Inaugural Valley Theatre Awards a SUCCESS!!

Wow!! One word describes tonight's inaugural Valley Theatre Awards event...COMMUNITY! The excitement and energy within the room was utterly remarkable.

The intimate Arts Square Theatre (located Downtown on Charleston and Main) hosted this event at full capacity with local performers, theatre practitioners, and loyal patrons cheering one another proudly while honoring each others achievements during the 2013-2014 season. The audience was incredibly respectfully and vocal, I've truly never felt a greater sense of community within our very own arts scene quite like tonight.

Myron Martin (President/CEO) and Paul Beard (VP/COO) from the Smith Center were also in attendance and presented the awards for Best Costume Design, Best Scenic Design, and Best Production.  Collaboration was the theme of tonight's acceptance speeches, exemplifying that it takes everyone to create art and make live theatre possible. It was also apparent by the audience commentary that local directors and designers were fans of each other's work.

The top honors this evening went to RED by Poor Richards Player's for Best Direction, Best Actor, and the Best Production awards.  Taylor Hanes (best actor) was genuinely brought to tears by the overwhelming support of his peers; his honest acceptance speech was very touching.  Anton Chekhov's Cheery Orchard of the Living Dead swept all other acting categories including Best Ensemble.  The surprise win this evening was Stones In His Pockets by the British National Theatre of America earning the Audience Choice Award (the only category open to voting by the general public).  Congrats to all the winners and nominees.  Below is a full list of tonight's winners.

Most importantly, congrats to Executive Director Jacob Coakley for organizing this incredible and well received event.  In his speech, he said the Valley Theatre Awards was created in the aftermath of stage critic Anthony De Valle's unfortunate passing away last year.  This community needed another champion for theatre which resulted in a collective group of theatre practitioners and patrons who would together recommend the Valley's best.  Besides promoting and honoring theatre, this new organization aims to build the infrastructure needed to help connect theatre companies, makers and audiences.

I believe this is the start of something very good.

~Ace

WINNERS: 

The cast of Cherry Orchard of the Living Dead

Best Ensemble: The cast of Anton Chekhov's Cherry Orchard of the Living Dead

Best Costume Design: Isaiah Urrabazo, Anton Chekhov's Cherry Orchard of the Living Dead by Table 8 Productions

Kelli Wright

Best Actress in a Principal Role: Kellie Wright, Anton Chekhov's Cherry Orchard of the Living Dead

Best Scenic Design: David Sankuer, Anton Chekhov's Cherry Orchard of the Living Dead

Brandon Burke & Taliesin McEnaney

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Taliesin McEnaney,  Anton Chekhov's Cherry Orchard of the Living Dead


Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Brandon Burk, Anton Chekhov's Cherry Orchard of the Living Dead

Taylor Hanes

Best Actor in a Principal Role: Taylor Hanes, Red 

Best Sound Design:  Thomas Chrastka, Red by Poor Richard's Players

Red by Poor Richards Players

Best Director: Benjamin Loewy, Red


Best Production:  Red by Poor Richard's Players

Audience Choice Award:  Stones in His Pockets by the British National Theatre of America

Stones in His Pocket

Scene from Picnic

Best Lighting Design: Ginny Adams, Picnic by Las Vegas Little Theatre

2014 SAG NOMINATIONS - PREDICTIONS

It's awards season in Hollywood! Yes, that exciting time of the year when acclaim worthy films considered to be Oscar bait are released and heavily campaigned in hopes of Oscar glory.  Leading up to Oscar night are the Golden Globe Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards - both usually considered precursors in the acting categories when the competition becomes fairly predictable as season favorites begin to emerge.

Here are my predictions for tomorrow morning in the feature film categories.  My personal favorites are highlighted as front-runners.

Best Actor in a Leading Role: 

FRONT-RUNNER

Chiwetel Ejifor - 12 YEARS A SLAVE

FRONT-RUNNER

Tom Hanks - CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

CONTENDER

Michael B. Jordan - FRUITVALE STATION

FRONTRUNNER

Matthew McConaughey - DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

CONTENDER

Robert Redford - All Is Lost

Best Actress in a Leading Role: 

CONTENDER

Amy Adams - AMERICAN HUSTLE

FRONT-RUNNER

Cate Blanchett - BLUE JASMINE

FRONT-RUNNER

Sandra Bullock - GRAVITY

CONTENDER

Judi Dench - PHILOMENA

CONTENDER

Meryl Streep - AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

 Best Actor in a Supporting Role:

 FRONT-RUNNER

Barkhad Abdi - CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

FRONT-RUNNER

Michael Fassbender - 12 YEARS A SLAVE

CONTENDER

James Gandolfini - ENOUGH SAID

 CONTENDER

Tom Hanks - SAVING MR. BANKS

FRONT-RUNNER

Jared Leto - DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: 

CONTENDER

Sally Hawkins - BLUE JASMINE

FRONT-RUNNER

Lupita Nyong'o - 12 YEARS A SLAVE

CONTENDER

Octavia Spencer - FRUITVALE STATION

CONTENDER

June Squibb - NEBRASKA

CONTENDER

Oprah Winfrey - THE BUTLER

EVITA National Tour at the Smith Center

I felt really gyped on Sunday evening while watching the national tour of EVITA at the Smith Center.  Why? Our performance had the Eva alternate....

