One Night with Janis Joplin

Since I’m working at the Zachery Scott Theatre, I’ve decided this blog will not only cover movies, but my entertainment experiences as well. Last night I had the pleasure of seeing One Night with Janis Joplin which runs from July 10, through August 18, 2013. It’s a play within a concert if there is such a thing. Most of us have been to at least one concert and there’s always that moment when the artist tries to connect with the audience. They give us a little personal history as to what was going on in their lives before they sing a particular song. There are a few moments like that in One Night with Janis as we discover the influences in her life that brought her to the world.

I had only heard of Janis Joplin, but never saw her in concert or even on television. I was six years old when she burst upon the scene.
A few weeks ago I watched Bette Midler in The Rose for the first time. Perhaps that was a mistake, but the actress who plays Janis, Kacee Clanton, gives a great performance based on what I saw Bette Midler do. The raspy voice, the mannerisms and the language.

Since this is a concert experience, the audience is encouraged at certain points to participate by clapping and feeling the spirit as Janice relays her inspiration for the blues from some of the greats such as Bessie Smith, Odetta, The Chantels, Etta James, Nina Simone and the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin. All brought to life by the Blues Singer played by Tiffany Mann.   In my opinion, Miss Mann steals the first half of the show with an original rendition of Summertime from the opera Porgy and Bess and her rousing get up on your feet, feel good performance as Aretha Franklin.
The set design is minimal in this performance as we are in a concert setting, but the background and scrim add a hallucinatory vibe. I was waiting for the drugs to be passed around.

As I mentioned earlier, not knowing much about Janis, I found out that before her music career took off, she was an artist. We get to see some art in the background as she talks about her experience working in a coffee house.

When Tiffy Mann came onto the stage as Bessie Smith, it made me think of a show Diana Ross did, called an Evening with Diana Ross. Diana Ross embodied her inspirations as they all sat down in a theater and critiqued her performance. She was Josephine Baker, Bessie Smith and Ethel Waters. I believe the makeup was done by Rick Baker. The scene was great. I wish I could get my hands on a copy of the show. I think I still have a cassette of the songs.

Anyway, back to One Night with Janis Joplin. The second act of the show  Kacee Clanton really shines. Its funny how never having known who Janis Joplin was I had heard some of her songs. I had no idea she made Me and Bobby McGee and there was another song she sang that I had only heard Dolly Parton sing, Mercedez Benz.

When I see performances like this it makes me think of the people I was influenced by. Dabbling in all forms of art, there have been many.

No concert is complete without a band and the backup singers played by Felicia Dinwiddie, Tricky Jones 7 and Cari Hutson who is Kacee Clanton's understudy.

If you liked Janis Joplin you will certainly enjoy this show. It will take you back to a moment in time. If you are just curious and love the theater, this is a performance not to be missed. It’s original and you will definitely be clapping and stomping your feel. You might even be tempted to sing along.

One Night with Janis Joplin was created, written and directed by Randy Johnson. The show may be loud to some, but it is a concert experience after all. There's strobe lighting for that 70's era feel. The show runs two hours and 15 minutes with a 15 minute intermission.

I really am glad I stumbled onto a gig at Zach. I definitely plan to see the show again.

Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind and do come back again.

Movies TV Network

              Since discovering this channel I’ve watched a number of movies I’ve never seen before or I was so young that I didn’t really understand the film. I remember some westerns as a child and playing cowboys and Indians, but during my teenage years I was no longer fond of westerns.
 It wasn’t until Young Guns that I remember going to the theater to see a western. I was still very selective in which films I saw. I think it had a lot to do with the stars in the film. I watched Cowboy with John Ford and Jack Lemmon.

Barbarella with Jane Fonda and John Phillip Law. I remembered the opening sequence of the film and finding out later that one of my favorite groups got their name from the film. That group would be Duran, Duran. Cat Balou was a western that starred Jane Fonda and Lee Marvin. Tom Boy is the newest edition to my collection. It’s an 80’s film that stars Betsy Russell as a mechanic who wants to race cars. It’s quirky 80’s fun. I’ve always liked movies, but when I started going to the theater by myself, I saw almost everything that came out. Some of them are considered bad movies, but mostly I went because of who was in the film. I’m still trying to get my hands on some films that haven’t made it to DVD. If it is on DVD its not in big demand. I’d love to get my hands on The Doberman Gang.

