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Film update: PCFF titles, BIFF changes

You might want to take an umbrella to the Plaza Theatre when the fifth annual Plaza Classic Film Festival screens Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds."

It's one four titles confirmed for this year's festival, which runs Aug. 2-12.

The others are "Wings," the 1929 silent classic and first movie to win the Academy Award for best picture ("The Artist" is the first silent since then to win it).

Also planned, Fellini's 1960 comic drama "La Dolce Vita" and "Wattstax," the 1973 concert documentary of the '72 R&B festival in Watts.

The festival will celebrate the centennials of Universal and Paramount, along with an exhibit at the El Paso Museum of Art in honor of designer Edith Head.

In other film festival news:

• Binational Independent Film Festival director Cesar Alejandro says that Maria Victoria, one of the last film stars of Mexican cinema's golden age, has backed out of this year's festival, citing concerns about Juarez violence.

Instead, the festival will honor veteran Mexican film and TV star Julio Aleman, 68.

He joins "Crossover Dreams" director Leon Ichaso as this year's lifetime achievement honorees.

The 12th annual edition of the festival moves from January to April 13-21 this year in El Paso and Juarez.

No film titles have been announced yet.

 

 

Art update: Border Art Residency show April 5 at Sotoa

Chika Matsuda, a Japanese-born, American-based artist, will present work from her 10-month Border Art Residency from 5:30-7:30 p.m. April 5 at Sotoa Gallery, 500 W. Overland.

Called "Fragments of a Long Sentence," her so-called farewell exhibit features found object, sculpture, video and installation art.

Matsuda, who received her MFA from the University of Arizona, often uses found objects in her work, which combines elements of sculpture, video and installation.

"Matsuda's art ... contemplates the way we live our daily lives, our perception of life, and how we consume and reproduce resources," reads a release for the show. "Her work investigates the relationship between the rational and irrational, and how perception and experience are influenced by language, cultural context and histories."

The show is free, but donations will be accepted for the residency, which brings in an artist each year to live and work at a space in La Union, NM.

Concert update: EDM shows, Bleu Edmonson, Shearer, Loeb and more

Sometimes I've got so much information coming at me (make that, I've got so much info I dig up, people around here are lousy about PR) that it gets a bit overwhelming.

There are several EDM acts coming through and I can't remember which ones I've told you about and which ones I haven't, so here's a rundown.

Felix Cartal kicks off his "Double Faces" tour on March 31 in Dallas and will include an April 13 stop at Buchanan's.

It's a 9 p.m. show.

Tickets are $11, plus service charges, at fla.vor.us and $23 at All That Music & Video, which closes its Lee Trevino location on March 31 and moves to its new space at 6800 Gateway East on April 5.

Britain's Nero, touring last year's "Welcome Reality" album, will take the Buchanan's stage at 9 p.m. April 20.

Tickets for the trio's set are $21 at fla.vor.us and $23 at All That Music.

Israeli dubstepper Borgore, whose working his new "Flex" EP, headlines the cavernous club at 9 p.m. April 24.

Tickets are $15, plus SC, at fla.vor.us and $17 at ATMV.

Meanwhile, the Supernite series at the Lowbrow Palace continues tonight with Tiger & Woods at 9 ($8 for 21 and older, $11 for 18-20), Flight Facilities on April 14 ($12/$15); Matthew Dear, April 21 ($12/$15); and Jaime Thinnes, April 28 (no ticket info yet).

In more organic music news:

• Little Bit of Texas is the latest incarnation of that country bar at 5500 Doniphan. It just hosted a show by Blackberry Smoke and has booked rowdy Texan Bleu Edmondson at 9 p.m April 12.

It's an 18-and-older show. Tickets are $8 at the club, 585.2275, littlebitoftexas.us.

• Tuba player Jim Shearer, who is on the NMSU music faculty, will team up with La Catrina String Quartet for the premiere of three new pieces of chamber music at 7:30 p.m. April 12 at the NMSU Atkinson Recital Hall.

They will perform Quintet No. 1 for Tuba and Strings by Lester Pack of the University of Arkansas-Monticello faculty, "Cauterizing the Soul" by former NMSU composer Justin Raines and "Doors" by NMSU music department chair Lon Chaffin, its composer in residence.

