Repertory Theatre

Minimalist accompaniement can be lovely, especially when it allows a performer to shine, but it can also be a detriment. And in the case of this recording of 1947's Finian¹s Rainbow, it's hard not to pine for a full, luscious orchestra instead of a pair of pianists (no matter how good they are). Oh well. At least we are lucky to get the lyrics, a superb cast and the most complete recording of Yip Harburg and Burton Lane's score to date. The plot is convoluted and long on whimsy (yes, there is a leprechaun and a pot o' gold) but lefty Harburg's book and lyrics also bemoan "the folly of racism," as he put it in a note about the show. The cast rises to the occasion. Ever-lovely Melissa Errico has such a crystalline soprano (complete with Irish brogue) that her renditions of "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?" and "Look to the Rainbow" raise goosebumps. Overall, the cast does great by the surprisingly imaginative score--"The Begat" is appropriately rollicking for instance. This CD is, indeed, "Something sweet,/Something sort of grand-ish." --Elisabeth Vincentelli

VARIOS INTERPRETES REPRISE-MUSICAL REPERTORY THEATRE(4CD)

By the time he'd turned his own Reprise Records label into a going concern in 1963, Frank Sinatra could happily stub out his cigarette on Tradition, then douse the ashes with the slurry of his double bourbon on the rocks. It's not that Sinatra didn't respect the Broadway musical; indeed, he'd done quite well by its ballads over the course of his storied career. But that haughty Tradition--well, she was just another dame who had to go. So Sinatra swiftly showed her the door. Teaming up with musical director Morris Stoloff, a Murderer's Row of the top arrangers in the business (Riddle, May, Martin, Paich, Fielding, Van Cleave, et al.), and a motley assortment of his Rat Pack buddies and label mates, Frank and company turned the core of post-war Broadway (Finian's Rainbow, Kiss Me, Kate, South Pacific, and Guys and Dolls) into the recorded equivalent of Culture Night at the Sands. And if the lively, swingin' results had contemporary Broadway critics spitting their hot toddies through their proper, powdered noses, so much the better. There are moments here--Sinatra, Dean Martin, and honorary Rat Bing Crosby tearing up Guys and Dolls' "Fugue for Tinhorns"; Frank, Dino, and Sammy Davis Jr. turning "We Open in Venice" from Kiss Me, Kate into a virtual Vegas free-for-all--where you can almost hear the ice tinkling in their tumblers. And yet it works, even in its weirdest, most perverse moments. What kind of demented genius teams Debbie Reynolds with Allan Sherman (on Kate's "Sue Me") or has the foursquare McGuire Sisters harmonize the naughty "The Begat" from Finian's Rainbow? Happily, the same one who turned Dinah Shore and Rosemary Clooney loose on sublime versions of, respectively, South Pacific's "I'm Gonna Wash that Man Right Outta My Hair" and "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?" This is Frank Sinatra's take on Broadway--alive, kicking, and in your face, Jack; be advised not to wait for an apology. --Jerry McCulley

TAMING OF THE SHREW - DVD Movie

In The Archive and the Repertoire preeminent performance studies scholar Diana Taylor provides a new understanding of the vital role of performance in the Americas. From plays to official events to grassroots protests, performance, she argues, must be taken seriously as a means of storing and transmitting knowledge. Taylor reveals how the repertoire of embodied memory—conveyed in gestures, the spoken word, movement, dance, song, and other performances—offers alternative perspectives to those derived from the written archive and is particularly useful to a reconsideration of historical processes of transnational contact. The Archive and the Repertoire invites a remapping of the Americas based on traditions of embodied practice.Examining various genres of performance including demonstrations by the children of the disappeared in Argentina, the Peruvian theatre group Yuyachkani, and televised astrological readings by Univision personality Walter Mercado, Taylor explores how the archive and the repertoire work together to make political claims, transmit traumatic memory, and forge a new sense of cultural identity. Through her consideration of performances such as Coco Fusco and Guillermo Gómez-Peña’s show Two Undiscovered Amerindians Visit . . . , Taylor illuminates how scenarios of discovery and conquest haunt the Americas, trapping even those who attempt to dismantle them. Meditating on events like those of September 11, 2001 and media representations of them, she examines both the crucial role of performance in contemporary culture and her own role as witness to and participant in hemispheric dramas. The Archive and the Repertoire is a compelling demonstration of the many ways that the study of performance enables a deeper understanding of the past and present, of ourselves and others.

This managerial study traces the history and development of one of America’s most successful regional theatres, the American Conservatory Theatre of San Francisco. In stating the philosophy and detailing the organizational structure of ACT, Wilk evokes the spirit that set this com­pany apart and made it thrive. Photo­graphs and personal interviews provide further insight into this unique ensem­ble company. Wilk credits much of ACT’s success to the guidance of founding director Wil­liam Ball. Through his observations as an employee of the ACT ensemble and through personal interviews with the principal players and managers, Wilk delves into the motives and missions of Ball and the company. A sense of the company style emerges as Wilk explores the intriguing personal dynamics of the organization’s administration.

Hephaestus Books represents a new publishing paradigm, allowing disparate content sources to be curated into cohesive, relevant, and informative books. To date, this content has been curated from Wikipedia articles and images under Creative Commons licensing, although as Hephaestus Books continues to increase in scope and dimension, more licensed and public domain content is being added. We believe books such as this represent a new and exciting lexicon in the sharing of human knowledge. This particular book contains chapters focused on Theatres in Michigan, Theatres in Detroit, Michigan, and Performing arts centers in Michigan.