Kuntz works multi-media magic
by Christopher Key

If you had to draw your own health map, what would it look like? That was the question asked by a 2007 research project funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The results did not consist of dry statistics and lots of charts, but images, emotions, ideas and passions. Taking that study for inspiration, director Pam Kuntz has concocted an often dizzying, always riveting multi-media production called In the Context of Life.

Kuntz collaborated with Richard Scholtz, co-director of the original research project, to bring those health maps to vibrant life. Scholtz and Spencer Thun composed the score, Maria McLeod and Stephen Howie of How Loud Media provide videography, and Suzanne Fogarty contributes photography.

If you know anything about Kuntz’s work, you will know she’s all about movement. There’s a lot of it woven throughout the show and it is touching, whimsical and utterly entrancing. Dancers Vanessa Daines, Angela Kiser and Ella Mahler are a joy to behold.

But the real stars of the show are 15 of our neighbors. They are young and old, gay and straight, rich and poor. They are doctors, lawyers, teachers, retirees, musicians, students and executives. Their health spans the spectrum. One of them is in the hospital and couldn’t make tonight’s preview performance. The challenges they have faced and continue to face are devastating. As Kuntz notes, one of the challenges was going public with some stories that are intensely personal.

Photo credit - Suzanne Fogarty

The stories are often wrenching, leavened by moments of giddy humor. There are moments of “Where are we going and why are we in this handbasket?” It is often in-your-face political and equally often politically incorrect.

Rather than identify those neighbors of ours who have the chutzpah to share their stories, I’ll let you be surprised. I was. One of them is a close colleague in the medical community, another a cherished theatre friend. They weren’t chosen for their media skills, but for the journeys they have to share.

In the Context of Life plays September 24, 25, 30, October 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the wonderful Firehouse Performing Arts Center in Fairhaven. There will be 2:00 p.m. matinees on October 3 and 10. I can’t urge you strongly enough to purchase your tickets well in advance at Village Books or the Community Food Coop. Admission is $12. For further details, see www.kuntzandcompany.org.

This show will leave you emotionally and physically drained, but you will take something away that is priceless: the sheer indomitability of the human spirit.

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Japanese festival comes home
by Christopher Key

For 34 years, the Japanese community in Vancouver, B. C., has celebrated its culture with the Powell Street Festival in Oppenheimer Park. Last year the park was undergoing an extensive renovation as part of the city’s efforts to spruce up its downtown East Side for the Olympics and the festival had to be held in Woodland Park. The festival came back home this weekend and it was a joyous homecoming.

Vancouver has a huge Japanese community and this festival is, in part, a way of keeping their younger members cognizant of their history and culture. It’s also a way to introduce the gaijin (strangers, foreigners) to one of the oldest and most fascinating cultures in the world. The Japanese themselves were gaijin in Canada and suffered some of the same inhumane treatment their American counterparts did in World War II. That experience has led them to be extraordinarily inclusive in their celebrations and made this gaijin feel most welcome.

My attendance at the festival was supposed to be a time of relaxation and I hadn’t anticipated writing a review. So I left my camera at home so you’ll have to settle for word pictures of the event. Except, of course, for a photo of me in my summer kimono called jinbei san. Frankly, the only thing that might make me look remotely authentic in Japanese costuming might be a sumo diaper and we seriously don’t want to go there.

Photo credit - Reiko Kawakami

One of the reasons Oppenheimer Park is home for the festival is because the Japanese community planted cherry trees there years ago to help cement relations with their new homeland. The cherry trees are still there thanks to the sensitivity of the city and I was appreciative of their shade on this sunny weekend.

There are so many things to see and do that it is difficult to decide where to focus your attention. The musical and dancing acts on the mainstage occupied most of my attention partly because I’m a huge fan of taiko, the Japanese art of drumming. This festival is inclusive enough that the taiko groups incorporated some Brazilian and First Nations influences.

The music focused on Japanese performers, but they ranged from heavy metal to folk to electronic. One band channeled Led Zeppelin to perfection and featured a Japanese guitarist who is one of the best I’ve ever heard or seen anywhere. The dancers were amazing, ranging from traditional to modern and thoroughly professional.

