The Man Inside the Metal Box

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Alex Morales
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Iron Man 3 Opens May 3

Iron Man 3 Opens May 3

A Film Review of Iron Man 3 by Alexander Morales

Everyone loves Tony Stark. I mean, what’s not to love … right? He’s smart, funny, handsome and worth piles and piles of money. Stark is the dude at the party you want to be seen with and the guy most girls want to go home to. He’s awesome. Fantastic. Yes, his ego is pretty much completely out of control and his lack of appropriate behavior is near childlike while he dashes from person to person forgetting who they are, playing with their emotions like a cat finding a small mouse to terrorize before gobbling it down with a smile … but come on … what’s not to like … right?

Well wrong. Apparently there is a lot of stuff to hate about Tony Stark and in director Shane Black’s (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) first flight into the Marvel Universe, we get to see just how much and what lengths some people may go for a little revenge.

Based loosely on the 2005 Extremis story arc from the Iron Man comic books, the new film once again unites Robert Downey Jr. (Stark), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts, Stark Industries CEO and love interest for our hero) and Don Cheadle (Colonel James Rhodes, pilot of the War Machine Armor and friend) against a whole new level of terrorism.

So here’s the skinny: After a quick flashback to New Years Eve 1999, we find Tony being Tony. Boozing it up, being the guy everyone knew prior to the events in the first Iron Man movie. While putting the moves on young scientist Dr. Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall), an awkward Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) approaches with some new ideas. However, Tony being his usual brash self, takes the opportunity to show how clever he is and before breakfast the next morning potentially burns bridges against two of the top minds in the world.

Fast forward to now and the world has a whole person to be afraid of – The Mandarin (a remarkable and wonderful Ben Kingsley), a human horror that has taken shape in the shadow of the alien invasion thwarted by the Avengers in New York. In seemingly a passionate hate for the United States, the Mandarin is producing acts or terror throughout the world, all targeting U.S. forces or civilians.

At the same time, back from outer space … literally, Tony is having some issues. Panic attacks and a fear of not being prepared for every possible threat have made him a bit of a tech-hermit much to the dismay of Pepper. Unluckily for Tony, into Stark Industries walks a now, unawkward Killian who has more than new technology that he’d like to show off to Tony’s love interest.

And then … boom. Explosions, mayhem, personal vendettas get explained, terrorism and more happen all culminating in perhaps the best individual hero story that Marvel has produced to date.

This film is solid. Entertaining, tense during the action scenes, funny and engaging are all the top layer ways to describe the overall film. As always, Downey, Jr. is spot on as the quick-witted hero and with great performances by secondary characters like Pearce and Kingsley, the film feels well-rounded and smart. At the same time, the dialogue throughout the film is strong for nearly every character including the random bad guy goons making all people involved seem more real and somewhat intelligent. Why is this important you ask? Well, because the old, tired scene where the hero is caught and surrounded by armed guards becomes a memorable, hilarious sequence where throw-away guards are able to be people and not just cardboard tough-guys who are there just to be pulverized by the hero. It’s the little things that matter and this film is, for the most part, full of them.

Along with that, in comparison to Iron Man and Iron Man 2, this film’s structure and story is much more compelling and better. It, unlike its predecessors, does not fall apart during its climaxes and, as a whole, better humanizes the hero as a character. This continues to other characters and even adds some wonderful twists that, in my opinion, ground the villain in realism that I both appreciated and loved.

However, not everything is all shiny with the armor. Like always, I think the film is too long and with action scenes that are breath-tauntingly fun, there is just too much time in between them. Along with that a new side character is introduced and to my dismay, it’s a kid. Yuck. Not to say that Ty Simpkins is a bad actor, but the story seemingly forces him into it and everything about him feels convenient, heavy-handed and at times irritating. Seriously, out of every kid that Tony Stark can bump into, it’s the one that has an understanding of electronics and physics? The dialogue between them saves the experience, but for me, too much, too long and too yuck.

Also, while very fun to watch, there is a battle that is very much a rehash from Iron Man 2 and, in a way, kind of pussifies the integrity of the Iron Man armor and makes you wonder how Tony’s lasted so long during the Chitauri invasion from the Avengers.

It’s only after over-thinking and reflecting on the film after the credits roll that I realized there are a few more holes in the script that, in the end could have made the experience so much better. I won’t go into detail here because they involve major plot lines and may spoil the fun, but I will say that if this film is the fist step to what Marvel Comics is calling Phase 2 for the film franchise, they missed out on including more from the Avengers and overall character universe.

With that being said, mass audiences are going to eat this film up with a spoon and ask for seconds. The inclusion of all the different types of armor is a toy and marketing goldmine that Disney is already capitalizing on with the Hall of Armor exhibit at Disneyland. Solid acting, a quality, compelling story with wonderful dialogue and fun action sequences will make this the summer movie to beat. With few gripes and more good, fans of the series will enjoy the film and even hardcore nerds will put down their 20-sided die to give it the praise it needs. There a few character choices that some may hate, but I found to be refreshing and brave. On a cold, blustery May day in Kansas City, this film is a great way to get you out of the weather and into a warm, action adventure.