Pack, who has written one other chamber piece for Shearer, is a jazz guitarist who will be in-residence that week. He'll join the NMSU Jazz Ensemble at 7:30 p.m. April 13. 

"Soul" is based on the poems of Dan Skelton. "Doors" is a multimedia work featuring photos by Albuquerque artist Jim Gale.

Both concerts are free.

• Local pianist Benjamin Loeb will explore the life and music of Joplin — Scott, not Janis — in "A Tribute to Scott Joplin" at 2:30 p.m. April 1 at the El Paso Museum of Art.

The free concert is a presentation of Music Forum El Paso.

The program will include "The Maple Leaf Rag," "Easy Winners" and more, says Loeb, the former El Paso Symphony Youth Orchestras music director who has recorded an album of the ragtime master's music.

Loeb's executive director of Connecticut's Greater Bridgeport Symphony Orchestra.

• Ron Hufstader will be on the podium when the UTEP Wind Symphony conducts a program of band music that includes pieces by Leonard Bernstein and Ralph Vaughn Williams.

The concert is at 7:30 p.m. April 3 in UTEP's Fox Fine Arts Center Recital Hall.

Students Jocelyn Garner and Jonathan Vogen will guest conduct.

Tickets are $5, $3 for military, seniors and non-UTEP students, free for UTEP students, faculty and staff.

 

 

 

 

Concert update: Warped presale begins, tix on sale April 5

The Vans Warped Tour presale has begun.

Today through April 5, you can get tickets to the June 29 NMSU stop for $21.99. and include a laminated 3D ticket and jump-the-line pass, a 2012 Warped compilation CD and a .25 donation to Unite the United.

There's a limited number per market and the LC allotment is likely to sell out before April 5.

If you're interested in the presale, use this link.

Regularly priced tickets are $34 in advance, $36 day of show — same as last year — plus service charges, on sale at 10 a.m. April 5 at the Pan Am Center box office, Ticketmaster outlets (including Walmart), ticketmaster.com and 800.745.3000.

Here's a stage-by-stage rundown of who'll perform in Cruces:

Taggart Main Stage: Taking Back Sunday, All Time Low, the Used, New Found Glory, Street Light Manifesto, Yellowcard, Pierce the Veil, Four Year Strong, Of Mice and Men, We the Kings, Breathe Carolina, Miss May I, Falling in Reverse and Anti-Flag.

Advent Stage:  Everytime I Die, Mayday Parade, Bless the Fall, Chelsea Grin, For Today, Memphis May Fire, Motionless in White, Rise to Remain, Sleeping with Sirens, The Ghost Inside, Vampires Everywhere!, Title Fight and You Me at Six.

AP Stage:  Bayside, Senses Fail, Vanna, Polar Bear Club, We Are the In Crowd, Man Overboard,  A Loss for Words, Funeral Party, I Fight Dragons, I Am the Avalanche, Hyro Da Hero and Wax.

Skullcandy Stage: Echo Movement, G-Eazy, Stepdad, the Constellations, Ballyhoo!, Champagne Champagne, T. Mills, Tomorrows Bad Seeds, Movits!, Mod Sun, the Green and Neo Geo.

Ernie Ball Stage: Iwrestledabearonce, Born of Osiris, Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!, Fireworks and Transit.

Kevin Says Stage:  Make Do and Mend, Matt Toka, Tonight Alive, Skip the Foreplay, Divided by Friday, Jukebox Romantics, We Are the Ocean, Ten Second Epic, the Silver Comet, After the Burial, Dead Sara, It Boys!, Living With Lions and Impending Doom.

Acoustic Basement: A Loss for Words, Into It. Over It. and Koji.

Silent Disco Tent: Wick-It the Instigator.

No word on a local stage yet.

This is the tour's 18th year. It's also the 10th straight year it will come to NMSU, on a Friday, no less, and the 11th time it will stop in the El Paso-Las Cruces area.

 

 

 

CD reviews: Bash, Frontera Bugalu, Iveys and Radio La Chusma

Here are some short reviews of four recent local band releases that I’ve been listening to for the last several weeks. Check ‘em out and see what you think.