No festival of this kind would be complete without horticultural exhibits. The Vancouver Buddhist Temple, immediately adjacent to the park, hosted bonsai clinics and ikebana demonstrations. The Japanese art of flower arranging may be esoteric to many, but it is an art form of exquisite beauty and deceptive simplicity.

This is perhaps the place to explain that my headline for this post is my feeble attempt at a multi-lingual pun. Japanese festivals are usually centered on a ceremony called Omikashi, which features an intricate gilded portable shrine. It’s mounted on heavy timbers and transported throughout the grounds by a hardworking group of true believers who rock the heavy shrine from side to side with a lot of evocative sound effects. A couple of lovely young ladies are stationed on top of this edifice and urge the carriers on with loud cheers.

Food. There are no words to describe the culinary delights available at this festival. Most of them involve standing in long lines because everyone who comes to this festival wants to sample everything. It’s worth the wait and it helps offset the calories obtained. From yakitori to okonomiyaki to kakigori, it’s a veritable feast. The only thing that proved too daunting to my appetite was Spam sushi. Even Monty Python would probably pass that up.

I should make it clear that the reason that I am so enamored of Japanese culture is because of a lovely lady named Reiko who has shared her joie de vivre with me for 12 wonderful years. Kampei!

Photo credit - Christopher Key

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The concert date in the Arlington Arts Council ad in the May issue is incorrect. Marley’s Ghost, American roots music, from country to rock-n-roll will perform on Sunday, May 16 at 2pm at Byrnes Performing Arts Center, Arlington High School, 18821 Crown Ridge Blvd. For more information, visit www.byrnesperformingarts.org.

In the feature story “Tango and More at Girls Night Out,” on page 48 of the May issue of ENNW, men of the Coast Guard were included among the community members participating in the bachelor auction during the Girls Night Out in Fairhaven on May 6. The Coast Guard will not be auctioning themselves, but many other local men are up for the bidding! Visit www.girlsnightoutfairhaven.com.

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Shakespeare Northwest, a non-profit theatre company, will kick off its season with a wine and cheese event at the Rexville Grange, nestled between Conway and La Conner, this Saturday, May 1, from 1-4 pm. Attendees will receive an introduction to the company and the upcoming season as well as get a taste of some of the best that local wineries and creameries have to offer. Shakespeare Northwest will also be giving tours of its new outdoor theater space, the Rexville Blackrock Amphitheatre, which they anticipate developing into one of the premier summer theater venues anywhere in the Pacific Northwest.

The Shakespeare Northwest Association cordially invites you to attend this admission-free, and family-oriented event and to extend that invitation to family and friends you believe may be interested. Below is a mapquest link to the Rexville Grange, located at 19299 Rexville Grange Rd, Mount Vernon.

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Mount+Vernon&state=WA&address=19299+Rexville+Grange+Rd&zipcode=98273-8883&cat=Rexville+Grocery&country=US&latitude=48.365442&longitude=-122.425439&geocode=ADDRESS

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Bellingham Circus Guild creates magic
by Christopher Key

If you’ve had the privilege of witnessing U & I Productions magical Dream Science Circus, you’ll be thrilled to know that it has spawned an offspring called the Bellingham Circus Guild. They were all set to open their production of Petrushka several weeks ago when they ran into some problems with their venue. What resulted was a mad scramble to find a new space. As circus member Della puts it, “The challenges helped us to become a more tightly-knit group.”

Established about three years ago, the Bellingham Circus Guild is a co-op involving a core group of local performers.

“Most of our equipment comes from U & I,” Della said. “We couldn’t do it without them.”

Now that the venue issue has been settled, the Guild is ready to open Petrushka and it’s a thoroughly enchanting production. The performance is set to the music from Igor Stravinsky’s 1911 ballet and the story line is essentially the same. What is not the same is the incorporation of circus elements into the story.