3.75 out of 5 giant, stuffed bunny rabbits

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New Special Exhibition Explores Origins of World War I

Posted on May 2, 2013 by admin
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Road to War: World Power and Imperialism, 1904-1914. Opens May 3, 2013, at the National World War I Museum

Examine the pivotal events that led to the outbreak of history’s first global conflict in the National World War I Museum’s new exhibition, Road to War: World Power and Imperialism, 1904-1914.

RoadtoWar_webOpening Friday, May 3, 2013, in Exhibit Hall, the Museum’s inaugural Centennial special exhibition explores the 10 years leading to the outbreak of World War I, a decade that witnessed a series of conflicts between the major European powers over territory in Europe and overseas possessions. Visitors will learn about many other contributing factors including European colonialism, American imperialism, the rise of nationalism, cultural awareness and the social divides which led to unrest and revolt against the imperial monarchies.

“As we prepare to commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War I, we are proud to share the fascinating stories that led to this important time in history,” said Dr. Mary Davidson Cohen, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the National World War I Museum. “From Manchuria on the Asian Pacific Coast to North Africa and the Balkans, Road to War embarks on an extraordinary journey you won’t want to miss.”

Remarkable objects, documents and photographs of 1904-1914 colorfully illustrate many of the events, countries and people of the period. Drawing upon the Museum’s extensive collection as well as those of other museums and sources, the exhibition includes many items never before seen at the Museum.

From a nearly-complete Japanese infantry uniform, backpack and original documents of a soldier who served in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 to a Belgian art medal in honor of King Leopold II which celebrated the annexation of Congo by Belgium in 1909, the exhibition offers a thought-provoking experience for visitors of all ages.

Other highlights include:

  • A distinctive uniform, worn by a male servant of an upper-class household, as an example of the division between the classes in the Imperial Powers of Europe and the wealth held by a few. It consists of a vest and breeches made of red velvet with embroidered edging of the coat of arms of Graf (Count) von Faber-Castell, Nuremburg, Bavaria.
  • Numerous quotes from individuals of the time and historians of the period that give personal connections to the objects and events.
  • A Russian periodical cartoon that features Serbia and Bulgaria butting heads over territory while the Russian bear and Austro-Hungarian wolf look on with great interest. Additionally, a scrapbook with an article dated January 9, 1911, shows the potential confrontation between Greece and the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) in the Balkans.​

Road to War, open through April 20, 2014, is included with admission and free for Museum members.

For more information on the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial, visit www.theworldwar.org.

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Ink’s Middle of the Map Film Fest takes place on May 1-5

Posted on May 1, 2013 by admin
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Ink magazine and The Record Machine, a pioneering, homegrown indie record label, are pleased to announce the kickoff of Ink’s Middle of the Map Film Fest presented by KC Chevy Dealers. This year’s title sponsor is Chipotle.

Ink’s Middle of the Map Fest expands this year to include its first film fest taking place May 1 – 5 at the Alamo Drafthouse at 14th and Main in downtown Kansas City, Mo. The Middle of the Map Film Fest will screen a diverse cross section of curated films. Special guests and fanfare parties will also be hosted throughout the fest. Events include local band Soft Reeds playing a David Bowie cover set before a screening of the 80′s classic film Labyrinth.

The fest’s closing party will feature a band playing as Sex Bob-omb, the fictional band from the cult hit Scott Pilgrim Vs The World before a screening of that film. The first 50 badge holders to arrive at 5pm on Wednesday night, May 1, will win passes to either the opening night of Iron Man 3 on Thursday, May 2 or a pre-screening of The Great Gatsby on Monday, May 6.

With 25+ films of all kinds; feature films, independent flicks, award-winning movies, rockumentaries, documentaries, fanfare parties, Alamo Drafthouse experiences and shorts programs, Ink’s Middle of the Map Film Fest is simply aimed at rewarding audiences with excellent cinematic experiences. After the screenings of locally produced films Corporate FM, The Equation and We Are Superman, there will be Q&A sessions with the cast and directors.

Director Michael Mohan will present his film Save The Date, starring Alison Brie, Lizzy Caplan, Martin Starr. Chipotle is presenting Eating Alabama, a film about an Alabama family that tries to eat nothing but locally grown food. Cyclists are encouraged to make use of Alamo’s Bike Valet to see Where the Trail Ends, an insanely beautiful Free Ride Mountain Bike film from Red Bull.

This year’s film fest line-up includes:

Labyrinth, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, Miami Connection, Save The Date (with director Michael Mohan), Awful Nice, Andrew Bird: Fever Year, Minecraft: The Story of Mojang, This is Martin Bonner, A Band Called Death, War Witch, Greetings From Tim Buckley, Somebody Up There Likes Me, The Lesser Blessed, The Ghost of Piramida, The Kitchen, Picture Day, The History of Future Folk, In the Deep Shade, Eating Alabama, Another Version of the Truth, KCAI Shorts Program, UMKC Shorts Program, We are Superman, The Equation, Corporate FM, The Rep, Where The Trail Ends and I Declare War.
Lineup and guests subject to change.

Tickets

Tickets are available for purchase online atmiddleofthemapfest.com

  • $25 for a five-day pass
  • $10 for an individual screening at the door

Advance tickets will go off sale on May 1, but will be available at the door.

