Director William Pullinsi's rendition of the classic "Fiddler on the Roof" is a hit at Theatre at the Center in Munster. A tale of family, tradition and the struggle of Jewish people living in Russia as the revolution began, writer Joseph Stein's "Fiddler on the Roof" is as poignant and beautiful as when it premiered on Broadway in 1964.
As the play begins, the fiddler (David Morrison) and Tevye (Lee Pelty), the dairyman, are almost immediately joined on stage by the ensemble of villagers who provide audiences an understanding of the culture and community with an enthusiastic rendition of the song "Tradition."
Pullinsi's "Fiddler" was remarkable in many ways, but most outstanding was the cast. Pelty has a wealth of talent, especially as a vocalist. His wife, Golde, is played by Iris Lieberman, a woman who can express volumes through her facial expression even when only speaking a few words. Lieberman is also the dance captain, a role in which she also shines if the dance performances throughout the play are any indication. Tevye and Golde have three daughters - Tzeitel (played by the lovely Amy Olsen), who wants to marry a poor tailor named Model (a mousy part successfully played by Jon Cunningham); Hodel (Audrey Billings, with remarkable vocal talent), who wants to be happy; and Chava (Alyssa Thrasher, an incredible dancer), who loves books.
According to tradition, a matchmaker - in their town, a widow named Yente (played with outstanding enthusiasm by Renee Matthews)- helps parents find appropriate spouses for their children (often, much to the chagrin of their children, as this is before marrying for love became popular). As Teyve attempts to pair his oldest daughter with a wealthy butcher named Lazar Wolf (John Riley, the perfect choice in looks and effect) - rather than Model - he discovers that times are changing whether he wants to admit it or not. Tevye allows the girls to take lessons from traveling scholar, Perchik (acted well by Kenneth Z. Kendall) who shakes the town by defying traditions. As revolutions in the political climate refuse to be denied and the Constable (Larry Adams, with such militant gusto he was a must for the part) is soon shoving change through the front door.
Directed and conducted by William A. Underwood, the orchestra is phenomenal throughout. Every song in the play is delightful, but "Matchmaker" and "To Life" feature exceptionally skillful choreography - thanks to, in addition to the actors, choreographer Linda Parsons. The easily changeable and realistic but minimalist sets by Nick Mozack, costumes by Brenda Winstead and wig/beard design by Kimberly G. Morris truly capture the time period.
For those who have never seen "Fiddler on the Roof," this is a great time to experience it. Those who have seen it before and enjoyed it will love the care with which this performance presents the classic tale. No matter who you go see it with, catch this flawless production of "Fiddler on the Roof."
Originally published in The Chronicle in February 2007 as JadeLee Culberson
1.3.11
Don't travel with 'Turistas'
The previews for "Turistas" make it look like a suspenseful film full of beautiful (and scantily clad) young women accompanied by toned (and muscled) young men who innocently fall victim to crazed killers who torture lost tourists. Instead, "Turistas" is a rather predictable film about stupid (albeit attractive) tourists who wander into bad situations and get what's coming to them.
A group of tourists - including American siblings Alex (Josh Duhamel) and Bea (Olivia Wilde), Australian loner Pru (Melissa George) and confused Brits Liam (Max Brown) and Finn (Desmond Askew) - are taking a bus through Brazil, which is driven by a man who seems to have learned to drive by playing American video games. When the bus crashes (like we couldn't see this coming a few seconds into the film), the group is told that another bus will be along in 10 hours.
With the promise of a bar on the beach a short hike away, the English-speaking tourists leave the larger group in search of alcohol and fun. Unfortunately, they soon find the bar has a "come for the drinks, stay for the organ harvesting" policy. Rather than doing anything logical or sensible, the group runs from bad situation to worse at every opportunity.
The bad guys, led by Dr. Zamora (Miguel Lunardi), are greedy, angry and disorganized but far smarter than the tourists. Whether you're hoping the tourists will live or just waiting for some gore, it doesn't take long before you're just looking forward to the end of the movie.
Unfortunately, there are extraordinarily long dark and murky scenes (presumably, in an attempt at either realism or suspense but succeeding at neither) badly designed by cinematographer Enrique Chediak. The underwater filming (including chase scenes) by Peter Zuccarini is beautiful the first time, and terribly boring after about five minutes - sadly, it goes on much longer.
Rated R for strong graphic violence and disturbing content, sexuality, nudity, drug use and language, "Turistas" is certainly gory despite failing as a horror film. Perhaps "Turistas" would have at least been shocking if premiered before "Hostel" and the "Saw" films but instead it does more of the same and with less intelligence and less successful social commentary.
