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Theater update: Playhouse schedules one-offs, auditions

The El Paso Playhouse is going to be a busy place over the next couple of weeks.

After its current production of "Murder on the Nile" ends Jan. 28, the little theater that could will host a single performance of another murder mystery, "Sherlock Holmes and the Muskgrave Incident," at 8 p.m. Feb. 3.

It'll be done readers theater style and directed by regular Ken Forestal.

Tickets are $7.

Vanessa Keyser, the theater's jack of all trades, will direct "A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and a Prayer," sort of an adjunct to Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues," at 8 p.m. Feb. 4.

It features monologues on the subject of violence against women, written by famous authors, actors and playwrights.

Admission is $10, with half of the proceeds going to various women's charities.

It's in conjunction with Domestic Violence month in February and UTEP's annual staging of "The Vagina Monologues" Feb. 24-25 at Magoffin Auditorium.

The theater's next regular production is Warren Manzi's "Perfect Crime," directed by Jan H. Wolfe.

It will run weekends Feb. 10-March 3.

One last thing: the theater will have auditions for its April 20-May 12 production of "The Temperamentals," about the formation of the first gay rights organization in America, at 7 p.m. Feb. 26-27.

All events will be at the Playhouse, 2501 Montana, 532.1317, elpasoplayhouse.com.

 

Concert update: Get Fluffy's autograph, help worthy cause

Funnyman Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias will head to town nine days before his show at the Don Haskins Center to help a good cause.

He'll do a meet-and-greet at noon Feb. 1 at the Walmart Supercenter at 4530 Woodrow Bean, just off Transmountain Road and U.S. 54.

He's promoting the DVD of his new Comedy Central show, "Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand-Up Revolution."

Fluffy will sign autographs and pose for pictures, and everytime someone says "Mike Dee sent me," he'll donate $5 to Mike Dee's Big Adventure.

It's a foundation that Dee, who hosts the Power 102 morning show with Patti Diaz, set up to send blind and visually impaired kids on trips.

"It raises money and takes other blind people on field trips to San Antonio and other places," Iglesias said in a phone interview today. "They're able to go places where they can touch things. Like the last trip was to SeaWorld, and they were able to touch whales and dolphins. ... The last couple of times I've made donations to help that happen."

Fluffy, long an El Paso favorite, plays his first local arena show at 8 p.m. Feb. 10 at the Don. Tickets are $40 at Ticketmaster.

 

Concert update: Tom Russell to play Scottish Temple in April

There was a time when Tom Russell performed around here at least once a year.

He hasn't played a show in his adopted hometown since 2005, and his last area appearance was Nov. 7, 2009 at Las Cruces' Rio Grande Theatre.

That'll change April 21 when Russell, touting excellent new album "Mesabi," performs at the historic Scottish Rite Temple Theatre.

Tickets are on sale yet, but they'll go for $22 in advance, $25 at the door. All That Music & Video will be an outlet.

 

Movie update: 'Ben-Hur' riding in for special XD screenings

What could be better than seeing "Ben-Hur" on the big screen at the Plaza Theatre?

Maybe seeing it — and its nine-minute chariot race — on an even bigger screen in XD.

Cinemark's Tinseltown 20 will be one of 54 movie theaters across the country to show the restored, 50th anniversary edition of the 1959 classic "Ben-Hur" on Feb. 2.

The chain, based in Plano, and Warner Bros. Pictures teamed up for the special screenings of an XD print, which will be at 2 and 7 p.m. that day.

XD is a Cinemark technology that approximates the IMAX movie experience, which should lend itself well to director William Wyler's 11-time Academy Award-winning epic, which starred Charlton Heston.

Tickets are $11, $8.50 for seniors and children, on sale at the theater box office and cinemark.com.

 

 

Win tix to Steve Aoki's Coliseum show

Electronic dance music star Steve Aoki has worked his way up from the clubs to theaters and arenas on his just-launched "Deadmeat" tour, including a Jan. 28 show at the Coliseum.

I've been given a pair of tickets, valued at $35 each, to give away to the show.

The first one to answer the following trivia question in the comments section below gets the tickets.

Deadline is noon Jan. 26.

Question: One of Aoki's collaborators on his new "Wonderland" artist debut album is [[[zuper blahq]]].

Who is that?

Movie update: 'Wicker Tree,' Burning Man, 'Time Freak' connection

A small film called "The Wicker Tree" from the makers of the 1973 cult classic "The Wicker Man" goes into limited release in 10 cities on Jan. 27 — Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Detroit, Phoenix, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Columbus, Portland and ... El Paso?