Alamo Parking Information

H&R Block parking garage at 13th and Main – after 6pm on weekdays, after noon on Saturday and all day Sunday – all free with Alamo validation

Cosentino’s Downtown parking garage at 13th and Main – free parking Sunday to Wednesday and $2 parking Thursday to Saturday with Alamo validation

There is also plenty of free street-parking starting after 6 p.m.

About Ink’s Middle of the Map Fest

Ink’s Middle of the Map Fest annually curates and cultivates the unique arts and creative culture of the Midwest, bringing together a sense of community in local and national talent in an annual festival featuring music, forum and film.

Tickets

Tickets are available for purchase online at middleofthemapfest.com.

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Shirley Bush Helzberg Named Chair of Nelson-Atkins Board of Trustees

Posted on May 1, 2013 by admin
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To Succeed Sarah J. Rowland, Who Will Remain on Board

Sarah F. Rowland, Chair of the Board of Trustees of The

Sarah Rowland Photo by Bob Greenspan

Sarah Rowland Photo by Bob Greenspan

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, announced at the April meeting of the Board that as part of a planned transition in leadership, she will step down as Chair and will be succeeded by civic leader and arts patron Shirley Bush Helzberg, effective May 1. Mrs. Rowland, who has been Chair for the past four years, will remain on the Board.

“We are delighted to welcome Mrs. Helzberg to this important

Shirley Helzberg photo by David Riffel

Shirley Helzberg photo by David Riffel

role, and we know she will lead the Nelson-Atkins into the future, with ever-increasing community engagement,” said museum Director & CEO Julián Zugazagoitia. “This is a transition that builds on the great legacy of Sarah Rowland and that continues the Board of Trustees governance at the highest level.”

Mrs. Helzberg, who has been involved with the leadership of the Nelson-Atkins since 1996, is known as one of Kansas City’s most active community leaders and a supporter of dozens of civic efforts and service groups. She has been the President of the Board of Directors of the Kansas City Symphony since 1995, and she has served as Chairman of the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, President of Starlight Theatre and Founding Chairman of the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City.

She and her husband, Barnett C. Helzberg Jr., former Chairman of the Board of Helzberg Diamonds, own, enjoy and appreciate African art and helped endow the African gallery in the Bloch Building. They co-founded University Academy Charter School, serving more than 1,000 students in Kansas City, and they were named Kansas Citians of the Year in 2002. Helzberg Hall, the magnificent concert venue at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, carries their name as well.

Beyond her passion for the arts, Mrs. Helzberg brings professional experience in the areas of marketing, advertising and real estate. She led the restoration of Webster House, a Romanesque-style school next door to the Kauffman Center, which is now a destination for shopping and dining, as well as other renovated and adaptive reuse projects in downtown properties.

“I am honored to serve along with other extremely dedicated members of the Board of Trustees, civic leaders, a fine-tuned administrative staff, and a gifted and talented curatorial team that brings scholarship and international recognition to the Nelson-Atkins and the Kansas City region,” Mrs. Helzberg said. “The enjoyment of art has had a profound experience on my life. I will enjoy working on the areas of our new strategic plan to continue to bring art to the community for the enjoyment of all and to build on the sturdy foundation of past leadership. Education, diversity and increased audiences will continue to be a most important area of my interest.”

Mrs. Helzberg assumes the role of Chair that has been held since 2009 by Mrs. Rowland, who took over the position following the death of Harry C. McCray Jr. Mrs. Rowland led the museum through the celebration of the esteemed tenure of Director Emeritus Marc F. Wilson and the search for the museum’s new Director, Zugazagoitia.

“We have all been privileged to work with Mrs. Rowland during this time of transition, as she strengthened our governance and as we worked to complete our strategic plan,” Zugazagoitia said. “Together we have embraced a new vision for the future, of bringing the highest art to everyone, unleashing the power of art and engaging with the spirit of the community.”

Mrs. Rowland and her husband, Landon, have been longtime supporters of the museum and have provided significant funding for the remodeling and reinstallation of the American galleries, unveiled in 2009. In 2002, they established The Ever Glades Fund, a permanent endowment fund for the acquisition of American art.

“The privilege and opportunity to follow remarkable and gifted civic leaders in their quest to enlarge and enliven the museum is an opportunity for which I am most grateful,” said Mrs. Rowland. “With an exquisite collection, a gifted staff of scholars and museum professionals and an enthusiastic and supportive constituency, the institution is positioned for extraordinary achievements in the century ahead. I am delighted to have been a part of that quest.”

A graduate of Smith College, Northampton, Mass., Mrs. Rowland’s professional experience was in publishing and in development for not-for-profit organizations.  Her volunteer associations and board services in Kansas City have focused on historic preservation and the visual and performing arts.  She is a farmer, a horsewoman and an amateur musician.

The museum begins its fiscal year May 1 with the following members on the Board of Trustees: Mrs. Helzberg, Mrs. Rowland, Charles S. Sosland, Mary Atterbury, Robert Bernstein, Paul DeBruce, Laura Fields, David Fowler, J. Scott Francis, J. Peter Gattermeir, Richard C. Green Jr., Julia Irene Kauffman, Alan R. Marsh, Kent Sunderland, Elizabeth Bloch Uhlmann, Adelaide C. Ward, Maurice Watson, and Chairs Emeriti Henry W. Bloch, Donald J. Hall and Estelle Sosland.