• Bash, “Black Swan Theory” — Local heavy rock fans who’ve watched this band — which started at Eastwood High School — grow up will notice a growth spurt here. Bash has never sounded better or tighter than it does on “Black Swan Theory.” While singer and writer Sebastian Felix, whose dad and band bankroller Peter Felix III exec produced, still has a ways to go as a singer and a lyricist, he comes into his own here. L.A. producer Noah Shain, who’s worked with Atreyu and produced Dead Sara’s strong debut, helmed the sessions at Tornillo’s world-class Sonic Ranch studios, and seems to have upped the ante for young Felix’s quartet. Whether he’s fuming over a breakup (the subject of a few songs), lamenting the loss of a loved one (“Angel”) or defending his decision not to get mixed up with drugs (“Outcast”), young Felix has graduated from aping his musical influences to finding his own voice. bashtheband.com; facebook.com/bashthebandofficial.

• Frontera Bugalu, “Frontera Bugalu” — Former Fuga! frontman Kiko Rodriguez, whose band specialized in a politicized blend of rock and Mexican traditional music, strapped on an accordion a few years back and decided to put his imprint on boogaloo, a New York-based blending of R&B and mambo from the 1960s. Kiko’s new band adds a Mexican musical accent and punk urgency to the music that made Fania Records and Willie Colon famous. From the opening notes of “Sácame a Bailar,” with Joel Osvaldo’s salsa piano splashes and Adrian Perez’s spindly Mexican harp, it’s clear Bugalu is out to stretch some boundaries.It’s music for the hips and the head. The multi-talented Amalia Castro contributes “Embarazar,” a soulfully jazzy vocal (think a Latina Erykah Badu) song about pregnancy. You could take Rodriguez’s salsafied “Rompe Las Cadenas (Break the Chains)” a few ways. “Frontera Bugalu” is seven songs of heart, soul and a conscience that you can dance to. fronterabugalu.com; facebook.com/fronterabugalu.

• The Iveys, “Days & Nights” — This brother-and-two-sisters trio from Tornillo came on like a breath of fresh air a couple of years ago with a sound rooted in ‘70s folk-pop-rock and breezy natural harmonies reminiscent of Stevie Nicks-Lindsey Buckingham-Christine McVie-era Fleetwood Mac. With a lot of touring and singer-songwriter Arlen Ivey’s vocal problems behind them, the trio returns with a six-song collection that deepens their sound but doesn’t necessarily grow it much.Arlen is the main writer and singer. He has a gift for compelling melodies, which lend themselves well to his restrained, lyrical vocal style on songs like  “Falling,” which local pop and public radio should be playing, and first single “Lady Made of Stone.” But even though there’s only six songs on “Days & Nights,” there’s a sameness that wears a bit thin at times. A little more variety wouldn’t hurt. It may be time for the group to start sharing the lead vocal and songwriting chores, much like the big Mac did in its glory days. Jillian Ivey makes a solid lead vocal debut on the lilting “Keeping Me Strong.” Makes you want to hear what pianist Jessica Ivey can do. theiveysmusic.com; facebook.com/theiveys.

• Radio La Chusma, “Rasta Mexica” — Frontman, singer and acoustic guitarist Ernesto Tinajero widens the net on the ubiquitous  border reggae band’s lively new album. The core band is solid enough, what with the powerful vocal presence of singer-actress Selina Nevarez (her duet with Tinajero on “One and Only One” is a highlight) and David Angerstein’s violin accents. But “Rasta Mexica” is a coat of many musical colors, and a lot of local musicians try it on. Aztec Zodiac guitarist Adriana Esparza, Nosotros multi-instrumentalist Leo Martinez, Liquid Cheese trombonist Marco Guerrero, Jim Ward’s right-hand man Gabe Gonzalez (who engineered and contributed lap steel) and Brit toaster Pato Banton all chime in. “Rasta Mexica” is more musically adventurous than it is lyrically, but Tinajero and crew’s music radiates positivity, respect and love, where it’s their own Mexican reggae manifesto (the title song), the blue-collar tribute “Night Shift” or a song like “Keep the Fire Burning,” which  starts with war vet Scoop Valdez going all Southern rock, but turns into  a reggaefied shuffle. By the time this 10-song journey is over, Tinajero and merry his band of musical gypsys have crossed the border (sympathizing with those who’ve headed north), ventured deep into the interior and deeper into Tinajero’s Mexican ancestry. It’s infectious stuff. facebook.com/radiolachusma.