I’ve seen Rio Grande with John Wayne. I do remember watching a few films with John Wayne as a kid with my uncle. Once Upon a Time in the West is a very artsy western directed by Sergio Calione and stars Claudia Cardinale, Charles Bronson, Henry Fonda, Lee Marvin and Woody Strode. This film comes together in the last few minutes. This is what I love about film. Sometimes as story doesn’t come together until the end. The attention span of most theater audiences today might not be able to sit through a film like Once Upon a Time in The West. There is a lot of unexpected killing. The cinematography is awesome.
Posse starred Kirk Douglas, Bruce Dern and Bo Hopkins. I would like to see this one again as I didn’t catch it from the beginning. It’s an interesting story as the sheriffs men turn on him.
Pal Joey - stars Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth and Kim Novac. It’s an interesting film about a hustler caught in an unusual love triangle, trying to fulfill his dream.

I also watched Set it Off which is a part of my collection. I really like this film from director F. Gary Gray. It stars Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Vivaca Fox, Blair Underwood and introduces us to Kimberly Elise. It’s about four women who become bank robbers as they try to make better lives for themselves after it seems as if they have been dealt the wrong hand. The performances are really great by all of the women in the film. I’ve seen this film countless times. It’s definitely worth a look see.

If I repeat any films from previous entries I’m sorry, but they are probably worth mentioning again. Thanks for stopping by and keep an open mind. Enjoy the movies.

Movies, movies and more movies.

Now that I have Movies, The TV network, I’ve been able to see movies I’ve never heard of or I was so young that I didn’t understand the premise. In the last two weeks I’ve seen The Owl and the Pussycat which I certainly didn’t know Doris, the Barbara Striesand character was a prostitute. I did recall Felix, played by  George Segal in the skeleton suit, but had no idea why he was dressed that way.
Cactus Flower was a great film with Goldie Hawn and Walter Mathieu that I had never seen.
If I talk about a few movies I’ve already mentioned, I’m sorry. I’ve made a list and since I didn’t write a review I’m just talking about what I’ve seen and remembering if I had seen the film when I was a child.
We’re Not Married, Let’s Make it Legal, Let’s Make Love and Don’t Bother to Knock were all part of the Marilyn Monroe birthday tribute. I had seen Let’s Make Love when I was really young and as an adult I added Don’t Bother to Knock to my VHS collection. This was probably the first film about the baby sitter going mad. There’s something about watching Marilyn Monroe on film. The camera loves her. And even though some of her parts were smaller in We’re Not Married and Let’s Make it Legal, you still remember her.
I remember the film Picnic when I was a kid, but didn’t know the story. It is a sexually charged film starring William Holden as the stranger that comes to town. It sort of reminded me of The Long Hot Summer which I have in my collection and I decided to watch. It stars Paul Newman as the stranger that comes to town and stirs up trouble.
Other films that I’ve been able to watch include, The Last Picture show which I had seen back in 2005 for the first time. I finally got to see Serpico with Al Pacino. I wasn’t really a fan of Al Pacino’s for some reason. Perhaps because I was too young to watch some of his films or the films didn’t interest me. One day I saw Cruising and then I started back tracking to see some of his other films. I saw Dog Day Afternoon and eventually I saw the Godfather Films after a friend suggested it. They are all a part of my collection now. Serpico is based on a true story about a cop that doesn’t like what he sees.
I saw The Rose with Bette Midler. I never saw this one and all I knew about Janis Joplin was that she was a singer who died. I’m glad this movie was on as the theater where I work will be doing a play, One Night With Janis Joplin. Bette Midler was great as the troubled singer.
In the mornings, Movies The TV Network shows westerns. I’ve seen Rio Grande, The Gun Fighter and a few others. I’m trying not to let it consume my life, but I love watching movies and since going to the movies isn’t in my budget right now…
I’ve seen A New Leaf with Walter Mathieu and Elaine May who also wrote the script. This is a very entertaining film. It’s based on a short story called The Green Heart. Walter Mathieu is a funny man. I’ve also seen Plaza Suite which I had only heard about and seen a few scenes during the academy awards.
Suddenly Last Summer, I had seen a version of the play, but had never seen the film. Several years ago I became fascinated with Montgomery Cliff after reading about him. He was very self conscious about his looks after being in an accident. I don’t know if the film was made before or after the accident, but I really don’t see too much of a difference in the way he looks in the films that I have in my collection. There are some where the camera only captures him from a certain angle. I’ll have to look at the dates. It’s funny how most of the stars that I liked had already passed by the time I knew who they were. Suddenly Last Summer I found out was written by Gore Vidal and Tennessee Williams wrote the story together, but the screenplay was written by Tennessee Williams. The film also stars Katherine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor.