What gives? 

Credit the annual Plaza Classic Film Festival, whose artistic director, Charles Horak, booked the movie's composer, John Scott, to perform at the first festival with the El Paso Symphony Orchestra.

 "The Wicker Tree" producer Peter Snell was looking for a place to test screen his movie about two Christian evangelicals who meet their doom at the hands of Scottish pagans. Scott suggested El Paso.

Snell flew here  early last year to scout locations and show Horak a rough cut of the then-unfinished thriller.

"We showed him around the Philanthropy Theatre, which he thought was the perfect venue," Horak said. "He wanted something more middle of the country, not New York or LA, to do a test screening."

But Snell, who oversaw the film's editing, didn't have a distributor so he decided against it. Instead, he debuted it last July at the Fantasia Festival in Montreal. Michigan's Anchor Bay, known mostly for its low-budget DVD releases, picked up the distribution rights.

Snell, who owns British Lion, a heritage British film company, returned to El Paso last August for the Plaza Classic, where "The Wicker Man" and "Antony and Cleopatra," both of which he produced, were shown.

Snell said Anchor Bay gave him a list of 20 possible cities in which to open the movie on Jan. 27 and he wanted El Paso to be one of the the 10 that got it.

"I did it from an emotional point of view and great affection for Chuck. I said if you're going to pick 10 cities, let's get El Paso into the mix," Snell said from Los Angeles.

It will show at Cinemark's Cielo Vista Cinemas.

"The boys at Anchor Bay were scratching their heads when I said ... Why not give El Paso a try," Snell added.

Snell reprised his role as producer, joining Robin Hardy, 82, the original film's director, who wrote and directed this new story. It was shot in the late 2000s in Scotland and Dallas with a no-name cast, though Christopher Lee, who was in the original, makes a cameo.

Snell is worried about how it will do here amidst a crop of bigger budget, better promoted movies. "It's a small British film with no major names, but they've gone to town on the Internet with all the horror websites," Snell said. "Not that this is a horror movie."

Like its predecessor, it has elements of horror, but "not in today's sense," he said.

Horak described it as having "a cult sensibility to it."

"In that regard, some things will come across as different for fans of that genre," Horak said. "It's approach is different than the typical American genre film like it."

In other words, there's no disemboweling.

Snell hopes "Wicker Man" fans, college students and word-of-mouth will help the film have a respectable showing at the box-office this week.

"They'll look at the numbers," he said, "and decide if it will go into April as a DVD and Blu-ray or continue to open in other cities, particularly college towns."

In other movie news:

• Folks who go to Nevada's almost anything-goes Burning Man festival are called "burners."

You can learn about them and a whole lot more when Club 101 screens El Paso native Doug Jacobson's Burning Man documentary "Journey to the Flames" at 2:30 p.m. Jan. 29.

It's free.

Jacobson, now based in LA, is a veteran burner who has his own camp there.

He'll attend the screening and answer questions about the movie and the festival, which takes place each August in a remote desert spot 120 miles from Reno, Nev.

He'll be joined by El Pasoan and festival regular Steve Osborn. Jacobson's uncle and aunt, David and Jeryl Marcus, who've attended the last two Burning Mans, also will be on hand to answer questions.

Jeryl Marcus said the screening is both a chance to show off the work of a native son (he's the son of El Paso Symphony Orchestra Executive Director Ruth Ellen Jacobson) and help the newly relocated 101 kick start plans to host more movie screenings.

Burning Man is known for its almost tribe-like vibe, music, art, installations and, of course, the annual burning of a large wooden figure of a man. The next one will be Aug. 27-Sept. 3.

Marcus encourages people to dress in costume in the spirit of the burners who go regularly. "You're supposed to go as your alter-ego," she said, "so maybe you've got a wig or something you can wear."

In addition to the panel discussion, the film will be followed by a performance by the Odd-Labs, a flame-spinning group, on the back patio.

Call the club at 544.2101 for more info. It's sponsored by Borderburners of El Paso/Las Cruces.

• Gigi Causey, a Hanks High and UT Austin grad, is the producer of "Time Freak," a time-travel comedy that was nominated for an Academy Award on Tuesday.

It's up for Best Live Action Short Film.

Congrats to her!

The film, written and directed by Anthony Bowler, debuted in November 2010 at the AFI festival.

The Oscars will be handed out Feb. 26.