Originally published in The Chronicle in December 2006 as JadeLee Culberson
A group of tourists - including American siblings Alex (Josh Duhamel) and Bea (Olivia Wilde), Australian loner Pru (Melissa George) and confused Brits Liam (Max Brown) and Finn (Desmond Askew) - are taking a bus through Brazil, which is driven by a man who seems to have learned to drive by playing American video games. When the bus crashes (like we couldn't see this coming a few seconds into the film), the group is told that another bus will be along in 10 hours.
With the promise of a bar on the beach a short hike away, the English-speaking tourists leave the larger group in search of alcohol and fun. Unfortunately, they soon find the bar has a "come for the drinks, stay for the organ harvesting" policy. Rather than doing anything logical or sensible, the group runs from bad situation to worse at every opportunity.
The bad guys, led by Dr. Zamora (Miguel Lunardi), are greedy, angry and disorganized but far smarter than the tourists. Whether you're hoping the tourists will live or just waiting for some gore, it doesn't take long before you're just looking forward to the end of the movie.
Unfortunately, there are extraordinarily long dark and murky scenes (presumably, in an attempt at either realism or suspense but succeeding at neither) badly designed by cinematographer Enrique Chediak. The underwater filming (including chase scenes) by Peter Zuccarini is beautiful the first time, and terribly boring after about five minutes - sadly, it goes on much longer.
Rated R for strong graphic violence and disturbing content, sexuality, nudity, drug use and language, "Turistas" is certainly gory despite failing as a horror film. Perhaps "Turistas" would have at least been shocking if premiered before "Hostel" and the "Saw" films but instead it does more of the same and with less intelligence and less successful social commentary.
Originally published in The Chronicle in December 2006 as JadeLee Culberson
This week's DVD review: Sherrybaby
Too sappy to be sexy and too flimsy to be dramatic, "Sherrybaby" isn't a bad film - it just isn't particularly good. Writer and director Laurie Collyer took a good idea and did nothing with it in a movie that should be left to collect dust on the shelves of video rental establishments.
After spending three years in prison as a result of heroin-fueled larceny, Sherry (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is out on parole. She seeks to reclaim her life and young daughter (Ryan Simpkins), only to find nothing is as easy as she'd hoped. Her well-meaning brother, Bobby (Brad William Henke), and his uptight wife Lynette (Bridget Barkan, in a terribly flat performance), resist Sherry even visiting her daughter, and certainly aren't ready to relinquish custody of a girl who barely knows her biological mother.
Meanwhile, Sherry realizes life on the outside isn't quite what she expected in a noisy half-way house where she's not allowed to lock her bedroom door. She also must contend with her demanding parole officer (Giancarlo Esposito) and the reality of sobriety outside of prison via 12-step meetings. If Sherry was a more sympathetic character, her struggles would be heartbreaking and the audience would be rooting for her to succeed. However, Sherry's hypersexual behavior - including seducing the manager of the half-way house in her first days of freedom and using "oral persuasion" to receive a job in a day-care center instead of a factory - makes it hard to think she'd be a very good parent anyway.
Collyer revealed enough of Sherry's past to make her issues understandable, but did so too late in the film for it to change the initial perception of Sherry as an impulsive young woman who seems to have adopted sobriety and religion in prison, but not responsibility. A good performance by Danny Trejo as Dean, an ex-addict who befriends Sherry, is wasted on a poorly written character who is too much of a jerk to love and too nice to hate. "Sherrybaby" runs lukewarm despite Gyllenhaal's fantastic acting and fails to do anything inventive or uniquely insightful.
Originally published in The Chronicle in February 2007 as JadeLee Culberson
After spending three years in prison as a result of heroin-fueled larceny, Sherry (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is out on parole. She seeks to reclaim her life and young daughter (Ryan Simpkins), only to find nothing is as easy as she'd hoped. Her well-meaning brother, Bobby (Brad William Henke), and his uptight wife Lynette (Bridget Barkan, in a terribly flat performance), resist Sherry even visiting her daughter, and certainly aren't ready to relinquish custody of a girl who barely knows her biological mother.
Meanwhile, Sherry realizes life on the outside isn't quite what she expected in a noisy half-way house where she's not allowed to lock her bedroom door. She also must contend with her demanding parole officer (Giancarlo Esposito) and the reality of sobriety outside of prison via 12-step meetings. If Sherry was a more sympathetic character, her struggles would be heartbreaking and the audience would be rooting for her to succeed. However, Sherry's hypersexual behavior - including seducing the manager of the half-way house in her first days of freedom and using "oral persuasion" to receive a job in a day-care center instead of a factory - makes it hard to think she'd be a very good parent anyway.
