Harmony Wheeler - Page 87

autobiographical show, "Humor Abuse." With a lifetime of circus training, including two years spent with Cirque du Soleil, Pisoni must be used to the body twisting, acrobatic feats, but they still come as nerve-racking, albeit humorous, shockers to the audience every performance at American Conservatory Theatre. Of course, his acts are not nearly as frightening as Pisoni's admitted nemesis, the balloon, which he uses throughout his act. Using various props and clown acts as demonstrations of key moments in his life, Pisoni incorporates everything from his father's circus story to his own coming of age journey into this captivating play.

In costume, creativity and sheer visual spectacle, "Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour by Cirque du Soleil" goes beyond any other Cirque, rocking arenas with Jackson's best-known music, pumping the audience's adrenaline with dramatic lighting and blowing all expectations away with huge LED screens and two impressive finale numbers involving lit up costumes and pyrotechnics.

Based on quality alone, it seems unfair to equate the touring production of "My Fair Lady" with a low-budget, non-equity production. Although that is what it is, the show boasts such "loverly" sets and cast members, it easily stands above typical non-equity shows in every aspect possible.

Classical music had Mozart and Bach. Modern technology had Steve Jobs. 20th century music had The Beatles. Music has the power to capture the essence of, and speak to the citizens of each generation. Thus the little surprise that The Beatles still live on today with a fan base as large as its original audience, albeit an audience a bit less likely faint due to Beatlemania. The Beatles' story and music represent the history and spirit of the 1960s, especially the flower power movements. RAIN, a Beatles tribute band, does an equally masterful a job of telling history through music in its "direct from Broadway" tour, playing at the Sacramento Community Center Theater through January 1. Playing some of The Beatles' best-known songs, RAIN recreates moments from the band's career: The Ed Sullivan Show, the Shea Stadium concert, the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band record, the Flower Power period and the Abbey Road album. Band members change looks and costumes accordingly, including a very memorable selection of music where the players jam it out in their neon Sgt. Pepper costume lit by black lights while fog fills the stage.

San Francisco Ballet holds a special place in "Nutcracker" history. It brought the once unknown and little performed Tchaikovsky ballet to the United States in 1944 - the beginning of what has become an American and world-wide holiday tradition. It's a magical tradition that has children dancing in their living rooms to Tchaikovsky's perfect score and imaging a growing tree in their own living rooms (my younger self chief among them in spirit, although likely the least talented). What little girl doesn't dream of a prince sweeping her off her feet? I know I still do, and I'm 23 years old!

Christmas has a brand name. For more than 25 years, Mannheim Steamroller has marked itself as the authority on Christmas music. Mannheim Steamroller is Christmas, and Christmas would not be Christmas without Mannheim Steamroller. Oh, there are plenty of other groups like the Trans Siberian Orchestra that come close, but Mannheim Steamroller has such a unique sound all its own, contemporary, yet far away from modern music, that has enabled it to brand itself as the official music of the holidays. Founder and composer Chip Davis has not-so-successfully branched out with Halloween and relaxation music, but his true mark on the Christmas holiday is what draws so many to touring concerts of his music each year. This year, the West Coast tour comes to Fresno, Bakersfield, Sacramento and Redding.

Ziegfeld never spared any expense with his follies shows - lavish sets, beautiful chorus girls in extravagant costumes, vaudevillian acts - so one can only imagine what it took for a small community theatre to put on the Ziegfeld inspired musical, "Will Rogers Follies." And Hillbarn Theatre has done quite the successful job of it, too. With a tiered stair case, projected images on side screens, a wild West feel, and a lot of costumes for a good sized chorus that includes a group of Follies girls, not to mention a fairly talented cast, Hillbarn has downsized the flashy show without costing the audience any of the pleasure and entertainment of the spectacle.

During this cold winter season, it can be tempting to sit at home in front of the fire and watch classics like "The Wizard of Oz" play over and over again on TV. But why not get away from the TV and see the classics done a little differently this year, acted out live on stage? The community nature of Playhouse Merced's production of "The Wizard of Oz" naturally keeps it from becoming as outstanding as the Judy Garland movie (who can beat Judy Garland?), but it stands on its own with a lively cast of leading actors and a creative use of a small space.

Can you hear the sound of children laughing? Smell the vegetables cooking? Feel the cool air surround you? Hear the carolers singing? There's one carol you won't want to miss. American Conservatory Theatre's annual production of the classic Charles Dickens tale, "A Christmas Carol," has earned its place in the line of many adaptations of the classic worth watching over and over again every year. There are few stories people never tire of, and a Christmas story like "A Christmas Carol" is one of them. With beautiful, dream-like sets and a strong cast that highlights veteran, masters program students and child actors, A.C.T. stays true to the dialogue of the originals short story while adding in its own creative variations, including a musical score. The story follows the stingy Ebenezer Scrooge as he is visited by four ghosts and encouraged to reform and embrace the Christmas spirit.