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Artists with Disabilities Featured at First Friday Reception May 3

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Kellie Houx
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The Whole Person (TWP) will highlight 17 local artists with disabilities at the third annual “Expressions” reception on Friday, May 3, at the Jones Gallery (1717 Walnut St., KCMO).

Expressions is a First Fridays art show, free and open to the public, featuring wine and cheese, live entertainment, and an opportunity to meet artists with a diverse range of talents and abilities. Artists include Jorge Castillo, Tiffany Hart, Sean Houlihan, Rauchelle McNeal, Waunder Oshinbanjo, Linda Pluschke, Andrew Rosenbarger, Chad Sellhorst, Gene Smith, Nancy Thane, Monica Viren, Brandon Aspenlieder, Joe Franklin, Andrescia Hooten, Sean S., Lesley Johnston and Allan Burgess. Artists will share their stories at Expressions, for example:

  • Lesley Johnston: Lesley’s stroke in 2003 left her with limited mobility, but her passion of designing and making jewelry only improved. She enjoys the artistic process of buying beads and making beautiful pieces of jewelry. “Jewelry makes me feel special and I hope that my pieces do the same for others. My greatest pleasure is seeing someone wear my art with pride.”
  • Allan Burgess: Allan has lived in Topeka and Oklahoma for most of his life and is an enrolled member of the Comanche Tribe of Oklahoma. A self-taught, lifelong artist, Allan pulls from his Native American heritage to create art that promotes self-healing. “My art has also been a recovery tool as I have coped with mental illness.  Vivid colors are used to depict emotions and I hope the viewer gains enjoyment from the art.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2011 American Community Survey), 10 percent of the population in the Kansas City metropolitan area has a disability.  However, the number of people with disabilities represented in the art community as artists and gallery visitors is well below 10 percent. Expressions seeks to break down the physical and attitudinal barriers of Kansas City’s rich and vibrant arts community for individuals with disabilities.

“Our goal is to help individuals with disabilities discover their own artistic abilities, expose the public to professional level artwork of people with disabilities and educate the community about the therapeutic power of art in the lives of individuals with disabilities,” says David Robinson, CEO of TWP. “We encourage everyone to join us for this opportunity to celebrate the strengths, talents, and abilities of people with disabilities.”

Accessibility options provided for the reception include Braille and large print formats of the event program, volunteer guides for descriptive audio tours, sign language interpreters, and an accessible restroom. Expressions is sponsored by UMB.

About The Whole Person
The Whole Person is a Center for Independent Living founded in 1978 as a private, non-residential, non-profit organization providing a full range of community-based services for people with disabilities.  For more than 30 years, TWP has been a leader in representing people with both mental and physical disabilities and providing independent living services to residents of Kansas and Missouri. TWP assists people with disabilities to live independently and encourages change within the community to expand opportunities for independent living.

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Park University’s International Center for Music Season Finale Concert Features Sayevich and Lisovskaya-Sayevich

Posted on April 29, 2013 by admin
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Sayevich_BenThe International Center for Music at Park University will hold its final concert of its 2012-13 concert season on Friday, May 10. The concert will feature violinist Ben Sayevich, Park professor of music/violin, and his wife, pianist Lolita Lisovskaya-Sayevich, ICM collaborative pianist. The concert will be held in Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel on the University’s Parkville Campus starting at 7:30 p.m.

The duo is scheduled to perform Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Sonata K. 454” and Edvard Grieg’s “Sonata No. 3, Op 45 in C Minor.” In the second half of the concert, the Sayevichs will be joined by Kansas City Symphony principal violist Christine Grossman, violinist David Radzynski, graduate student in violin performance and ICM teaching assistant, and Daniel Veis, visiting assistant professor of music/cello, in a performance of Johannes Brahms’ “Piano Quintet, Op. 34 in F Minor.”

The Lithuanian-Israeli Sayevich has established himself as one of the most distinguished violinists and teachers of his generation. He is featured as the soloist in a recording of Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” with the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, and at the New England Conservatory, he was chosen to play the “Violin Concerto” by Alban Berg for the celebration of the composer’s centenary.

Lisovskaya_LolitaOriginally from Uzbekistan, Lisovskaya-Sayevich is an accomplished pianist. She won first prize at the Chopin International Piano Competition in Göttingen, Germany, in 1993; the Nikolai Rubinstein International Piano Competition in 1996; and the Iowa Piano International Competition in 2007. She studied under Stanislav Ioudenitch in the ICM, earning a graduate certificate in 2008.

Admission to the concert is $15 for the general public; $10 for senior citizens (age 60 and older); and $5 for children (age 12 and under). Park University students, faculty and staff are admitted free with their Park ID. To purchase tickets in advance, call (816) 584-6202 before 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 9.

The International Center for Music at Park University was established to foster the exchange of master teacher/performers, renowned young musicians and programs from countries across the globe. The education of emerging musicians is at the philosophical core of the Center’s mission and the quality of that training crucial to great artistry. The focus of the Center is on piano and strings performance. Ingrid Stolzel is the director of the ICM.

