Posts by Kris Eitland
Shakespeare your groove thing
As the disco ball spins and drinks flow, a sexed up cast recreates the tale of star-crossed lovers in a disco night club. There is simulated debauchery and the spell that makes Bottom have the head of an ass. And most notable, the audience is encouraged, nay, bewitched into disco dancing on the dance floor. This could be the campiest, most interactive show ever.
Read MoreJohn Reischman & the Jaybirds for one impeccable night
Seamless technique and golden tone are the hallmarks of mandolinist John Reischman, who returned to San Diego Saturday night, along with his captivating band The Jaybirds. As the crow flies, it’s about 1,132 miles from San Diego to British Columbia, where Reischman and most of the band are based. That sort of explains why they haven’t played here since 2006. But given the exquisite yet understated performance, their many fine recordings, and the wildly growing popularity of bluegrass and similar strains, I cannot understand why they did not fill the little church venue in Normal Heights.
Read MoreMoonlight’s high-tech Wizard is over the rainbow
… this isn’t your Great Grandma’s Wizard of Oz. This one has more dancing (giant dancing bugs, crows, and apple trees with thick red lips right out of an acid trip, an edgy Emerald City gang in aviator glasses, and pyrotechnics that make your hair stand up.
Read MoreDance companies desperately seek performance space
San Diego may be the country’s eighth largest city, but when it comes to dance venues, it’s a small town. Cash-strapped companies are desperate for space they can afford, amidst whispers of unfair rental fees and managers skimming ticket sales. “It’s very tough,” says John Malashock of Malashock Dance. Like so many companies, he remembers…
Read MoreBarton’s inspired Bodylogue heats up the Vine
When the lights came on, the dance took off. Gehman, Stephanie Harvey, and Cara Steen slapped their legs to create rhythms and changed direction with military precision. While Barton’s earliest training was in gymnastics and ballet, she channeled Graham’s modernism. Trance-like, the women created patterns in sweeping changes of direction to sink into deep second position; and they rose from the floor in contractions to become warriors in lace skirts and midriff tops.
Read MoreFringe Binge
Savoring every moment in life is the mantra of Charlene Baldridge, a writer and poet who shares unbearable personal loss with grace. Her cathartic and empowering play “Warriors’ duet” at the Fringe Festival may cause the most stoic viewer to weep. The play asks viewers to grieve and celebrate life en mass, and the experience is profound.
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