I wasn’t particularly fond of Charles Bronson and then there was a film called 10 to Midnight. The reason I saw this film was because I found out Ola Ray was in the film. Most of you may not know Ola Ray, but she was featured in the Michael Jackson video Thriller. I know Ola Ray when she posed for Playboy magazine. A few years ago I picked up one of those DVD packs of a TV series which starred Charles Bronson as The Man With The camera. It was the title that interest me. It also included a few films as well which one starred Anthony Perkins and Mr. Bronson’s wife Jill Ireland. It seems the two of them made several films together. I watched Murphy’s Law, and The Assassination. Wednesday night I watched MASH and Lifeboat. I remembered the television series and I used to watch it, but I had never seen the movie. I didn’t particularly care for it. There were some interesting moments, but it just didn’t grab my attention.
Lifeboat however was a different story. Alfred Hitchcock did a great job with the characters who are trying to survive after their boat is blown up by Germans. I’d only heard of Tallulah Bankhead and don’t recall ever seeing a film with her. I remembered William Bendix from the television series, The Life of Riley. Hume Cronin I remembered from Cocoon and being married to Jessica Tandy. Lifeboat was filmed in black and white, but it kept my interest. (I’ve been thinking about doing something in black and white.)
Last night I watched Terminal Countdown with Louis Gossette, Jr which seemed relevant as nuclear missiles have been in the news lately.
There was also Attica about the prison revolt in 1971. I was only a kid when this event took place so I really didn’t know much about it. It starred Morgan Freeman and Glynn Turman.
Battle for the Planet of The Apes brought back memories. I remember when I saw Planet of the Apes, but I’m not sure if the film with Charlton Heston was first or if the one I saw with Roddy McDowell and his family was first. I’ve seen them all, even the remake with Mark Wahlberg which could have been better. Really I see no reason to do remakes. Just write a new script…
Watching the movie also made me think of some other films I saw in the 70’s that I’ve not been able to find available. I’m interested in The Doberman Gang. I believe there were three films total, but the first two I remember. If you’re not familiar with the film it’s about a group of criminals who train 6 Dobermans to rob a bank. Each of the dogs has the name of a gangster. When I had thought about getting a dog I had always thought I’d get a Doberman, but I guess it was too big of a dog. I do remember having a dog for a period of time, but that’s another story.

Movies has a lot of films in their line up so I’ll just keep on checking them out while I can. Eventually I’ll get to see what’s playing now when I can find a used copy. Thanks for stopping by and keep an open mind.

Movies, TV network

My Pam Grier film fest is in full swing. I’ve watched The Arena, The Big Doll House, Sheba Baby, On The Edge and Stand Alone. There are still many more films to watch.

I’ve discovered a new channel called Movies, TV network. It’s a mixture of classics and film from the 70’s and 80’s. I like this station because I get to see films that I may have never seen. I had only heard about The Girl Can’t Help It with Jayne Mansfield. I don’t recall ever seeing one of her films. I do remember seeing a movie about her life and how she died in a terrible car accident.

Saturday they will be doing a salute to Marilyn Monroe in honor of her Birthday. I have only seen one of the films that they will be showing so I hope they show that one first so that by the time I get home I’ll be able to watch the other three.

So far I’ve seen part of Take A Hard Ride, Emperor of the North, Phone Call from a Stranger, Fighting Man, and The Star Chamber. I had never seen any of these films before.

I’ve been trying not to watch as much of regular television now that most of the shows have done their finales. I don’t want to get into watching any of the new shows although I did watch Rookie Blue last week. If I can break away from the television routine then I can use that time to create more art.

As soon as I’m finished with my Pam Grier fest I’m going to watch some of my favorite films that I’ve seen at the Seattle Film Fest over the years. Come back to check out some of my experiences with the stars and what I thought of the films.

Some of the films will include: Lotto Land, Orlando, Love and Human Remains, Headless Body in a Topless Bar, Bad Boy Bubby, Fortress, The Abyss, Dream With Fishes, Inside the Goldmine, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Romper Stomper and a few others