 

Concert update: First Mars Volta show announced; JW talks ATDI; NDMF

Between the release of a new album, the At the Drive-In reunion and last week's death of Omar Rodriguez Lopez's mother, there hasn't been much news on The Mars Volta touring front.

Now there is.

The band announced today plans to play the Roisrock Festival in Tirku, Finland on July 8.

Pulp, Bloc Party, Jimmy Cliff, the Cardigans, Refused and Austin's Explosions in the Sky are among those on the bill.

TMV will be adding more dates, of course, in support of new album "Noctourniquet," released on March 26.

The album was pieced together over the last three years. Several of its songs were performed during last year's Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group tour, including the first Neon Desert Music Festival. Lopez has said he used the ORLG name to get around legalities involving the TMV name.

 He's performing under the ORLG name at the Metamorphose festival in Japan on May 12 (remember, ATDI will play there in July).

In ATDI news, Jim Ward, the group's lone remaining El Paso resident, who's been silent since the reunion was announced, posted this month on his Facebook page that he'd been in LA for rehearsals for the band's April 15 and 22 Coachella dates.

He told the Officially a Yuppie blog that he was "excited" about it and surprised by how much attention their return is getting.

"I knew it would be big, but things are bigger than I thought," he said. "We are taking our time and devising our course as we see fit. We will not be rushed or forced into any situation we don't wish to be in. We are 100 percent in charge and that is awesome."

That includes regaining ownership of their masters. Lopez has hinted that reissues may be in the works, and Fearless Records is planning some limited edition vinyl releases for Record Store Day on April 21.

Ward, one of the nice guys in the music business, said it took "a lot of hard work" and healing to get the original band — him, Lopez, Cedric Bixler Zavala, Tony Hajjar and Paul Hinojos — together again. "We love each other dearly," he told the blog.

Ward and Hajjar's other reunited band, Sparta, is one of the headliners of this year's Neon Desert Festival, which returns May 26. Moby will play a DJ set and Ghostland Observatory is among the acts on this year's bill. 

More additions will be announced soon. An NDMF spokesman told me the organizers are trying to nail down one more act before they let the rest of the cats out of the bag.

 

 

 

Concert update: Royalty to roll out 'Lovers' songs at Tricky Falls

The Royalty's local fans have been hearing growing buzz about "Lovers," the quintet's debut album for Chicago indie label Victory Records.

Now they'll get to hear most of it live.

The band, dubbed the "new queens and kings of garage rock" by MTV Buzzworthy, is back in town for a show an all-ages show at 9 p.m. March 30 at Tricky Falls.

Animal Spirits and Black Coats open. Cover is $5.

It comes after a busy couple of months, highlighted by four weeks of recording in Los Angeles with producer Cameron Webb (Ben Folds, Motorhead, Social Distortion) and five shows at the recently completed South by Southwest music festival and conference in Austin.

Tonight's show at Tricky Falls is their first local appearance since they recorded "Lovers" last February  and the group's first chance to play most of the new songs in front of a local audience.

"We just practiced last night and now we're determining the album's set list. We're thinking we'll just put a lot of it into the set list," singer Nicole Boudreau said this week. 

That the eights songs they played several times at SXSW, including "How I Like 'Em" (featured in a recent label teaser), a few they'd performed in front of local audiences and two new songs the band has "never played live," Boudreau said.

They cut 14 songs in Los Angeles, but expect to release 11 or 12 on the new album. Two others, including a reworking of an older fan favorite, "Alexander," could be released as b-sides, she said.

"If felt so fast," she said of the recording experience. "That one week at South By felt longer than the entire month," Boudreau said. "South By is just so intense."