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Philharmonia of Greater Kansas City’s 25th Season Finale Concert Set for May 5

Posted on April 29, 2013 by admin
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 The Philharmonia of Greater Kansas City, which is celebrating its 25th season, will hold its season finale concert, “Victory and Triumph,” on Sunday, May 5. The concert, which will be held in the Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel on Park University’s Parkville Campus, begins at 3 p.m.

The program is scheduled to include Wagner’s Prelude to Die Meistersinger,  conducted by the Theodore Albrecht, Ph.D., founder of the Philharmonia and a former Park University music instructor. Ashley Tini, a past winner of the Philharmonia’s Collegiate Solo Honors Competition, will perform Rosauro’s Marimba Concerto. In addition, the concert will include Dvorak’s exciting Symphony No. 8 in G Major. Following the concert, there will be a post-concert talk with the Philharmonia’s conductor/music director Travis Jürgens and various orchestra members.

Jürgens is in his third season as conductor and music director of the Philharmonia. Jürgens, who took second place in the American Prize in Conducting – Orchestra Division in 2011, is also the assistant conductor of the Boulder (Colo.) Philharmonic. He recently served as associate conductor of the Lamont Symphony Orchestra and Opera Theatre in Denver. Visit www.kcphilharmonia.org/#!our-conductor/c3zs for a complete biography on Jürgens.

Admission to the concert is $15 for reserved front seating ($10 for senior citizens 65 and older); $10 for adult general admission; and $5 for students and senior citizens 65 and older. Park University students, faculty and staff (with their Park ID), as well as children age 12 and younger, are admitted free. For an additional $10, concert-goers can attend the post-concert talk. Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.kcphilharmonia.org.

The Philharmonia of Greater Kansas City, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit community orchestra sponsored in part by Park University, is comprised of members who are drawn from the Kansas City metropolitan area. It provides talented musicians an opportunity to satisfy their love of classical music while providing affordable and accessible high quality entertainment to a variety of audiences. Membership in the orchestra is open by audition to qualified adults and students who rehearse weekly under the guidance of area professional musicians. The mission of the Philharmonia is to engage communities by entertaining and educating through music. The Philharmonia is funded in part by a Missouri Arts Council grant, a state agency and division of the Missouri Department of Economic Development.

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Charlotte Street Foundation Presents Sycamore House

Posted on April 29, 2013 by admin
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Asian drummerCharlotte Street is pleased to host Sycamore House, a series of performances presented and curated by Kansas City composer and musician, Shawn Hansen. This May 4th showcase is the third in the series and features performances by local and out of town artists. For this spring installment of the Sycamore House Series, the focus is on improvisation.  The spirit of improvisation is a part of all music making and creative endeavors.  The Sycamore House Series strives to support improvisation across all genres.  This spring show celebrates improvised music in one of its purest forms.  The collaboration of out-of-town percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani and saxophonist Michael Doneda focuses on exploration of sound and the pulse while not adhering to conventional rhythms and song structures.  A different way of organizing sound comes out in every performance while still searching for and challenging what we see, hear, and describe as beautiful.

Date:     Saturday, May 4, 2013
Time:     Doors open at 8pm, show starts at 9pm
Venue:    Paragraph / 23 East 12th St. KCMO 64105
Tickets: $8 suggested donation
Featured Artists:

Out of Town – Tatsuya Nakatani, percussionist; and Michael Dondea, saxophonist

ABOUT TATSUYA NAKATANI

Tatsuya Nakatani is a creative percussionist originally from Osaka, Japan. He has been residing in the USA since 1994 and is currently based in Easton, PA. Since the late 1990s, Mr. Nakatani has released over sixty recordings in the USA and Europe and has performed countless solo percussion concerts through intensive touring.

Nakatani’s approach to music is visceral, non-linear and intuitively primitive, expressing an unusually strong spirit while avoiding any categorization. He creates sound via both traditional and extended percussion techniques, utilizing drums, bowed gongs, cymbals, singing bowls, metal objects and bells, as well as various sticks, kitchen tools and homemade bows, all of which manifest in an intense and organic music that represents a very personal sonic world. His approach is steeped in the sensibilities of free improvisation, experimental music, jazz, rock, and noise, and yet retains the sense of space and quiet beauty found in traditional Japanese folk music. His percussion instruments can imitate the sounds of a trumpet, a stringed instrument or an electronic device to the extent that it becomes difficult to recognize the source of the sound. He has devoted himself to a musical aesthetic where rhythm gives way to pulse, often in a way that is not always audible or visible, in currents that incorporate silence and texture. Nakatani’s primary music activities include solo percussion performance, N.G.O. (Nakatani Gong Orchestra) and collaborations with musicians and dancers both in live performance and recordings.

saxophonistABOUT MICHAEL DONEDA
Over the years, Michel Doneda (b. 1954) has developed one of the most extensive musical vocabularies in free improvisation. A specialist of the soprano saxophone, he has gradually moved from left-field jazz to the fringes of free improv ever since he began to lead his own sessions in the early ‘80s. His playing can be at turns lyrical, playful, or raucous, and can switch from the liveliness of street melodies to circular breathing, microscopic sounds, or shrieking outbursts. His most frequent recording and performing partners over the years have included singer Beñat Achiary, percussionist Lê Quan Ninh, hurdy-gurdy player Dominique Regef, and bassist Barre Phillips.

