's theatres.

Continuing Geva Theatre's 2019-2020 season is the story of an unexpected meeting that blossoms into love, vibrant music, and a renewed vigor for life. It will warm your heart on a cold and dreary Rochester evening.

There is perhaps no greater contributor to the musical theatre art form than Andrew Lloyd Webber (Phantom of the Opera, Evita, Cats, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, etc.), and perhaps no more generation-defining contribution than Jesus Christ Superstar. Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, Rochesterians can once again be reminded why this stylish musical is iconic and timeless.

Perfectly timed for the blistery cold Rochester weather we're all suffering through, the RBTL is currently presenting 'Anastasia', the stage adaptation of the 1997 animated movie in which audience members are whisked away to snowy St. Petersburg during the height of the Russian Revolution of the 1920's. This era of political upheaval is the backdrop, but the story focuses on a young woman and her journey through the past to find her family and her identity.

There is nary a more unifying social experience than receiving horrid, mind-bogglingly bad service at a restaurant. It cuts across class, background, geography, ideology, upbringing, and every other imaginable social divide. With minimal effort we can all probably recall a recent experience in which we were out to dinner with friends or significant others and had a server who was slow, rude, invasive, negligent, easily distracted, too chatty, or-in the case of Stephen (Danny Vaccaro), the waiter in Wendy MacLeod's 'Slow Food', currently on stage at Geva Theatre-all of the above. And while it might trigger flashbacks of dining horror and peak hangry-ness, it makes for a truly entertaining stage comedy.

Keeping with the artistic diversity that makes this theatre a Rochester gem, Blackfriars continues its 70th anniversary season with Peter and the Starcatcher, a Tony Award-winning play like none other they've featured in recent seasons, one that's fueled by imagination, spirit, and a tremendous amount of fun.

Continuing its 2019-2020 season, JCC's CenterStage theatre brings us Raging Skillet, a memoir-turned-play making its regional debut that that tells the story of a rule-breaker and boundary-pusher, a rebellious lesbian Jewish chef whose story is told through food and the ghost of her long-dead mother.

For thousands of years the theatre has been a place where storytellers go to evaluate the world around them and the people who inhabit it. Every period in history, every noteworthy event, near every moment of import has theatrical representation in one form or another, from Jesus to the Salem Witch Trials, the Nixon impeachment to the smartphone. The polarized and divisive times in which we're all currently living have been no exception, with playwrights and artists of all stripes stepping up and trying to make sense of the calamity of our politics and culture. 'The Niceties', currently playing at Geva Theatre Center, takes a sharp and assertive stance on the issues of race and class that have become a powder keg since 2016 (and long before), in one of the most searing and provocative commentaries written in recent years.

There are few forces more powerful than that of family, friendship, love and home. These forces are mightily strong under the best of circumstances, and become even more central to our existence in times of violence, oppression, and separation. Within the context of 20th century American history, the civil rights movement of the 1960's is probably the pinnacle of violence and oppression; it's this era that acts as the backdrop of 'Detroit '67', which explores the bonds that connect us to both our friends and loved ones, but also the place we call home.

The Rochester Broadway Theatre League opens its 2019-2020 season with a glitzy, glamorous, and soulful look at the queen of the disco era, Donna Summer. 'Summer: The Donna Summer Musical', which began its national tour in Rochester this week, isn't just for children of the 1970's, but for anyone who wants a more intimate look into the life and career of one of the music industry's most iconic figures.

To an outsider, the world of competitive spelling may not seem like one that's brimming with tension and intrigue. When one thinks about worlds that are rife for dramatization, a myriad of source material seems more plausible; but I suppose Mormon missionaries, SpongeBob SquarePants, and the life of Alexander Hamilton also seemed odd choices at-a-glance for stage adaptation, and things turned out ok for those musicals. Though competitive spelling is at the heart of 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee', that's not what makes 'Spelling Bee' so compelling; it's the cast of eccentric characters, their personal baggage, and how that baggage informs their drive to excel at spelling that makes the show so heartwarming. Blackfriars Theatre's production of 'Spelling Bee' is as touching and wildly funny a production as you'll find on any professional stage, made more impressive by the fact that the cast, and the bulk of the artistic team, are local college students.

You don't have to be a talented baker (and I certainly am not) to appreciate a show that uses pie as a metaphor for life. Its variety, its many surprises, how with one wrong measurement or ingredient everything can go terribly wrong.