The band — guitarist Jesus Apodaca, keyboardist Daniel Marin, bassist Will Daugherty, drummer Joel Quintana and Boudreau — played five shows in four days at SXSW, including an unofficial showcase of El Paso bands organized by Splendid Sun Productions, the folks behind the Neon Desert Music Festival.

"It ended up being my favorite show, hands down," Boudreau said, "particularly recognizing the crowd. It was a breath of fresh air to know people. It was fun. Everyone danced. It was the best show."

They did 30-minute sets at their other, official SXSW appearances. They also made a lot of new fans, including one determined one from India.

"Apparently he had a little too much to drink when he saw us. He couldn't remember our name or the venue where we were playing the next day. All he knew was it was 6 p.m. somewhere in the abyss of South By," she said.

The resourceful convert looked up all the 6 p.m. shows that day, then got a list of the 16 bands that played the EP showcase, and figured it out. 

"He found us and said, 'I worked all day on this,'" Boudreau said with a laugh, calling it their "coolest" experience at the major music blowout.

The band follows tonight's show at Tricky Falls with a string of 11 dates that will take them to Phoenix, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Denver and other cities through April 15.

They'll return to Tricky Falls on May 5 for their official hometown CD release party, three days before the official release of "Lovers."

 

Concert update: Feist, Thunderdome slam, Gene Keller, Casey Cangelosi and more

Tickets for that Feist concert in Marfa went on sale today.

They're $30.

The Canadian singer, best known for her hit "1234," will bring her "Metals" tour to the funky town's Crowley Theater at 8:30 p.m. April 25.

Tickets are GA. There's a five-ticket limit.

Go to ballroommarfa.org or call 432.729.3600.

In other news:

• While we're on the Marfa tip, did you see that interview with actor Armie Hammer in the March 23-25 issue of USA Weekend?

He was asked about his pot arrest last November in Sierra Blanca, a popular hangout for fellow cannabis lovers Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg.

When asked what he had to say about it, Hammer, who starred in "The Social Network," "J. Edgar" and this week's "Mirror Mirror" said: "Fortunately (the charges were dropped). I learned my lesson about messing around in Texas. I have so many great stories to tell about Texas jail. I was there long enough to make a fresh set of friends."

• Casey Cangelosi, dubbed "the Paganini of percussion," will give a masterclass and recital March 30 at UTEP.

The free class is at 5 p.m. that day in Room 140 of the Fox Fine Arts Center. 

He'll play the marimba and other percussion instruments in a recital at 7 that night in the Fox Fine Arts Recital Hall.

Cangelosi, who is also an award-winning composer, is on the music faculty at Concord College in Athens, WV.

Admission to the concert is $8, $5 for military, seniors and non-UTEP students, $3 for UTEP students, faculty and staff.

• Teams from Albuquerque, Silver City and El Paso will compete in the Thunderdome! Poetry Slam from 6-11:30 p.m. March 30 at the Percolator, 217 N. Stanton.

It's "to the death," according to Jen Shugert, part of the EP team, meaning the winner will go on to the National Poetry Slam in August in Charlotte, N.C.

It's a round-robin competition, with individuals or team members performing order. The Silver City team will lead it off, followed by El Paso and Albuquerque, according to Shugert of Free Hole Slam, the local nonprofit that's organizing the event.

It'll snake back and forth over four rounds.

A team of judges will be plucked from the audience. They'll be asked to rate the performers on various criteria, Shugert said.

She's part of the El Paso team.

Admission is free, but donations are accepted. Shugert said the donations will help pay trips to other competitions, including the nationals, which costs $500 per team to enter.

For more info, call 494.6762 or go to freeholeslam.com.

• In honor of National Poetry Month and April Fool's Day, EP folkie Gene Keller will perform a concert of funny and satirical songs on April 1.

Called "Gene of El Paso: A Perfect Fool," it will be at 2 p.m. Sunday (April Fool's Day) at the Unitarian Universalist Church of El Paso, 4425 Byron.

"I will be doing some funny songs, like 'Snakes in Washington' and 'Talkin' Border Blues,'" Keller said in an email, "as well as songs I've learned along the way, such as a novelty tune from a 1920s British musical, 'On the Amazon,' and other silly material, like 'Zippadee Doodah.'"

