"Duets" by Alive & Kickin' at the Varsity Theater

Alive & Kickin' is billed as "the Twin Cities' premiere rockin' senior ensemble group." I'm not sure there's a whole lot of competition in that category, but the women and men of Alive & Kickin' are most definitely awesome. For the past five years, Michael Matthew Ferrell (Theater Latte Da's resident choreographer) has led this talented group of singers ranging in age from 60s to 90s, with music direction by Jason Hansen. With talent like that behind them, this group is no joke. They sing a variety of classic rock and pop songs, or as this musical theater geek likes to call them, Glee songs. In fact, Michael Matthew Ferrell is a little like the Mr. Schuester of senior citizens. I imagine them gathered in their choir room every week, learning a life lesson through the music of Queen or Katie Perry or Lady Gaga. Except in this case, it's the seniors who are the teachers with their years of life experience. One of Alive & Kickin's goals is to give voice to senior citizens, an important but often ignored segment of our society. This week they performed at the Varsity Theater with some of the Twin Cities' top talent from the world of music and theater, sponsored and emceed by myTalk 107.1, to raise money for a permanent choir room, er... rehearsal space.

Highlights of the show include:

• The rock songs like "Stayin' Alive" and "I Love Rock and Roll" are fun, but the quieter "Blowin' in the Wind" really showcased the talent of these singers, joined in beautiful harmony. The epic song "Bohemian Rhapsody" was also a treat!
• In addition to singing, two of the senior shared their inspirational stories that remind us just how much we still have to learn from our elders, including one man's experiences in Vietnam in 1969, and a woman growing up in the segregated South.
• It's a near impossible task to upstage the hilarious powerhouse Erin Schwab, but 90-year-old Katherine did just that in their duet of "Rehab." Later, Erin took the stage alone in a very funny "dirty song" about a dentist.
• Damn that Ben Bakken can sing! I almost forget, until I see him again, what a powerful rock voice he has, in this case on the Glee songs "Dream On" and "Somebody to Love." I wonder if he's ever played Roger in RENT? I bet his "One Song Glory" is quite something.
• A couple of music/theater crossovers in Lisa Pallen (of Belladiva) and Michelle Carter wowed with such songs as "I Wanna Know What Love Is" and "A Change is Gonna Come."
• Two greats from the local music scene, neither of which I've seen live before but both of whom I've heard of, loaned their considerable music talent to the event. Brian Leighton (aka GB Leighton) is kind of like Minnesota's Springsteen, singing an original song and a cover of "Lean on Me" with the ensemble. Allison Scott has a gorgeously soulful and sultry voice, singing "Waterfalls" and "Piece of My Heart," back by the Alive & Kickin' women.
• The band, led by Jason Hansen, is pretty awesome too. Sax, electric guitar, tambourine, so much enthusiasm and great support of the singers!
• A big part of the fun of watching Alive & Kickin' is Michael Matthew Ferrell's unique direction style. Part interpretive dance, part cheerleader, part expressive conductor, and all energy. It's obvious he cares a lot about his seniors and making them look and sound the best they can.

If you're interested in supporting this wonderful ensemble, visit their website for more info. You can also find details about their next performance, Winds of Change at Bloomington Civic Theatre this June.

"To Life! A Benefit to End Gun Violence" at the Varsity Theater

A common reaction to the ever increasing violence in this world is helplessness. A feeling of, "What can I do, what can anyone do to stop this?" A group of theater artists responded to this feeling of helplessness by doing what they do best - putting on a show. A show to educate, inform, raise money, and entertain. Josh Campbell, Brendan Bujold, and Tre Searles joined their artistic forces with Protect Minnesota, an organization working to end gun violence. The result was a fun evening of music and theater that raised almost $12,000 to aid in Protect Minnesota's goal of ending gun violence in Minnesota. Proving once again my belief that theater has the power to change the world, in small ways or big.

