Posts by Kris Eitland
The Creative Process of ‘Dances of Love Laughter & Loss’
“I wanted to get rid of the old pillow cases in my closet,” she said, “and the new dances are about the people who slept on them. They are autobiographical stories and mixed up by passing of time. I asked Meagan Marshall to write narratives based on those memories. They’re embellished and names are changed. So who knows what really happened?”
Read MoreThey Love this ‘Dirty Dancing’ Chick Flick Clone
The popularity of Dirty Dancing is mind boggling when you consider it’s about the seduction of a naïve 17-year-old girl by a dancing male escort. Oh joy, a sugary underdog story. Let’s watch the statutory rape again! Set in the 1960s at an upscale country club, there’s the upstairs/downstairs drama of golfing and fine dining, along with a botched abortion and bored rich wives hunting for gigolos.
Read MoreFun and Dysfunction in ‘Naughty or Nice’
Naughty or Nice is a cathartic blast of wintry air, a daring alternative to the usual stale offerings. Tony Houck is a hoot as the jerk-off son and drug addict rock star in rehab.
Read MoreThe Best Things Happen When They Dance in ‘White Christmas’
Berlin’s delightful songs put us in the holiday mood and help the show plod along through 18 scenes. Director Todd Nielsen preserves the corny romantic plot. Still, the show glitters all the same because of the music, excellent dance sequences choreographed by Lisa Hopkins, and a few comic surprises.
Read More‘Wicked’ Feeds Oz Obsession
It’s hard to resist. Wicked has the allure of dirty high school gossip and soap operas. We know the characters before the show begins, and they suck us into the underdog story, love triangle twist..
Read MoreA Dance Cornucopia – Stages Overflow with Tasty Offerings
Feathery light Ana da Costa was most pleasing as the ordinary peasant girl Giselle who dies of a broken heart when she discovers that her lover is engaged to another woman. Tall and gallant, Trystan Merrick gave Ms. da Costa superb support as Albrecht, and he inserted theatrical details to expand his character from a two-timing cad to a remorseful young man consumed with guilt
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