I'm a big fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber's rock opera EVITA and have seen professional stagings at least three times, most recently the 2012 Broadway revival before Sunday evening's performance.  It takes an actress of a certain caliber to fill the role of Eva Peron.  The role is vocally challenging, physically exerting in Act 1, and emotionally demanding in Act 2.  For this reason, the role is normally double cast with an alternate that performs twice a week (similar to Christine Dae in Phantom of the Opera).

Desi Oakley (Eva alternate) is blessed with a lovely voice but she lacks the "star quality" that is absolutely necessary for Eva if the audience is to believe that such a woman could quickly rise to fame as an actress, claim political power by sleeping her way to the top, and become the favored champion for the Descamisados before having done anything politically. I'm referring to the "It" factor, a magnetic radiance about someone, an alluring quality, you just can't keep your eyes off her.  It's something intangible and sometimes hard to describe, you've either got it or not.  Instead, I felt as though we were watching a recent college grad that landed her big break, was giving it her all, yet was failing to hit the nail.  I found myself very disengaged from her performance.  She wasn't bad, she just wasn't the right choice for this epic and immortalized role.

Aside from alternates, Josh Young sang impeccably as Che, another vocally challenging role.  A very high tenor, Josh hit every note effortlessly with perfect pitch.   It was clear that this Che served merely as the narrator instead of the revolutionary Che Guevara that was conceived for the 1979 Broadway production.  Sean MacLaughlin also nails his role as Juan Peron despite appearing younger than the historical politician who was significantly older than Eva.

The production remained true to the Broadway revival with its exquisite staging and sexy choreography.  Rob Ashford incorporates tango into his choreography and stages an exciting and well received "Buenos Aires."

Other honorable mentions include the outstanding scenic design by Christopher Oram and lighting design by Neil Austin.  Oram effectively transports the audience from Eva's poor and small town Junin to the exciting Big Apple of Buenos Aires.  This same transition was remarkable to see on Broadway.  The creative team intentionally went for a more realistic scenic approach versus the dark minimalistic set of the 1979 original production.  Austin beautifully lights the set with harsh rays of sunlight that evoke heat, sweat, sex and excitement.  He also uses lots of backlighting which creates sexy silhouetted imagery in cavernous areas where men and women lurk in the dark and frames Eva beautifully in saintly imagery when she makes her famous speech from the Casa Rosada and later gives her ghostly farewell to the Descamisados mourning her death.

Overall, the production is high quality and outstanding.  It's a great rags to riches story about the rise and tragic death of an ambitious yet greedy woman.  She was idolized by the poor and constantly patronized by the wealthy.  Eva was presumably the first celebrity status political leader.  The musical examines whether her intentions were genuine or entirely phony (Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice chose the later in their interpretation).

Moreover, Webber's remarkable score soars with hits such as Buenos Aires, Good Night and Thank You, I'd be Surprisingly Good For You, A New Argentina, Don't Cry For Me, Rainbow High, and Waltz for Che and Eva. Aside from Phantom and Sunset Boulevard, I believe it's one of his best written musical scores.

My personal opinion about the Eva alternate made me wish I was lucky enough to see the same show on a different night.  After all, it's a big problem when the title character is the problem.

~Ace Daniels

THE NORMAL HEART at Art Square Theatre is a MUST SEE!!

THE NORMAL HEART at Art Square Theatre - Downtown Arts District (Sept. 13, 2013)

I am absolutely stunned by what we experienced together, cast and audience, in that tiny intimate space known as the Art Square Theatre. Performances like tonight are exactly why I LOVE the theatre. It entertains, educates, and enriches our lives.

I was born in the early 80's when the HIV/AIDS crisis emerged. Being so young at that time, I obviously didn't live through the nightmare that gay men experienced when their friends and lovers began to die in drastic numbers by an unknown cause.  No one knew what HIV/AIDS was, how it was contracted, how it was prevented, or how to diagnose it.  The government chose to ignore the crisis since it was widely considered a "gay plague."  It was a very dark and terrifying time following the Gay Liberation movement that exploded after Stonewall.