As much as Linus loves his blanket and Schroeder loves his piano, this reviewer loves The Retro Dome's production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown!" I welcome the reader to sound off as many "good griefs!" as you like while I go on and on about how this musical is so wonderful and fun. Or, perhaps you might yell "Good Grief!" as you read my one petty criticism of the show. But, no matter what, you ought to take a trip to the clean and groovy, seventies themed Retro Dome, for it's a good show, Charlie Brown!

Although the African American Shakespeare Company does not promote its production of "Cinderella" as children's theatre, the term describes the show entirely. The script contains a few hilarious moments that will fill any person with a lot of joy, but it seems written purely for children. The acting, too, comes across as melodramatic and perfect for children.

Seventy-seven years after its London premiere, Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein's "Three Sisters" has come out of the dark for a full production with San Francisco's 42nd Street Moon. The musical only played for two months before closing in London and never made it to America aside from a staged concert of select songs. The restoration, which has been in the works for more than a year and received a grant from The National Endowment for the Arts, finally made its American debut Saturday night.

In Tennessee Williams' classic play, "The Glass Menagerie," a main character describes an encounter he has with a magician. Tom watched as the magician had audience members nail him into a coffin, but then escaped from the coffin without removing one single nail. Such a trick seems impossible in real life, and Tom feels trapped in his own coffin, unable to move on. Marin Theatre Company's production conveys this solemn situation with solid acting, bare sets and a lone trumpet player who plays music with the feel of a private-eye detective movie and that represents the ghostly memories of Tom, as well as a portrait of his deserting father. The trumpet, played by Andrew Wilke, is original to this production, added to help with scene transitions, as well as to create a symbol without having a full portrait of the father. Wilke stays in the background for the entire play, which lasts about two hours and fifteen minutes plus a fifteen minute intermission. His music, composed by MTC regular Chris Houston, amplifies the depression setting, but also adds a bit of hope when it wafts through Tom's small apartment, coming from a neighboring dance hall.

As one of the title characters sings in "White Christmas," the best things happen when you're dancing. But as is the case with Runaway Stage Productions' version of Irving Berlin's classic musical, sometimes the best things happen when you're watching the dancing.

Strange blue visitors have arrived in Modesto, California. With the curiosity of a child, these blue men explore technology, paint, pipes, drums, the body, art... even toilet paper. Their facial expressions, comedic movements and intriguing acts sell the show, with each number more random than the one before it. There's no consistent theme or story, but a constant celebration of art and music, most of which consists of drums, guitar and a few instruments made out of pipes and other objects. This is Blue Man Group.

The puppet and its master are one. Gracefully and poetically, they move together. The puppet's face remains still, but seems to convey a hundred emotions. The puppeteer's face changes with the puppet's character, mimicking what the character feels. Yet the character has another master. The Devil has made a deal with this character and will manipulate him like a puppet until he owns him. No, this puppet's name is not Pinnochio, and his master is not Gepetto. Prima ballerina Muriel Maffre controls Joseph the puppet in Aurora Theatre Company's innovative production of "The Soldier's Tale," which follows a soldier and his deals with the Devil and includes music by Igor Stravinsky (known for "The Rite of Spring" and "The Firebird Suite").

Classic Christmas window displays and lights on either sides of the stage invite audiences to the warm spirit of the season as they walk to their seats at the Fallon House theatre in historic Columbia State Park. It's an old hardware store, and the Marvelous Wonderettes are singing at a Christmas celebration.

After numerous adaptations - films, musicals, Muppets, cartoons - Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' tends to lose its appeal. How many little changes can on make to the script and how many different filming techniques can one use before the same plot and the same dialogue begin to bore? But there's one adaptation that brings a fresh, new side of the classic story: 'Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol.'

Aurora Theatre Company presents a fusion of dance, music and acting in its production of 'The Soldier's Tale' now through December 18. The show features music written by Igor Stravinksy. Directors Muriel Maffre (choreography) and Tom Ross (staging and acting) tell Broadway World about the show, which tells of a soldier and his deal with the Devil. Muriel, herself, takes to the stage as the puppeteer behind the soldier puppet, which she originally conceived for a music festival at Orcas Island.

Unless you've never seen 'Carmen,' one of the most legendary operas ever written, San Francisco Opera's production of 'Carmen' will come across as old news. The chorus and orchestra, led by the spirited conductor, Nicola Luisotti, bring the only real action and vitality present in the production, while Anita Rachvelishvili (who shares the title role with Kendall Gladen) and a few supporting characters deliver the only memorable voices of the production.