ABOUT CHARLOTTE STREET
Over 16 years, Charlotte Street has challenged, nurtured, and empowered thousands of artists, almost $900,000 in awards and grants to artists and their projects, and connected individual artists to each other and to the greater Kansas City community. Charlotte Street – with its community of artists – strives to be a primary catalyst in making Kansas City a vibrant, creative metropolis, alive with collaboration, passion, ideas, and surprise. For more information about Charlotte Street, its awards, programs, and initiatives, visit www.charlottestreet.org

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Kacico Dance Presents 2013 Song and Dance Project with Flannigan’s Right Hook

Posted on April 29, 2013 by admin
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Performances during May and June First Friday in the Kansas City Crossroads District

(Left to Right) Flannigan’s Right Hook with Kacico Dancer Holly Noel Harmison at April First Friday at Event Port 208.

(Left to Right) Flannigan’s Right Hook with Kacico Dancer Holly Noel Harmison at April First Friday at Event Port 208.

The 2013 Song and Dance Project is a captivating collaborative performance between Kacico Dance and Kansas City Irish Band, Flannigan’s Right Hook. Five out of seven company dancers have created new and innovative choreography to covered and original songs by Flannigan’s.  They will perform an hour long concert, live, during May and June First Friday’s celebration in the Kansas City Crossroads District. The Song and Dance Project continues Kacico’s tradition of interdisciplinary collaboration offering opportunities to talented performance artists in the greater Kansas City area.

2013 Song and Dance Project

1.) Date: Friday, May 3, 2013

Time: Show starts at 7 p.m.

Venue: The Promise Wedding and Event Space, 1814 Oak Street, Kansas City, MO 64108

2.) Date: Friday, June 7, 2013

Time: Show starts at 7 p.m.

Venue: The Bauer, 115 W. 18th Street, Kansas City, MO 64108

Tickets: Free to the public/Accepting donations

Featuring:  Kacico Dance and Flannigan’s Right Hook

Performance details: www.kacicodance.org

ABOUT KACICO DANCE

Kacico Dance is a professional nonprofit contemporary dance company from Kansas City, Missouri under the co-artistic direction of Allison McKinzie, Holly Noel Harmison, and Maggie Osgood Nicholls.  These three artists are dedicated to preserving and developing the artistic excellence of the company. Kacico creates and maintains a diverse dance repertory facilitated by artistic skill, knowledge, creative questioning, experimentation, and collaboration.  The company perpetuates the existence, exploration, and education of modern dance and its developmental forms. Kacico presents public concerts and programs locally and regionally in a variety of presentational forms for audience enjoyment, enrichment and cultural education. Kacico has presented work at the Folly Theatre, Gem Theatre, H&R Block City Stage Theatre, The Carlsen Center, and numerous non-traditional dance spaces in the Kansas City Metro Area over the past 8 years. Company dancers are Allison McKinzie, Holly Noel Harmison, Maggie Nicholls, Leigh Murray, Mallory Gittemeier, Chelsea Koenig, and Katie Metzger.  Kacico Dance is currently a Charlotte Street Foundation Urban Culture Project Studio Resident.  For more about Kacico, go to: www.kacicodance.org

ABOUT FLANNIGAN’S RIGHT HOOK

Flannigan’s Right Hook is a Kansas City band with Irish, Rock, and Folk influences. Band members Cameron Russell, Shane Borth and Michael Cochran started the band in 2006. Current play lists by the boys include classic Irish standards – ballads and tunes – and also a whole slew of songs from the world of American country music, classic tracks, bluegrass, as well as original compositions and songs.  You can hear Flannigan’s Right Hook at several establishments across the Kansas City Metro area. They can be seen at Tom Foolery’s on the Plaza, Kelly’s Pub in Westport, The Dubliner in the Power and Light District,  Lylwelyn’s and The Roxy in Overland Park, and O’Malley’s Pub in Weston.  For more about Flannigan’s Right Hook go to:  www.facebook.com/flannigansrighthook

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The Rhythm of Ragtime

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Kellie Houx
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ragtime

The Musical Classic Whirls Its Way into the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre

By Kellie Houx, Editor | Photos by Brad Austin

The musical style known as ragtime swept the nation, rolling over performers, composers and audiences with an infectious syncopated beat that took over piano halls and Main Street parlor’s during the early 1900s. With roving composers and musicians such as Scott Joplin, ragtime became a calling card as well. In many ways, ragtime created the beat upon which social change moved to … And the music is clearly part of the musical, Ragtime, based on author E.L. Doctorow’s 1975 novel. The Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre will present the musical May 29 to June 16.

The musical, with a book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and music by Stephen Flaherty includes marches, cakewalks, gospel and ragtime. The story depicts three groups: the affluent whites, Eastern European immigrants and African Americans.

For Robert Gibby Brand, Tateh, the familiar name for father in Yiddish, is a character designed for empathy. With his daughter, Little Girl (unnamed), the audience sees a gentle character determined to give his daughter all he can. “I have a daughter myself to I can connect easily to Tateh,” Brand says. “Just imagine, all that he has is his daughter so he is tied to her. I strongly identify with him so it could be a challenge to rein in my emotions playing him.” Tateh’s journey brings him across Mother’s path and on to Hollywood.