There are aerialists, jugglers, belly dancers, clowns, acrobats, pink elephants and even a beautiful ballerina. What’s not to like? The story revolves around a sorcerer who brings three puppets to life. Once they become human, they succumb to human emotions and a love triangle develops, leading to a murder. The title character then reappears as a ghost, leaving the audience to question what is real and what is not.

All of the cast members are fine actors as well as remarkable circus performers, helping keep the story front-and-center while people are swinging from the ceiling. Daniel (the cast use first names only) is appropriately mystical as the sorcerer and Ariel, also an aerialist, brings outstanding physicality to Petrushka. The other two puppets are played by Strangely, sly and clever as The Rogue, and Scarlet as the beautiful and graceful Ballerina.

The Sorcerer brings The Rogue, The Ballerina and Petrushka to life in the Bellingham Circus Guild production of Stravinsky's beloved ballet. Photo credit - Christopher Key

River, Justin and Chip play clowns and several other roles. Three entrancing dancers are portrayed by Mylee, Bre and Patsy. Reby and Elisha perform as aerialists and the aforementioned Della plays a Keystonesque cop. Directing the show and handling the lights is RJ.

The New Cirque Lab serves as the venue and is located at the corner of Iron and Kentucky Streets. Performances are scheduled for Thursday, April 29, at 7:00 p.m.; Friday, April 30, at 7:00 and 9:00 p.m.; Saturday, May 1, at 7:00 and 9:00 p.m.; and Sunday, May 2, at 3:00 p.m. Admission is by a $10 – $20 suggested donation and kids under 12 get in free. Call (425) 327-3256 or see www.BellinghamCircusGuild.com.

I never cease to be amazed by the variety of talent that has been attracted to this fourth corner of the nation and the Bellingham Circus Guild only furthers that amazement. Kids of all ages will love both the thrilling circus acts and the timeless story.

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A fixture in the Bellingham arts community for 13 years, Morrison Glass Art is moving to a new studio. All of the art at the studio at 122 Ohio Street must be sold.
Please come and purchase art February 27th 10am-4:30pm. Celebrate the art and history of Morrison Glass Art. The event is family friendly and free.

Christopher Morrison created the glass sculpture that hangs in Village Books. His professional affiliations include Vice Chairperson of the Bellingham Arts Commission and a member of the Whatcom Museum Board. In March of 2005, he was honored to be the recipient of the Mayor’s Arts Award, which recognized him as an outstanding individual artist in Bellingham, Washington.

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If you are looking for a fun way to help the Red Cross with their relief efforts in Haiti or an excuse to eat out on Saturday night, come to the Grand Opening at the New Slo Pitch Sports Grill on Saturday the 30th. All of the proceeds from the restaurant will go to the Haiti relief efforts through the American Red Cross. So, if you spend $20 on a meal, they will donate the whole amount to the Red Cross. Please invite all of our friends to take part and give a little to help make the world a better place. They also have numerous prizes and cash giveaways throughout the day.

Vanity, insanity, calamity, Oh my!
By Sally Lubetich

Intrigue reigns supreme in Stone Town Theatre Works premier production of William Shakespeare’s King Lear, directed by Heather Dyer.

David Cox stars as King Lear in the Stone Town Theatre Works production at the Firehouse Performaing Arts Center in Fairhaven. Photo credit - Sean Stockburger

David Cox gives a masterful performance as King Lear, a vain man pushed to insanity by betrayal at the hands of his two eldest daughters. Cox deftly meets the challenges of this demanding, high-energy role with the stalwart grace of a King. Keeping it in the family are the delightfully evil elder daughters played by Mikael R. Kenoyer and Katie Cole. They are so good at being so bad. Sarah Modesto does a wonderful job portraying the fatally misunderstood youngest daughter, Cordelia. Donald Drummond and Rob Slater are excellently cast as the King’s sons-in-law. One is virtuous and one villainous; both are brilliant at defining the struggle between good and evil.