Pam Grier day

It’s Pam Grier day. Today the actress and author turns 64. In the past I’ve dedicated the month to Pam Grier and watch her films. I will begin a marathon starting with The Arena and ending with my favorite film Coffy. Then I will watch the series The L Word. In the middle of that I’ll watch Black Mama, White Mama, The Big Doll House, Foxy Brown, The Big Bird Cage, Drum, Jackie Brown and Fort Apache The Bronx.
The Arena is a female version of the gladiator movies. Black Mama, White Mama is the female version of The Defiant Ones. The majority of the films showcase Pam’s bodily assets, but you can see her acting develop. Fort Apache the Bronx, although a small role was one of her more demanding roles. She wasn’t even considered for the part. She pulled a Dorothy Dandridge and Paul Newman liked what she saw and she was given the role. (Pulling a Dorothy Dandridge is a term I came up with for an actress that goes in for a role in character when she’s been told she isn’t right for the part and then she proves everyone wrong.) The only film of Miss Griers that I would like to add to my collection is Something Wicked This Way Comes. There are many other films that I have in my collection, but I’ll save them for another time. Strip Search, Love The Hard Way, Above the Law, Bucktown, Original Gangstas, Sheba Baby, Scream Blacula Scream, Feast of All Saints, Ghost of Mars and 3 A.M. & Bones which I watched a few weeks ago.

Thanks for stopping by, and do come back again. Remember to keep an open mind.

Last night I saw two plays at the Zachery Scott Topfer Theatre.
 Dream: A Midsummer Forest Tour, a modern update on the Shakespeare comedy A Midsummer Nights Dream. This is part of the Balcony Play series which is free to the public before the main performance. Its quite unique as I don’t recall ever seeing this sort of thing before in stage performances anywhere.
The play begins at 7 P.M. and runs about 25 minutes.

(This was one Sunday when they were rehearsing for the outdoor performance.)

The Cast includes: Rosalind Faires, Sam Gorena, Harrison Harvey, Katie Miles, Jon Peterson and Chrissy Shackelford. The play was directed by William Davis. It will run until Sunday, June 16, 2013.

Inside the Topfer theatre is Harvey. I’ve never seen a stage version of the story and I was only familiar with the film that starred Jimmy Stewart. I remember seeing it as a kid. Last year I bought a version of the film that stars Harry Anderson, but I have yet to watch it.

The crew at Zachery Scott has outdone themselves again with the set design. When I saw Ragtime I thought that was awesome, and then there was White Christmas which blew me away because I got to see them work on some of the sets in the parking lot. That was followed by 33 Variations and Mad Beat Hip and Gone, but Harvey has a unique set design that rotates and slides. It’s like watching a jigsaw puzzle right before our eyes.

When I saw Mad Beat Hip and Gone I thought the sets over shadowed some of the performances. Being an artist that is very visual if the actor on stage isn’t one to command my attention I’m looking at something else.

That was not the case with Harvey. The actors were incredible. There were two familiar faces in the cast. David R. Jarrott (DJ) who I had seen in Ragtime, is great as Judge Omar Gaffney. Jacob Trussell who recently appeared in MBH&G, plays Dr. Lyman Sanderson.

Martin Burke gives an incredible performance as Elwood P. Dowd. He commands the stage. This is an incredible piece of work and I look forward to seeing him in other performances. Lauren Lane is awesome as Veta, Elwood’s sister. She also has that presence that commands your full attention.

With these incredible performances and great set design are some colorful costumes. (Designed by Susan Branch Towne.) Everything was on point.
Dave Steakley has selected a great cast and directed another great play.

Another standout performance was Liz Beckman as the sexy nurse.

When awards roll around, Michelle Ney should definitely win something for her scenic designs.

Matthew Webb is in charge of lighting, Craig Brock is in charge of sound and Justin Cox is in charge of properties. These roles are just as important as they help set the tone.

A great job to everyone involved.

Harvey will make you laugh and it will make you think.

Harvey starts at 8 P.M. and will run until Sunday, June 16, 2013.

Thanks for stopping by and do become a follower while your here. Remember to keep an open mind.

Moonrise Kingdom

I am learning that just like you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, you should judge a film by its title. A friend gave me a copy of the film Moonrise Kingdom. I had remembered the title from the Oscars, but didn't know anything about the film. I thought it might be a serious film or perhaps a documentary. Usually I have to be in a certain mood to watch certain movies. Foreign films, documentaries and any thing over two hours, I reserve for Sunday afternoons. That way they have my full attention and I don't miss anything important.
Moonrise Kingdom is directed by Wes Anderson and stars, Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Frances McDormond, Bill Murray, Bob Balaban, Tilda Swinton and Harvey Keitel. I didn't know what to expect from this film, but it was quite a surprise. It was funny, sad and it made a statement. There are some amazing visuals which is a signature of Wes Anderson. The film is about young love, trying to fit in, abandonment, infidelity,mental illness, forster care and social services.

If you are a fan of any of the actors or the director, check out this film.