Reviews with TLC

Saturday night, March 8, 2014, a friend and I went to watch Vagabond Opera at The Majestic Theatre in Corvallis, Oregon. Our seats were close enough to see the color of the perfomers' eyes. The performance was energetic, exciting, and exhilarating. The eclectic mix of singing, dancing, instruments, acrobatics, and languages utilized kept the crowd engaged. The performers managed to make the audience feel almost like a part of the show without ever losing the entertainment aspect of their performances. Nothing felt forced or like it was done by rote. The performers genuinely seemed to enjoy their time on stage! It was delightful to experience, and I left feeling energized and inspired! I would suggest attending a show by Vagabond Opera if they visit a venue near you! And, for those in the Corvallis area, keep your eye on The Majestic Theatre for events!

The Majestic Theatre is currently presenting the play, Venus in Fur, a play within a play exploring gender roles and attitudes. Pat Kight directs this play in which two actors present the entire story without an intermission. Set during rehearsals for a play, the actors delve into the story within the play breaking to discuss the finer points and to attend to personal business. Vonda's ill-fitting costume seemed as much as prop as the furniture on the stage but still made me want to squirm for the actress at times. The story is intriguing and coaxes laughter as well as moments of introspection from the audience. As Vonda forces the playwright to defend his seemingly sexist words in some of the scenes, the audience alternately feels for him and agrees with her. He seems to think he's creating a strong female character while Vonda thinks he's creating a character coerced into playing a role she doesn't wish to play. In this struggle for dominance over one another, what...

In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) by Sarah Ruhl is delightfully written. The April 6, 2013 performance at The Majestic Theatre in Corvallis, Oregon offered laughs, serious moments, and a totally immersible experience! Directed by Pat Kight and beautifully acted by the cast, In the Next Room is definitely worth the price of admission. Set in the 1880s and exploring the use of the vibrator to treat hysteria, In the Next Room handles the clinical and the sensual with just the right dose of delicacy, seriousness, and humor in this enjoyable play. Andrew Beck plays the "man of science" with such conviction, I wished to shout at him to lighten up and enjoy life's pleasures more. The rest of the cast is also superb in their individual roles. While the entire play is fantastic, the scene that makes me smile every time I remember it is the one where Catherine Givings, played by Kimberly Gifford, and Sabrina Daldry, played by Kelley Marchbanks, are describing their experien...

Austin Gibbs opened for The Maine and Augustana at their concert at Wonder Ballroom in Portland, Oregon on June 12, 2011. We attended the concert because we really like Augustana. We knew little of the other two bands. The Wonder Ballroom is a nice facility. There was a section set aside for those over twenty-one as many of those attending this concert weren't twenty-one. We sat in the balcony with a terrific view of the stage. While Austin Gibbs and The Maine performed well, the highlight of the concert for us was Augustana. The acoustics in the Wonder Ballroom were great. The songs sounded fabulous. This concert in this venue ranks among the top performances I've attended!

(Note: This review first appeared on by other blog, Write with TLC.  Enjoy!) Saturday night my husband and I watched the Eugene Ballet perform Dark Side of the Moon, a ballet based on and performed to music from Pink Floyd's album, Dark Side of the Moon at The Hult Center in Eugene, Oregon.  The performance was incredibly well executed and quite beautiful.  They started the evening with two shorter ballets, Without the Cover, exploring societal constraints and people breaking free, and Common Ground, an exploration of the constant struggle between nature, science, and industry.  Both Without the Cover and Common Ground were visually interesting and well executed.  Common Ground, at times was a bit too "natural" but was stunning in its presentation of message. The star of the evening was the main event, Dark Side of the Moon.  With The Floydian Slips, a Pink Floyd Tribute Band, playing live behind the performers, the event's energy was magical....

The program for the evening at the Joffrey Ballet included three short programs – Postcards, In the Night, and Age of Innocence.   The evening was a demonstration of the words good, better, best.   Postcards, the first performance of the evening, was good but didn’t meet expectations.   The dancers seemed hesitant in places and not perfecting in sync.   In the Night followed with a noticeable improvement in performance and energy winning the better category.   The evening ended with the night’s best performance, Age of Innocence.   The dancers actually seemed to enjoy performing this ballet.   Overall, the evening was fun, interesting, and entertaining.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra played music from the Inca Trail.  Miguel Haith Bedoya served as conductor, and Jessica Warren-Acosta played Andean flutes.  The visual component shown on a screen above the orchestra while the music played was a pleasant surprise.  I was skeptical when I saw the screen before the show started.  The music conjured a series of emotions as it travelled through the South American countries as well as through time.  The orchestra played superbly creating a very enjoyable experience.

Take the description “dark comedy” seriously.   There’s a strong emphasis on the dark in this exploration of abuse and the influence abuse has on a child’s psyche.   The love between brothers and the examination of physical versus mental torture is intense.   The intensity is broken by moments of hilarity, but even the humor provokes a guilty, nervous laughter.   I thoroughly enjoyed both the writing and the acting in this intense, dark play.   That said, it’s not a play for everyone.   Many will find its themes uncomfortable or distasteful; however, I found them bold and thought provoking.   The Pillowman examines the use of writing to alleviate the pain in a writer’s life as well as how childhood informs who a person becomes as an adult.

I went to watch The Pillowman as Steppenwolf Theatre .   The theatre staff was friendly, helpful, and attentive without being invasive.   The photo mural of actors who’ve performed at Steppenwolf adorns one full wall and is very tastefully done.   The downstairs theatre was full.   The seats seemed a bit close together, but that may have been because the gentleman sitting beside me kept getting into my space.   Everything from getting my ticket at the Fast Tix Kiosk to the concession stand to getting questions answered was handled with efficiency and a friendly attitude.   I would definitely attend another play at Steppenwolf Theatre the next time I visit Chicago .

Our last evening in Chicago , my husband and I went to see Blue Man Group at Briar Street Theatre where they have an ongoing show.   Briar Street Theatre’s industrial look reminded me of the scene in the Matrix with all the tubes that fed the machines off the humans.   The show is silly and messy, but it’s a lot of fun.   It was perfect to top off our trip to Chicago .   We laughed and relaxed enjoying the silly antics, loud noises, and creativity of the Blue Man Group.   Don’t go to see the Blue Man Group expecting enlightenment or a plot line to follow.   The show is simply fun!   The show is well worth the price for the experience.  

Capitol Steps performance had us laughing from the moment it opened until it closed with its political satire.   The performance pokes fun at politics from all angles and the absurdities involved in the process.   The performances concentrate on both sides of the aisle.   Somehow through its humor it reminds the audience the system is made up of human beings and therefore can’t help but manifest some foibles along the way.   If you enjoy political satire and don’t take your own party too seriously, you will double over with laughter at the performances!   Add this show to your list of things to do on your next visit to Washington DC .