The betrayal doesn’t stop there. The King’s very good friend, Gloucester, has his own family intrigue to deal with. Christopher Key is outstanding as a father whose loyalty to the King blinds him to the deception brewing in his own home. Cail Musick-Slater plays the good son who is thrown out into the wilderness and struggles to keep his own sanity. His extraordinary crossing into lunacy is fascinating and reminiscent of Gollum from Lord of the Rings. Christopher Ballou gives an exceptional performance as the ambitious son with a thirst for power. Conniving and treacherous with a beguiling smile, his scheming and betrayal is a guilty pleasure to watch.

Jeff Braswell plays the Fool. He gives us a delightfully playful and jovial Fool whose message isn’t lost in his foolery. The Fool is great fun to watch, but listen when he gives warning.

As the ever-loyal Kent, Lucas Naylor presents us with another skillful transformation from guarded gentleman to rough-and-tumble servant, all the while maintaining his own deceptions and intrigue.

Rounding out the cast are several actors in multiple roles. Rossner Gideon is delightful as the snide, self-serving, and arrogant Oswald. Robin Stift gives a fine performance as the King of France. And then there are the Goddesses: Shelby Ford, Jill Likkel, Sarah Mickelson, and Linda Telfer. They are the ethereal messengers in the King’s hallucinations, heralds, officers and servants that shape the background to this epic Shakespearean tragedy.

King Lear plays March 6-7 & 12-14, 7:00 p.m., at the Firehouse Performing Arts Center in Fairhaven. Tickets are $10 across the board and reservations may be made by calling (360) 201-5922.

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WCC sells Strindberg
by Christopher Key

August Strindberg doesn’t sell a lot of seats at the local community theatres. All the more reason to be grateful that Whatcom Community College has a drama department unafraid to tackle the playwrights who can make audiences squirm and laugh at the same time.

Swedish-born Strindberg was one of the leading proponents of naturalism in the theatre, a radical concept in the late 19th century. It may have shocked audiences used to Victorian melodrama, but it has served to make his works relevant into the 21st century. Creditors is just as fresh and pertinent today as it was in 1888. I doubt Strindberg would bat an eye at the pre-nuptial agreements that are so intrinsic to our post-modern marital arrangements. Indeed, given his somewhat cynical view of romance, he might have embraced them and possibly have saved himself a lot of trouble. Look up his bio.

The WCC production of Creditors takes place in one of my favorite venues, the Black Box Theatre at the Syre Student Center. Its intimate dimensions are perfect for this in-your-face examination of how people confuse relationships with financial transactions. It’s all about who gives and who takes, who wins and who loses, who charges too much interest and who doesn’t charge enough.

The characters risk too much in an overextended market and don’t risk enough on conservative investments. Sound familiar? They suddenly find themselves in an emotional recession and are desperately seeking someone to blame it on when they should be looking in a mirror. And there are no bailouts coming from the government.

Director Gerry Large deserves enormous credit for guiding his young actors through this emotional bull market and the resulting downturn. It is very tempting for inexperienced actors to pull out all the stops too soon and have nowhere left to go when it’s time for the coda. Large conducts them like an orchestral maestro and makes sure they don’t peak too soon.

Trevor Van Houten has an unusual gift for physicality and uses it to maximum effect in his portrayal of Adolph, whose bodily handicaps effectively reflect his emotional ones. Shu-ling Zhao has demonstrated her enormous range in many productions and expands on that as Adolph’s manipulative wife.

I have reviewed both these actors before and am therefore unsurprised, but delighted, at their continued development. Jared Greene, however, was an unknown quantity for me. I wondered if he had the chops to play on the same field as these two proven actors. He does, in spades. Not only does he hold his own against these superb actors, he carves out his own niche as a player to be reckoned with. I was particularly impressed with his emotional control when it was needed and his lack of control when that was called for. Greene is yet another example of the amazing talent that makes the WCC drama program so impressive.

Shu-ling Zhao and Jared Greene negotiate an emotional transaction in the Whatcom Community College production of August Strindberg's Creditors.

Strindberg’s play is totally dependent on words, with very little physical activity. This is a particularly difficult challenge for actors because they have to sell every word. They do and I bought every one.

Creditors plays March 4 – 7, 7:30 p.m., at Whatcom Community College’s Syre Student Center Black Box Theatre. Tickets are $5 at the door.

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