Larry Kramer, a writer and gay activist living in New York City, wrote this as an autobiographical play. He was very ANGRY during this period, 1981-1984, when their voices were ignored, when time was quickly running out for those around him and medical assistance from the government was no where in sight.  He was very passionate, yet abrasive and confrontational.  He knew that coasting under the radar was not going to warrant attention.  He strongly believed that yelling and creating a scene was the only way their efforts would be recognized.  That anger and passion is channeled through the character of Ned Weeks.

The play explores the arguments and conflicting ideas about how to fight and advocate for the gay community, save lives during a time when tolerance was still nonexistent and serious medical attention was needed.  Being openly gay was not widely accepted and men still feared losing their jobs.  It explores intense and raw human emotions when the stakes were highest - life and death clouded with uncertainty.

Stepping into that theatre tonight was like stepping back in time and witnessing that nightmare through the eyes of these men, friends, and lovers.  The courageous actors gave everything they had and lived in the moment.  Those scenes truly felt as though watching real life happen before my eyes rather than watching a performance.

The cast of NORMAL HEART led by Ernie Curcio.          

Ernie Curcio led this ensemble of actors with a PHENOMENAL performance as Ned Weeks.  His effortless talent, his commanding presence, and commitment to this role was an absolute pleasure to watch.  Skip Galla also gave a heart wrenching performance as Felix Turner.  The chemistry between both actors was evident and crucial to their story and its tragic end.  Karalyn Clark, Thomas Chrastka, and Brandon McClenahan were captivating and convincing as Doctor Emma Brookner, Bruce Niles, and Ben Weeks.

So many arguments with profound statements, so much anger and anxiety, I felt all of it.  I was appalled when a character described his lover's death, admitting that the hospital staff discarded the dead body into the garbage dumpster because the man had died of AIDS.  I was terrified during a lover's quarrel that exploded as the result of loving someone when they've given up and resisted the will to live.  I was heartbroken when a couple resolved to having their commitment ceremony while one of them laid on their death bed.

I can't imagine a dry eye in that entire theatre as we shared this experience.  The energy around me was so profound.  By the end, we knew that we had all experienced something human, something unforgettable, an emotional journey which had impacted most of us in heavier ways than we anticipated.

The fight against HIV/AIDS is not over.  This play serves as a reflection of its terrifying beginning, the courageous men who first advocated to bring awareness, and the many lives that were lost.  As dramatic literature, Larry Kramer's THE NORMAL HEART is a masterpiece!

To all my friends reading this post, please don't miss this powerful and important play.  Performances continue September 14, 18, 19, 20, 21 @ 8pm and September 15, 22 @ 2pm.  www.poorrichardsplayers.com

Grade: A+

I'm So Excited For the Latest Comedy By Pedro Almodovar

It's no secret that I'm a HUGE fan of Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar.  His latest comedy I'm So Excited! hits U.S. theaters on June 28th.  It'll likely be a few more weeks before this foreign language film arrives in Vegas indie theaters, such as Regal Village Square on Fort Apache or the Regal Colonnade Stadium on Eastern.  

In the meantime, I think I'll celebrate Pedro this weekend by indulging in an Almodovar marathon while my fiancé is traveling out of town.  Aside from a slew of shows I intend to watch, I'll be delighted to revisit with some of my personal Almodovar favorites, such as Volver, All About My Mother, Talk to Her, Bad Education, and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.   

Viva Pedro! 

Escape The Heat and Experience Live Theatre This Weekend

July 12-28th, 2013 at Las Vegas Little Theatre.

Xanadu the musical follows the journey of a magical and beautiful Greek muse, Kira, who descends from the heavens of Mt. Olympus to Venice Beach, California in 1980 on a quest to inspire a struggling artist, Sonny, to achieve the greatest artistic creation of all time - the first ROLLER DISCO…hey, it's 1980! But, when Kira falls into forbidden love with the mortal Sonny, her jealous sisters take advantage of the situation and chaos abounds.

This hilarious, roller skating, musical adventure about following your dreams despite the limitations others set for you, rolls along to the original hit score composed by pop-rock legends Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, and includes, “Magic”, “All Over The World”, “Suddenly”, “I’m Alive”, "Evil Woman", "Have You Never Been Mellow" and “Xanadu”, to name a few, and is based on the cult classic movie, which starred Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly.

July 12-27th, 2013 at the Onyx Theatre. 

The Glass Menagerie is regarded as one of the great American plays.  Tennessee Williams achieved his first major success with this autobiographical "memory play," which looks at the Wingfield family - frustrated writer Tom, his nagging mother, Amanda, who is often lost in memories of her Southern-belle past, and his painfully shy sister, Laura - and the effect a visit from a "gentleman caller" for Laura has on all their lives.  

  

Two performances only - July 12 & 13th, 2pm at the Onyx Theatre. 