 

 

 

 

Concert update: Fixed Idea, Willie Nelson, Brad Paisley, StoryCorps, Canasta and more

El Paso ska band Fixed Idea plans to celebrate its 20th anniversary (20 years, wow, impressive) with a live album and DVD.

They'll get started Jan. 27 with a 9:30 p.m. show at the House of Rock Live, 8838 Viscount.

The nine-man band plans to record and film the show.

"Although our anniversary will be celebrated in August of this year, our goal is to gain momentum with many concerts and events leading up to the anniversary," the band's Pancho Mendoza writes, "also to release 2 albums before the anniversary celebration in August."

Frontera Bugalu, who released their new album last month, and DJ Souldies will open the show.

Cover is $5 at the door, $10 for those 18 to 20 years old.

In other news:

• Tickets for the March 3 Willie Nelson show at the Plaza Theatre are $40, $50 and $70, plus service charges.

They go on sale at 10 a.m. Jan. 28 at the box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and 800.745.3000.

This will be Willie's first EP show since Jan. 7, 2010 at the Chavez. He was popped for six ozs. of pot in Sierra Blanca later that year, and ordered to pay a fine of nearly $800 last spring.

Wonder if he'll invite Snoop along?

• Speaking of country music, tickets for Brad Paisley's Feb. 17  "Virtual Reality" world tour (he dropped that goofy "Camobunga" tour name last month) stop at NMSU's Pan Am Center are all sold out.

Bobbie Welch, who handles events and marketing for the arena, said a total of 8,907 tickets have been sold to the Feb. 17 show, which also features hot comers Band Perry and Scotty McCreery.

• By day, he's Jim Murphy, mild-mannered development director for the El Paso Museum of History.

By night, he's Austin Jimmy Murphy, singer, guitarist, bluesman.

Murphy is raising money via Kickstarter for an ambitious 4-CD project called "Blues in Black & White: A History of the Blues," a collection of 47 songs, most of them original, recorded with various musicians from central New York state, where Murphy used to live.

He's planning a limited pressing of 500, which will include a 12-page booklet chronicling the writing and recording of the songs.

"I (am) excited for many reasons," he says. "I think the musicianship will be recognized nationally and I think my current group and I will be offered a lot of festival gigs nationally ... at least that is my goal."

If you're interested in contributing, click here.

• Speaking of national exposure, El Paso cellist Zuill Bailey, who's pretty busy promoting El Paso Pro-Musica's El Paso Chamber Music Festival right now, will plug his new album, "Dvorak: Cello Concerto," on Sirius XM's Symphony Hall channel (channel 76) at 7 p.m. Jan. 26 and 3 p.m. Jan. 28.

He'll play some samples of the CD, recorded last year with Jun Markl and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, which was released  Jan. 17. 

Bailey is artistic director of Pro-Musica. Its festival continues with concerts, movies and recitals through Feb. 5.

Go to the Pro-Musica website for more info.

• Speaking of radio, StoryCorps' silver Airstream motor home will roll into Mesilla Feb. 9 to record and preserve the stories of local people.

The crew plans to record 129 interviews by the time it leaves on March 4.

The talks will run 40 minutes and will be between two people who know or are familiar with each other. They will be guided by a StoryCorps facilitator.

Participants will be given a free CD of their interview. With their permission, a second copy will be archived at the Library of Congress' American Folklife Institute.

StoryCorps' MobileBooth recording studio will be parked at the placita there.

Those interested in being interviewed can call its 24-hour reservation line, 800.850.4406, or go to storycorps.org, beginning at 10 a.m. Jan. 26.

Additional appointments may be made Feb. 10.

The nonprofit project is teaming with NMSU station KRWG, which will air some of the interviews. A station release said some interview also may air on NPR's "Morning Edition" show.

StoryCorps is an ongoing effort to record the stories of Americans of all races, ethnic groups and beliefs.

• Former El Pasoan Jeremy Beckford plays guitar and sings in Canasta, a Chicago band whose music has been described as "accessible orchestral pop music" by the Huffington Post, and which reminds me a bit of Deathcab for Cutie.

Beckford dropped us an email this week to announce that the band chosen to be cultural ambassadors for the U.S. State Department.

To that end, the group will be in Mongolia Feb. 2-12 for performances and concert and songwriting seminars.

"We'll be braving temperatures of -20 to bring our tuneful, majestic chamber pop to the plains of Mongolia," he writes. "The goal is to introduce people to US cultural music they may have otherwise not be aware and spread some good will at the same time teaching children how to play western instruments and introduce them to our songwriting craft. "

Check them out canastamusic.com.