This past Monday night at the charming Varsity Theater in Dinkytown, eight fabulously talented theater artists, under the direction of Josh Campbell, shared songs from musical theater interspersed with seven short scenes by different playwrights, showing their differing reactions to gun violence, some amusing, some sobering, some righteously angry. Most of these are from a series of plays gathered by playwright Caridad Svich, whose bilingual play In the Time of Butterflies was recently seen at Mixed Blood (read an interview with her here). My favorite scenes were Right After Virginia Tech, written by Laura Zam and performed by Tod Peterson, and Bridge to Baraka: The Pen Instead of the Gun, written by Yvette Heyliger and performed by Regina Marie Williams. The former is smart, funny, and real, as the playwright tries to wrap her brain around the issue and calls for listening, respect, and empathy from seemingly opposing sides. Tod is such a fantastic performer that he brought the words and emotions of the playwright to life. The latter contains some of that righteous anger I mentioned, beautifully conveyed by Regina, and I learned something I didn't know about the beginning of the modern gun rights movement.

Musical highlights of the evening include:

• Ben Bakken applied his dangerously great voice to a couple of diverse songs - the fun and rousing "Run, Freedom, Run" from Urinetown (one of the must-see shows of this summer) and the poignant and emotional "Endless Night" from The Lion King (one of the additional songs written for the stage version).
• The rosy-cheeked Suzie Juul sang "Easy to Be Hard" from Hair (another must-see show of this summer), and dueted with Regina on a very funny song about the differences between 17 and 43.
• Reprising his role as Seaweed in Hairspray at the Chanhassen from a few years ago, Kasano Mwanza sang "Run and Tell That," with help from Julius Collins III, who later gave a great solo performance of "I'm Flying Home" from Songs For a New World.
• Ann Michels sang the sad and pretty "Where Do You Start" by Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Thomasina Petrus brought the house down with her rendition of "Feelin' Good," and the two joined forces for "Class" from Chicago.
• The cast closed the show with, of course, "To Life" from Fiddler on the Roof (which I've heard we may be seeing on a local stage later this year).

For more information about Protect Minnesota, visit their website. Thanks to all of the above theater artists for putting their many talents towards a great cause, raising money and awareness along the way.  To Life!

Punch Brothers at the Varsity Theater

I don't often write about music on this theater-centric blog, unless it's someone I really love and want to tell everyone about.  Such is the case with Chris Thile and his Brothers of Punch.  I've been a fan of Chris Thile's for over ten years, since his days in the bluegrass trio Nickel Creek (with siblings Sean and Sara Watkins).  I distinctly remember seeing their video for "When You Come Back Down" and immediately buying Nickel Creek's self-titled debut album.  I was mesmerized by Chris' voice, and I'm still hooked.

The members of Nickel Creek have since gone their own way and have all made solo albums (Sara is performing at the Cedar next month).  Several years ago Chris formed the band Punch Brothers with Chris Eldridge (guitar), Noam Pikelny (banjo), Gabe Witcher (fiddle and sometimes lead vocals), and Paul Kowert (upright bass, possibly the coolest instrument in existence).  They've really gelled into a fantastic bluegrass band, appearing on The Tonight Show and opening for Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers.  Each is a super talented musician in his own right, and together they create a thrilling musical experience.  But it's Chris that I have a hard time taking my eyes off of.  He's one of those artists where the music just flows through him from some unearthly place, and it's all he can do to bodily contain it.  Definitely one of my favorite musicians to see live, and I try to catch him every time he's in town (even if it means going to Dinkytown* when there's a Gopher game).  The Punch Brothers just released a new album last month entitled Who's Feeling Young Now, and it has taken up permanent residence in my car CD player.  It's not traditional bluegrass, it's forward-thinking bluegrass, moving bluegrass into the future and pushing the boundaries of what it can be while still respecting the tradition.  I love that.

I also love their retro/classy/cool fashion style, with their ties and jackets and vests.  I like that they dress up for the show, in their own unique way.

Here are the Punch Brothers performing one of their most popular songs, "Rye Whiskey," from their 2010 album Antifogmatic.



And from their brand new album Who's Feeling Young Now, "It's No Concern of Yours" (a few more videos from the concert avalable on the cherryandspoon youtube channel).

*The Varsity Theater is a really cool space (although I would have liked more seating; this is bluegrass, we can sit down), and has the most interesting bathroom I've ever seen.  Tucked in the back upstairs, it's like a cave.  All brick and plants and odd angles, with women's stalls on the right and men's on the left, and shared sinks in the middle with showerhead faucets that turn on with foot pedals.  There are even comfy couches and chairs in case you want to hang out.  Normally I can't see hanging out in a bathroom, unless it's as cool as this one.