Collyer revealed enough of Sherry's past to make her issues understandable, but did so too late in the film for it to change the initial perception of Sherry as an impulsive young woman who seems to have adopted sobriety and religion in prison, but not responsibility. A good performance by Danny Trejo as Dean, an ex-addict who befriends Sherry, is wasted on a poorly written character who is too much of a jerk to love and too nice to hate. "Sherrybaby" runs lukewarm despite Gyllenhaal's fantastic acting and fails to do anything inventive or uniquely insightful.
Originally published in The Chronicle in February 2007 as JadeLee Culberson
Show your intellegence; dress like an adult
It's winter, it's snowing and it seems that PUC needs a class on how to dress for the weather. During a moderate snowfall, I was standing in front of the Gyte building when I noticed a young man - I estimate around age 21 - wearing knee-length shorts as he entered the building. I'd guess either he'd missed the weather report or forgotten to do his laundry, but he is not alone - he's one of three separate guys I spotted in shorts within a week in January.
Though dressing inappropriately for the weather does not actually cause a cold or the flu, it does look ridiculous (and could lead to frostbite if your car broke down on the way to school, stranding you on the side of the road sans artificial heat). Oh, and for the guys who continue wearing your flip-flops despite the snow, you should be aware of how quickly cold, wet toes can develop frostbite if you have to spend much time in the elements (and let's face it, the parking situation here usually demands a fairly long outdoor walk before and after class).
But it's not just the guys that seem oblivious to the weather. Ladies - if you see snow and ice on the ground, leave the high heels at home. The scrapes, bruises, and sprains you receive when you slip and fall on the ice won't be sexy - or comfortable. There are plenty of cute but practical shoes that provide some traction on slippery walkways (not to mention warmth).
Of course, most of the girls in the spiky high heels are also the ones in short skirts - which provide no protection against the weather, or shoe-induced falls. This is college. Just because there is no dress code demanding you dress with decency doesn't mean you no longer should - have some self-respect. If you want to impress your classmates and professors, do it with your mind and not your wardrobe.
Originally published in The Chronicle in February 2007 as JadeLee Culberson
Though dressing inappropriately for the weather does not actually cause a cold or the flu, it does look ridiculous (and could lead to frostbite if your car broke down on the way to school, stranding you on the side of the road sans artificial heat). Oh, and for the guys who continue wearing your flip-flops despite the snow, you should be aware of how quickly cold, wet toes can develop frostbite if you have to spend much time in the elements (and let's face it, the parking situation here usually demands a fairly long outdoor walk before and after class).
But it's not just the guys that seem oblivious to the weather. Ladies - if you see snow and ice on the ground, leave the high heels at home. The scrapes, bruises, and sprains you receive when you slip and fall on the ice won't be sexy - or comfortable. There are plenty of cute but practical shoes that provide some traction on slippery walkways (not to mention warmth).
Of course, most of the girls in the spiky high heels are also the ones in short skirts - which provide no protection against the weather, or shoe-induced falls. This is college. Just because there is no dress code demanding you dress with decency doesn't mean you no longer should - have some self-respect. If you want to impress your classmates and professors, do it with your mind and not your wardrobe.
Originally published in The Chronicle in February 2007 as JadeLee Culberson
The Messengers
There's nothing outstanding about directors' Danny Pang and Oxide Pang's "The Messengers," but it succeeds as an inoffensive horror film heavy on the scares while being light on the blood and gore.
Jess (Kristen Stewart) is an angst-ridden teenager being forced to move with her family into a dilapidated old farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. The family comes from Chicago, where Jess seems to have been in some kind of trouble. Her mother, Denise (Penelope Ann Miller), seems much more concerned for little brother, Ben (Evan and Theodore Turner), than the family's overall maladjustment. And her father, Roy (Dylan McDermott), just wants to grow a crop of sunflowers, which he seems to believe will solve their financial problems.
From the start, Jess seems to realize something is amiss. Conveniently, no one listens to her. Since the haunts of this house only appear to her and her brother - who, also conveniently, does not speak - Jess seems crazy as she tries to prove they are not alone in the house. Unfortunately, Roy's first priority, despite his desperate daughter's need for understanding, is to learn something about farming. To solve this problem, he hires a transient farmer named Burwell (John Corbett) whose first impression on the family is repeatedly discharging his gun to scare away a number of crows reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds."