Karen Paisley, founder of the MET, plays another pivotal role as Mother. She sees the lack of names as a way to clearly identify her role. “It’s pretty intentional and in a way, archetypical, when you are presented with Mother, Father, Mother’s Younger Brother, Grandfather, and the Little Boy, I think of a certain societal circle or that gated community.”

Charles Fugate takes on the elegance and role of Father, the patriarch of the white upper-class family in New Rochelle, N.Y. While the audience never learns his character’s first name, Fugate puts Father into a different perspective than others might. “We all have a mom and dad or someone
who bears that sort of moniker,” he says. “By calling the characters Mother and Father, there is immediacy to the
roles and personally, I see the audience building a more intimate relationship.”

Both Paisley and Fugate believe their characters respond fairly well to social justice with Mother leading this charge. “When Mother is presented with finding Sarah’s baby and then taking both in, it’s a little like a birth for Mother; she is like Athena, fully armored and ready for battle. She’s pragmatic and caring. She’s kind and romantic. She reaches out and holds on to Sarah and her baby. Really her actions throw a lot into motion, but her power is something really special. She essentially becomes a working mother and foreshadows the women who worked in munitions during World War II. I think she’d make a good friend.”

Fugate says Father represents that affluent male his time. “He has those qualities of leader of the family that was very traditional during the late 19th century and early 20th century. He thinks his wife will comply, but when she doesn’t, he has to confront this changing world.”

Fugate sees Father as a good man who is torn by what is happening in the world around him, but also strong in his support of his wife. As for the end of this rich tapestry of the American life of the early 1900s, the audience will leave humming tunes such as Sarah’s duet with Coalhouse, Wheels of a Dream or Mother and Tateh’s duet, Nothing Like the City. “Every established generation thinks the generation behind them is going to hell in a hand basket, but rather than seeing people in categories, groups or races, Ragtime gives us all a chance to see people for who they are. It’s a touching musical that takes aim at real hearts and minds,” Fugate says.

Justin McCoy plays Coalhouse Walker Jr. It’s a role that he may have been destined to play. McCoy not only sings, but he has played piano since he was 4 and the role seemingly works better when the actor can genuinely play a little ragtime too. “I understand Coalhouse,” he says. “I understand him as a musician. I can appreciate him as a man who is seeking love.” He is also a professional organist and sings opera with the Lyric Opera chorus.

McCoy says Coalhouse, during the setting of the early 1900s, represents a rare African-American who has education, freedoms and resources. He even owned his own car. Brand says Coalhouse may even represent how the world unravels. “I think she sees Father and kind and noble and really everyone in her world should be noble, but then she finds out people are human,” Paisley says. “The other change that becomes apparent to Mother and Father is how spouses change over time.”

There is also a movie based on Doctorow’s novel, which McCoy watched. He is immersed in the script and enjoys the historical figures that interact with the fictional characters.Coalhouse has a heated discussion with Civil Rights leader Booker T. Washington who advocated a “go slow” approach to avoid a harsh white backlash.

“I get Coalhouse’s passion, but his extreme anger is difficult for me,” McCoy says. “With Booker, the audience gets another taste of the social movements going on at the time. The tragedy is that doing what is right with a violent bent will most likely end poorly. So often, we stand beside and behind social media when we should be encouraged to speak out. Of course, I am sure hoping a few people fall in love with ragtime music.”

McCoy’s onstage love, Teal Holliday, plays Sarah, a strong spirit who stumbles, but seeks out what is right. “I’ve been obsessed with this show for years. I knew I wanted to be Sarah, but personally the skills I am learning is to have that more reserved inner strength, but not necessarily being timid. Like Coalhouse, Sarah wants to be loved and to love. So I do think most of us will relate to them. I want an audience to feel moved as they watch what the characters are going through.” Of course, it doesn’t hurt that her idol, Audra McDonald, won a Tony for the role. “I am working so hard to be Sarah.” Ironically, McCoy wasn’t sure he would audition until vocal director Ben Gulley called him.

Jordan Haas, 11, is a young actor in town. His role as the Little Boy puts him front and center. The musical is basically told through his eyes. “My character is that role that sort of knows the future and tells the audience. My mom and I have been researching what boys my age did in 1906. It’s pretty cool.”

The other child in the show is Megan Walstrom, 12. She plays the young daughter of Tateh, a Jewish immigrant from Latvia. Her voice teacher has been working with her on the Russian accent. “We are flying to Atlanta to see a production so I can be better acquainted with the musical. No matter what, I am excited to take on the challenge of this show.”

Some of the historic figures laced through the musical include escape artist and magician Harry Houdini, industrialist J.P. Morgan, automobile designer Henry Ford, Civil Rights activist Booker T. Washington and anarchist Emma Goldman.

Ragtime was both exciting and threatening to America’s youth and staid polite society, respectively. The excitement came from syncopation–the displacing of the beat from its regular and assumed course of meter. Syncopation caused an individual to feel a propulsion, swing, and if played correctly, a musical looseness generally unknown to the public at large. Jeremy Watson, musical director, will be referencing many musical styles. “The challenge is to make sure we have the right instruments in the pit such as banjo and harmonica. It’s also a daring and demanding score. It’s a large ensemble of 32 that covers a lot of material and story. It’s an ambitious undertaking, but if we do it right, it’s like witnessing magic. I saw in on Broadway and had to have the musical right away.”

