Review: AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER-IN CONCERT at Hershey Theatre

Avatar the Last Airbender-In Concert “blew” into the Hershey Theatre on Thursday, August 8th and was met with “thunderous” applause. Audience members were treated to a giant movie screen playing scenes from the “fiery” series, accompanied by a very talented, yet “grounded” live orchestra.  As you might be able to guess, Avatar (no connection to the James Cameron movies with the blue people) deals with a battle among the elements, and the people who have control over them.

The visuals have an anime style that is vibrant and energetic.  Despite a very fantastical theme, the characters were realistic and behaved accordingly.  Although this film was animated, and it is produced by Nickelodeon, don’t assume that this is strictly for kids.  In fact, I think I only counted about a dozen children at this very well attended production.  I think that this probably has less to do with the themes of the story, and more do to with the fact that we are celebrating a 20 year old TV show.

The live music, expertly lead by conductor, Emily Marshall, greatly compliments, but never over-whelms the visuals. The sound was lush and dynamic.  This was the first time that I have seen sound walls surrounding the brass section of an orchestra.  It was impressive.  The kettle drums get a great work out during the score, as well.

It should be noted that the visuals are cherry-picked scenes probably selected for fan recognition and popularity  I have never seen any of the Avatar shows, so it was difficult for me to follow along and piece together a coherent narrative.  This wasn’t a problem, through, for the majority of the audience.  They would chuckle, whisper, and clap in anticipation, after reading each scene’s title card.

Avatar the Last Airbender-In Concert is a great multi-media entertainment experience.  It is currently touring all over the country, and tickets and more information can be found on the website.

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