 

 

 

Concert update: Willie on the road to El Paso again

Don't let the Hudspeth County Sheriff's Office know about this, but country legend Willie Nelson will be returning to El Paso.

The 78-year-old superstar and his band will perform March 3 at the Plaza Theatre.

Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Jan. 28. Prices have not been announced yet.

Willie last played here on Jan. 7, 2010 at the Chavez Theatre.

He was busted for six ounces of marijuana on Nov. 26, 2010 after his bus was searched at the Border Patrol checkpoint in Sierra Blanca.

That's the same one that popped rapper Snoop Dogg (who dissed them after Willie's arrest) earlier this month.

Nelson got off lightly. He was ordered to pay $787 in fines in last May.

This will mark Willie Nelson and Family's first local show since the death last month of bassist Dan "Bee" Spears.

 

 

Theater review: EPCC spells a hit with inspiring 'Spelling Bee'

Freelancer C.B. Goldsmith checked out the EPCC Theater Ensemble production of the Tony Award-winning musical "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" and was reminded of why he fell in love with theater in the first place. Here's his rave review.

 

By C.B. Goldsmith

Those of us who fall in love with theater usually do so when we're young. As with young love, we tend to become jaded somewhat over time and forget the rush and inspiration that first attracted us.

The EPCC Theater Ensemble’s production of the musical “The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," which opened Jan. 19, is simply a luminous and redemptive experience.

As with any theatrical hit, the quality begins with the material. "Spelling Bee" is a witty choice, which tells the story of the finalists in a local middle-school spelling bee. The music and comedy are sharp and touching. As the spellers compete and are whittled down in number to the final six, we see the intelligence of young scholars juxtaposed with the awkwardness of adolescence. 

The strength of this production starts with Keith Townsend's pitch-perfect direction. None of these kids is presented as that caricature whiz kid nerd. They're subtly presented as having a distinct story and precocious dignity.

Juan Andres Apodaca plays Chip, the returning champion speller of Putnam County. His acting is sophisticated, his voice is compelling. He's enthusiastic and gifted. He is that man-child caught between a child’s awkwardness and a young man’s biology. He captivated the audience early and often. 

He' matched by Gilbert Bauman-Flores as Leaf Coneybear, who, though developmentally disabled, is also a spelling savant. Bauman-Flores deftly handled the physicality of his character’s odd abilities, and his singing voice is both rich and moving. 

Both actors are EPCC students and members of its speech and debate team, which helped their performances resonate more strongly. 

The last of the boys, William Barfee, is played wonderfully by Luis Ramos. He brings sweet pathos and humor to William, the best speller who is, like the others, delightfully peculiar. Ramos' voice is strong and lush. 

Ramos, Apodaca and Bauman-Flores' mixed their voices and simple choreography to maximum effect on the song "Magic Foot."

The girls are led by the heartbreaking voice and comedy of Doris Velez as Olive. Like Ramos, she works in education, but both augment the EPCC students around them into an exhuberant, cohesive whole. Her velvet voice anchored every chorus and as her voice swelled, so, too, did the entire production.

The other girl spellers are played by Alexis Martinez and Jamie Salazar, both EPCC students (Martinez is studying musical theater, Salazar speech communication).

Martinez has the more difficult role of Logainne, the child of two gay fathers who battles their helicopter parenting and her speech impediment. Her vocals and acting were subtle and endearing. Salazar's character was written with less heft, but she gave a nuanced and arresting performance. 

Their performances in "Putnam County" were powerful reminders that EPCC puts on shows commensurate with UTEP and other Texas colleges.

Rounding out the cast but no less impressive were Margaret Rae Barreras as the spelling bee’s moderator, Ms. Perretti, and Luis Carbajal as Vice-Principal Panch. Both were funny, but had rich and soulful singing voices, too.

Alan Gonzalez was terrific as the juvenile delinquent doing his community service at the bee. His strong and full voice gives the first act’s highlight song, “Pandemonium,” its size and impact. 

But the finest musical moment was the “I Love You Song,” featuring Velez and EPCC students Shanttal Saad and Sebastian Orozco as Olive’s parents. Their voices had a sweetness and pathos that was the highlight of this soaring show.

Townsend's subtle pacing complemented each scene, joke and song. One of the play's tricks is its use of audience members to serve as spellers in the show, which adds an improvisational element to the show and the director made it work. He also chose to let his adults play kids without a false note or exaggeration, which is rare. 