For Paisley, who enjoys ending the MET season with a musical, calls Ragtime “a story that you will show the multiple layers of community and just how often those layers overlap. No man or woman really can be an island.”

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Building Community through the Arts

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Kellie Houx
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Community Center

By Kellie Houx | Editor
Photos courtesy Jewish Community Center’s White Theatre

Community theater has a strong foothold at 115th and Nall in Johnson County. Tucked away behind the bluffs near the Sprint Center campus, the Jewish Community Center’s White Theatre and all the artistic opportunities that take the stage are sometimes overlooked. For Cultural Arts Director Krista Lang Blackwood, the need to be seen is part of her plans.

For eight seasons, the White Theatre has produced plays, musicals and at least one big summer musical annually. If the plays and musicals call for larger casts, it is rarely an issue to find actors and actresses. Finding an audience that will come to Johnson County from all over the metropolitan community is a little tougher.

“Our shows usually have some Jewish content or reflect a Jewish value. We have been able to increase direct Jewish content with our new visiting artists series, bringing in groups like The Maccabeats and Joshua Nelson’s Kosher gospel. In our community theater, establishing a Jewish connection is not too difficult because Jewish values are human values. Take a concept like tikkun olam, a Jewish value translated ‘repairing the world.’ It’s not just a Jewish value. It’s universal. You can always find Jewish values in theater productions that have nothing to do with Jewish culture. If I can make Jewish connections to Avenue Q, I can make Jewish connections to almost anything” Blackwood says.

In early April, the theater presented The Diary of Anne Frank. “I met with the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education, which is also housed at the Jewish Community Campus, and their scholars expressed some trepidation. Turns out the play is stripped of many of the Jewish references one finds in the diary because of Otto Frank, Anne’s father. Mr. Frank has been quoted that he didn’t want it to be a ‘Jewish play.’ For Frank, the play’s mission was to generalize Anne’s experience so that it becomes an existential one, not a specifically historical one. For Holocaust scholars and educators, this is a problem. But it’s also a teaching moment for our audiences,” Blackwood says.

The final show of the 2012-2013 season is Hairspray. This year, Johnson County Theatre in the Park and the Jewish Community Center will co-produce the show. “It’s a new collaboration, an experiment. We share much of the same on-stage talent but we are also hoping to expand the community-at-large reach by putting »»
the musical up here and at the park.” The show runs July 13-28 at the Jewish Community Center and then at Theatre in the Park Aug. 2-4 and 8-10.

Hairspray examines the early 1960s and the concepts of social justice, integration and body images. “Audiences can be entertained. Other patrons like to dig deeper and we’ve begun to structure ways for them to do that, particularly with talk-backs after the shows. These interactive meetings usually grow through the run of a show. As an example, in February, we presented the musical Next to Normal. After each show, we hosted talk-backs with social workers, therapists, individuals living with mental illness and their families. Each subsequent performance drew more folks in to the theater and as the show ran, more and more stayed for the talk-backs. That’s theater operating at another, deeper level.” In programming a season, Blackwood says, “the trick is about creating balance and variety.”

The 2013-2014 season starts with Les Miserables 7:30 p.m., Nov. 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 24 and 2 p.m., Nov. 10 and 17. The musical will again be directed by Mark Swezey the long-time director at the White Theatre. “We snapped the show up as soon as we could,” Blackwood says. “This is a huge show that we have been building towards for the past couple of years …” Other shows and guest artists include Paul Mesner Puppets presents Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins, based on a book by Eric Kimmel in late November. Songwriter and public radio host Ben Sidran offers a discussion on his book, There Was A Fire: Jews, Music and the American Dream, Dec. 15. Tim Bair, the artistic director at Johnson County Theatre in the Park, will direct Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs in mid-January 2014. Director Barb Nichols and musical director Martha Risser take on Stephen Sondheim’s Company in February. Shane Bertram Baker presents his show The Big Bupkis! A Complete Gentile’s Guide to Yiddish Vaudeville March 9 and 10. Director Darren Sextro will work with community actors in To Kill a Mockingbird in April. Jewish rocker Rick Recht arrives April 27. Monty Python’s Spamlot, under the direction of Swezey, ends the season in July.

And if Blackwood could look into the future, she would want more people around the metropolitan area to find the White Theatre. “Our main goal is to create community through arts. I often get asked about what special rules people need to follow if they are seeing a show at the Jewish Community Center. ‘Do I need to wear a yarmulke or keep kosher?’ The answer? Our theater is no different than any other theater in town, in that aspect. Come as you are and enjoy the show. AND, as a bonus, parking is really easy.” Blackwood adds with a smile.

The 2014-2015 season will be the 10th Anniversary Season. It will be a combination of harkening back to then looking forward, Blackwood says. “Community theater is about building community through the arts. Think of all the families whose children are a part of our shows who become regular theatergoers because of it. It’s not just about entertaining, but we are creating a community of people who appreciate the arts.”•

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