Khmeropedies I & II

Interesting and often evocative union of classical Cambodian dance, music, and sensibilities, with contemporary western ones. It ended up telling and showing us more about Cambodian perceptions of the West (and desires about how it wants to be seen by the West) than about its traditional culture.

Recommend.

Susurrus (David Leddy)

A few years ago, Arts & Ideas featured, "Cell," a participatory performance piece that Mike and I thought was a fantastic experience. When this year's A&I included another work "for an audience of one," we were eager to try it. Though very different from "Cell," Susurrus" (by David Leddy and produced by Fire Exit) did not disappoint.
We went to the Conservatory at Edgerton Park, where we each given an ipod, headphones, a map and instructions for listening to a four-voice play in eight parts as we moved from one station to the next. The afternoon was warm, sunny, and clear: perfect for strolling through the park.
The drama wove together remembrances of a the premier production of Benjamin Britten's "Midsummer Night's Dream," recollections of adult children of opera singers, discourses on bird anatomy, and revelations of pedophilia and incest. As we walked from one station to the next, we heard music, ranging from some swinging Frank Sinatra to a luscious rendition of Dido's "Remember Me" (Janet Baker singing Purcell's Dido and Aeneas).

Highly recommend.

Philip Glass, Works for Solo Piano

You might call this Philip Glass by Philip Glass unplugged. In the past, when we've heard Glass perform, it's involved one of his ensembles and a long bank of electronic equipment. Tonight's performance featured Glass on solo piano in the fairly intimate quarters of Morse Recital Hall in Sprague Hall.

I would guess that he isn't the best performer of his work. Before he embarked on the first piece, Etudes, he mentioned that he's learned only about 1/2 of them. And throughout the pieces, I thought I heard not only stumbles and hesitation but also wrong notes.

I don't know the titles of all the works he performed because it was difficult to hear him. But of the works, I enjoyed "Four Metamorphoses" best, especially #3. And "Wichita Vortex Sutra" was a lively work featuring a voiceover of Alan Ginsburg reading his antiwar poem.

• Etudes
• Four Metamorphoses (#4, #3, & #2)
• (Unknown)
  
• Wichita Vortex Sutra
• Encore, short piece that sounded like an improvisation on Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah"

Recommend.

Dance (Lucinda Childs)

New Haven's 15th Annual International Festival of Arts and Ideas opened with this sublime performance of Dance, a 1979 multi-media collaboration between choreographer Lucinda Childs, Composer Philip Glass, and artist/filmmaker Sol LeWitt. I was not surprised at all by the delicate interplay between Glass' music and Childs' choreography; however, I was profoundly moved by how much LeWitt's film added to the performance. Projected on a scrim at the front of the stage where dancers performed live, the film featured performances of Dance shot over 30 years ago. It seemed to me that LeWitt must have shot the dancers at a slow film speed, for their movements did not have the illusion of fluidity, rather they seemed to be broken into their constituent parts, thereby mimicking/commenting on both Glass's compositional style and Child's choreography. Oftentimes, the film placed the two-dimensional dancers at the top of the scrim, making them appear to be floating over the live dancers.
Simply labeled Dance I, Dance II, and Dance III, the three dances provided a wonderful visual introduction, even instruction for understanding, minimalism.

Highly recommend.

All in the Timing (David Ives)

Until I saw Ives' Venus in Fur this past March, I was unaware of this comic genius. All in the Timing is an early collection of six one-acts. Each examines how events depend upon fragile links to other events. To work, the plays require sharp direction and precision. And, by and large, the Connecticut Repertory Theatre, delivered.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch (John Cameron Mitchell)

Back in 1998, Mike got a call from a former student then working at an off-Broadway theatre, the Jane Street Theatre, raving about its current production, a new rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Not knowing much about it but eager to follow up on the student's recommendation, we bought 4 tickets and took the kids (12 and 10). I think the box office manager was a bit startled when we showed up with two pre-teens, but what the hey. They were precocious, this was New York, why not?

It was a great evening. The subject matter was a mature, needless to say, but the kids loved the music and the spectacle. Such vamp was not a regular part of their cultural diet. The theatre itself was classic off-Broadway: small, grimy, and full of youthful energy. John Cameron Mitchell played/sang Hedwig. Mike had introduced us to the 'real thing.' (And for that reason, I never felt the urge to the see the 2001 movie version.)

Thus, I was delighted to revisit that experience at the Yale Cabaret's production. Presented in a similarly small, underground venue, the Cabaret's Hedwig captured much of the same vibration of the original a dozen years ago. It didn't pack the same energy, and I thought the pacing was a bit off. But hey, it was opening night, and things should pick up.

Recommend.

The Secret in Their Eyes (Juan José Campanella)

I like a good thriller, and The Secret in Their Eyes is definitely an excellent one. It explores the lifelong, life-alerting repercussions of a young wife's brutal murder, the investigation, and the subsequent perversion of justice. Campanella's complex plot unfolds gradually, in ever opening circles of new information (none of which feels as though it were withheld gratuitously).

The camera work and editing can be breath-taking. In particular, be ready to have your socks knocked off during the chase at the soccer stadium.

Highly recommend.