Many films have been made about haunted houses, and "The Messengers" manages to combine a little of everything to provide something fairly predictable. Producer Sam Raimi brings ghosts reminiscent of his involvement in "The Grudge" to this film, but since the ghosts are used significantly less in "The Messengers" the effect remains eerie.
"The Messengers" is best at being creepy. Music by Joseph LoDuca aids in providing suspense, and there are several effective (startle-based) scares. Rated PG-13 for supernatural shocks and violence, "The Messengers" is a good date movie - and one mild enough to suggest to your high school age friends or relatives.
Originally published in The Chronicle in February 2007 as JadeLee Culberson
Jess (Kristen Stewart) is an angst-ridden teenager being forced to move with her family into a dilapidated old farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. The family comes from Chicago, where Jess seems to have been in some kind of trouble. Her mother, Denise (Penelope Ann Miller), seems much more concerned for little brother, Ben (Evan and Theodore Turner), than the family's overall maladjustment. And her father, Roy (Dylan McDermott), just wants to grow a crop of sunflowers, which he seems to believe will solve their financial problems.
From the start, Jess seems to realize something is amiss. Conveniently, no one listens to her. Since the haunts of this house only appear to her and her brother - who, also conveniently, does not speak - Jess seems crazy as she tries to prove they are not alone in the house. Unfortunately, Roy's first priority, despite his desperate daughter's need for understanding, is to learn something about farming. To solve this problem, he hires a transient farmer named Burwell (John Corbett) whose first impression on the family is repeatedly discharging his gun to scare away a number of crows reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds."
Many films have been made about haunted houses, and "The Messengers" manages to combine a little of everything to provide something fairly predictable. Producer Sam Raimi brings ghosts reminiscent of his involvement in "The Grudge" to this film, but since the ghosts are used significantly less in "The Messengers" the effect remains eerie.
"The Messengers" is best at being creepy. Music by Joseph LoDuca aids in providing suspense, and there are several effective (startle-based) scares. Rated PG-13 for supernatural shocks and violence, "The Messengers" is a good date movie - and one mild enough to suggest to your high school age friends or relatives.
Originally published in The Chronicle in February 2007 as JadeLee Culberson
Even Bullock can't save "Premonition"
My intuition tells me those who see director Mennan Yapo's "Premonition" will be disappointed. Of course, I don't have ESP - but I know I left the theatre dissatisfied.
Sandra Bullock is the highlight of this film with an intense performance as Linda, a stay-at-home mom who is horrified to learn of her husband Jim's (Julian McMahon) death - and even more disturbed to realize he's alive again when she wakes up the next day.
Reality begins quickly unraveling around Linda as she spends each out-of-order day (because apparently Friday does not always directly follow Thursday, at least in this film) trying to figure out if her husband is dead or alive, if she is crazy or sane, and why she's constantly interacting with people who claim to know her even though she doesn't remember meeting them.
Her mother, Joanne (played dryly by Kate Nelligan), comes to stay and help take care of Linda's absolutely adorable and sugary-sweet daughters (Shyann McClure and Courtney Taylor Burness) - either because Linda's grieving or going insane, we can never be sure. But, in true meddling-mother form, Joanne seeks "help" for her daughter in the form of creepy psychiatrist Dr. Norman Roth (Peter Stormare) and his prescription pad.
Linda tries to seek comfort from her flighty friend, Annie (Nia Long), whose real purpose in the film seems to be the token minority. Linda also seeks answers from a priest (Matt Moore) who tells her "nature abhors a vacuum" and her lack of belief is the root of her troubles.
Reminiscent of a more depressing "Groundhog Day," "Premonition" offers nothing new or innovative. It's too sappy, too predictable and - despite a decent premise - fails to do any of the interesting things writer Bill Kelly could have done with the script.
McMahon seems ridiculously miscast after his roles in "Fantastic Four" and the television series "Nip/Tuck" and "Charmed." He's not believable as a distant husband climbing the corporate ladder. Perhaps he's too accustomed to playing complicated characters to realize sometimes less is more when playing a fairly basic, straightforward character.
The musical effects by Klaus Badelt, meant to heighten suspense, are so over-the-top they're nearly comical. The ending is hokey at best - I groaned out loud and heard several others in the audience do the same.
Skip "Premonition" - you'll avoid spending time and money on an inferior film.
Originally published in The Chronicle in March 2007 as JadeLee Culberson.
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