L.O.V.E Cabaret celebrates some of Broadway's best songs about relationships, love, loss, and friendships!  This show features some of Las Vegas' talented performers in an intimate and fun setting.  You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll love it.  

July 10-27th, 2013 at Super Summer Theatre.

How to Succeed centers on a young window-cleaner, J. Pierrepont Finch, who begins a meteoric rise from the mail room to Vice President of Advertising at the World-Wide Wicket Company.  Finch's unorthodox and morally 
questionable business practices jeopardize not only his career but also his romance with Secretary Rosemary Pilkington.  How to Succeed is a musical satire of corporate life and office politics, packed with songs such as "I Believe in You," "Brotherhood of Man" and "Been a Long Day."

Enjoy a wine and picnic afternoon at the Spring Mountain Ranch - Nevada State Park, then experience a musical comedy under the stars.  Super Summer Theatre delivers quality family-oriented entertainment.  Don't miss this favorite tradition of many Las Vegas locals. 

The Laramie Project

Last night, Raul and I watched The Laramie Project at the Onyx Theatre.  This is a play which I recommend everyone sees.  Why?  Because it’s an IMPORTANT story; one that needs to be told over and over since hate crimes still do exist in this country.  Although it’s been 15 years since Matthew Shepard’s death, listening to his story again made me feel really upset but also feel very fortunate as an openly gay man in this present day.  My heart goes out to Matthew and his family…such a short life lived and taken away in a brutal manner because of ignorance and hate.  

What makes this play truly work is the format in which it was shaped.  Moises Kaufman and his team at the Tectonic Theater Project traveled to Laramie six times to conduct hundreds of interviews of Laramie residents responding to the violent crime, their memories of Matthew, the perpetrators, and expressing their varied opinions about homosexuality and tolerance.  Those interviews were then transcribed, edited, and woven together into a series of monologues which depict an honest portrayal of the Wyoming, rural, working-class way of thinking.  This play would certainly not be as effective if it was merely one-sided.  Watching this play is listening to real words spoken in real-life testimonials.  To understand ignorance, it’s vital that we hear ignorance if we hope to learn anything from it.  

In the intimacy of the Onyx Theatre, this ensemble of actors did a wonderful job of merely speaking the words and delivering emotional honesty, never over-emoting their feelings.  Although the actors play various characters in Laramie and the nature of the staging is intended to suspend belief, I was able to forget that these were actors and simply focus on the relevance of the spoken words coming from real human experiences.  I appreciated their simple approach - using minimal props and costume pieces against a canvas of billowing clouds, a starry night, and a 3 dimensional buck fence.  Director David Ament and his company of actors allowed the storytelling to be their singular focus.  I respect that considering there's a sense of responsibility to treat this story with lots of dignity because it does serve a purpose to educate and bring further awareness through the real example of human loss and life. 

I found myself baffled and teary-eyed over the idea of brutal human torture and being abandoned like a scarecrow to die in the middle of nowhere.  What thoughts would have crossed Matthew’s mind during those 18 hours when there’s no hope in sight? They described his face as being covered with dry blood except where tears had run down his face.  Especially for anyone with spiritual beliefs, imagine struggling to remain alive, slowing falling into a coma, and knowing you’re entirely alone in those moments except for the presence of the flat open land, the stars, the cold wind, and God.  Listening to Matthew’s parents speak in the aftermath and the idea of losing your son this way, too soon…it breaks my heart!  If I were in their shoes, would I have been forgiving or show any mercy towards the perpetrators?  

I found myself very upset.  These were merely kids, fueled by ignorance and hate; a product of their own environment and their families.  Violence like this still happens whether directly or indirectly…we’ve seen lots of attention on bullying and teenage suicide.  

Finally, I found myself feeling fortunate because I can live my life openly and honestly without having concern for my own safety as a result.  Being gay doesn’t define me, it’s just a part of who I am, the same as being Latino, being born Dominican…and I feel fortunate that those details of my life don’t put me in danger in the community where I live.  

There are certain lines in the play that still resonate with me…especially "Thank you Matthew!" and "H-O-P-E!"  Matthew’s death brought national attention to the lack of hate crime laws in this country.  Although violence persists, at least something is being done about it rather than being brushed under the rug.  Also, some Laramie residents despised the idea that Matthew was being regarded as a martyr. In my opinion, Matthew was an innocent human being.  He wasn’t perfect, none of us are; we all have human flaws and imperfections.  However, Matthew is a sign and poster of HOPE.  Hope that one day hate crimes targeted towards gay people or any one who is different will cease to exist...thank you Matthew!  

The Laramie Project continues its run June 22, 28, 29 @ 8pm & June 23 @ 2pm at the Onyx Theatre.  Please don’t miss it! 

www.OnyxTheatre.com