These smart choices combined with the inspired performances served as powerful reminders of just how exciting and life-affirming good theater, like young love, can be. Don't miss this show. It's that good.

"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" continues at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 26-28 at the EPCC Transmountain Forum Theatre. Tickets are $10, $5 for students. Call 831-5056 for more information.

 

 

On morning routines, the paper, 'CBS This Morning' and out-of-state plates

I’m a notoriously slow riser. I used to think it was because I routinely hit the hay around 2 or 3 in the morning when I was a pop music critic in Michigan. I had to stay up late to review concerts.

I go to bed earlier these days, but getting up around 7 a.m. still feels like I’m recovering from a short course of death.

My routine includes the short trip outside to get the paper. I then swig down two invigorating cups of joe and read the paper cover to cover. I don’t fire up the electronics right away. I’ll be on a computer all day, thank you very much.

Eventually, I turn to KVIA or KFOX to check the weather and traffic. I can’t stand the histrionics, cheering crowds and trashy topics that dominate “Good Morning America” and “Today.” I don't know how George Stephanopoulos does it with a straight face. I

n recent months I’ve drifted to CBS’ quieter, newsier morning show.

Enter the new “CBS This Morning,” which debuted Jan. 9. It’s a pleasantly surprising alternative. This latest iteration boasts three anchors — Erica Hill, a holdover from the preceding ratings under-achiever, “The Early Show,” who gives it a newsy center; Gayle King, Oprah’s buddy, who seems a little awkward, for the fluffier stuff; and veteran PBS host Charlie Rose, who brings a large degree of gravitas to the mix, unusual for the morning time slot.

I’ll tell you why I like this show so far — and, no, it’s not those idiotic behind-the-scenes cutaways with the gushy and seemingly clueless interviewer. They need to go. I like it because it doesn’t shout at me. It’s not trying to sell me something I don’t want. It doesn’t cater to the lowest common denominator. It gives me some credit for being intelligent.

What sealed the deal for me was Rose’s Friday interview with filmmaker and one percenter George Lucas, who was there to push his new movie, “Red Tails,” but also answered honestly when Rose asked about his politics. Lucas bluntly decried what he called the corrupt nature of today’s “capitalist democracy,” in which billionaires (he’s one) and corporations run the show.

Agree with him or not, I watched and listened to every minute. You just don’t find that kind of substance on morning TV.

Another morning ritual is stretching. I’ve had a history of back strains resulting from arthro on both knees and a broken foot I suffered years ago playing volleyball. Having to shift my weight to one leg while injured threw my lower back out of alignment. I stretch to keep the muscles in shape and the alignment straight.

I stretch with ESPN’s “SportsCenter” on in the background. I’m so glad the Denver Broncos lost last week. I don’t have to hear ESPN’s ratings-mongering obsession with quarterback Tim Tebow anymore. Last year, it was LeBron James, Brett Favre the year before. I rooted for Tebow all season but, frankly, was sick of hearing about him.

Recently, I’ve started reading a chapter from a book each morning. Laura Hillenbrand’s “Unbroken” has made it hard to stop after one chapter. A good family friend loaned it knowing I might be interested in this riveting story about an Army Air Corps crew that crashes in the Pacific during World War II (my dad, a navigator, flew in Europe). 

I usually read at night in bed, a slow process. But I’ve read 135 pages in a few days. I can’t wait to read more tonight.

The last and least favorite part of my morning ritual is the commute to work. I don’t like taking I-10 because it’s grossly underbuilt on the Eastside, where I live, but it’s the fastest route, even if driving it feels like being in a video game.

I prefer the Border Highway, but it’s chewed up, down to one lane on each side, and the traffic often comes to a stop there. It takes too long.

I idle away the drive listening to the last few minutes of the Buzz Adams show on KLAQ (loved “Moves Like Gingrich,” the “Moves Like Jagger” parody they played Friday) and taking note of the out-of-state license plates.

If you ever need any evidence that El Paso’s a hub between eastern Texas and the western United States and the U.S. and Mexico, pay attention to the license plates. I think I’ve seen one from every state over time, not to mention a few from Mexico.

On my Friday commute, I saw plates from Texas, New Mexico and Chihuahua, of course, but also California, Arizona, Nebraska, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Maine — a lot of New Mexico semi trucks have Maine license plates. I also saw a car with a Nuevo Laredo plate.

Trivial, I know, but it gets the grey matter working for another day.