He'll also recite a few poems and tell stories behind them and the songs "that will reveal my prime foolishness."

Admission is a $5 donation to the church's food bank, $10 without a donation.

• That crazy DJ Bl3nd returns to the area for a show at 9 p.m. March 31 at Buchanan's.

Tickets are $23 at All That Music & Video, which will close its East Side location on March 31 and reopen April 14 on its new one at 6800 Gateway East.

Don't forget Puerto Rican DJ Robbie Rivera brings his "Dance or Die" tour, with PeaceTreaty, to Buchanan's at 9 p.m. April 5.

Those tickets are $15, plus service charges, at fla.vor.us, $23 at All That Music & Video.

Also, Maceo Plex, Ellum and Crosstown Rebels will perform at 9 p.m. May 17 at Lotus, 210 N. Stanton.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. March 30 at fla.vor.us.

It's an 18 and older show. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 day of show for 21 and older, $20 in advance, $25 day of show for 18-20.

• The Lowbrow Palace has added a bunch of indie rock and DJ shows, including Pontiak at 9 p.m. April 10 ($8 advance, $11 day of/$11, $14 for 18-20); a Supernite stop by Flight Facilities, 9 p.m. April 14 ($10, $13/$13, $16); Givers, 9 p.m. April 24 ($10, $13/$13, $16); Deer Tick and our own Lusitania, 9 p.m. May 2 ($10, $13/$13,$16); Lotus Plaza, 9 p.m. May 13 ($8, $10/$11, $13); the Donkeys, 9 p.m. May 15 ($8, $10/$13, $16); the Suckers, 9 p.m. May 23 ($10, $13/$13, $16); and Maps & Atlases, 9 p.m. June 4 ($10, $13/$13, $16).

Tickets for all of those shows are on sale at All That Music & Video, the Headstand, Hommework and holdmyticket.com.

• Look for that eclectic band The Men to play M's Lips Lounge on June 29.

• Six Feet Under bring their "18 Nights of Blood" tour to the House of Rock on June 26.

Dying Fetus and Revocation will open.

 

 

 

 

 

Concert update: Texas Showdown, EP Con, Il Volo, Moscow Ballet, El Trono

Man, what a lineup.

The Texas Showdown Festival, going into its third year, focuses on music and tattoo culture.

But this year, the music lineup promises to be as stronger or stronger than the celeb inkers on the tour, which comes to the Coliseum July 13-15.

A total of 27 national and local acts will perform on the outdoor stage over those three days, with theatrical metalists Mushroomhead headlining July 13, Hawthorne Heights, Authority Zero and Bowling for Soup on July 14 and Wayne Static, Days of the New and Sublime tribute 40oz. to Freedom on July 15.

Also performing: Barbwire Dolls, Crown of Malevolence, When Odds Get Even, As Its Written, All That Bleeds, Aura Lynn and A Beautiful Morning on the first day; Booyaa Tribe, El Paso's the Royalty (whose new album, "Lovers," comes out May 8 on Victory Records), the Sublevels, Black Coats, EP's Fixed Idea, Dirty Mexican Zoe, Bash, That's My Bike Punk and Slinksters (July 14); and the Casual Fridays, Steady Shakedown, Hillside Gamblers and Suicide Romance.

The indoor stage will have sets by Blessed Be Man, DJ-Cam and Beetz-Nuts.

Tickets are $20 per day, $35 for a weekend pass (free for kids 12 and under), on sale at the box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and 800.745.3000.

In other concert news:

• Tickets for the third annual EP Con comic and sci-fi expo went on sale last Friday and I was remiss in reporting it (the victim of too much stuff, I guess!).

Anyway, as we reported earlier, the event will be Sept. 15-16 at the Judson F. Williams Convention Center, where it moved last year, and will feature tons of actors and comic book artists, including David Prowse (who provided the body of Darth Vader in the "Star Wars" movies), McKenzie Westmore (host of Syfy's "Face Off"), Michael Biehn ("The Terminator" and "Aliens") and creator Arthur Suydam, the so-called "Zombie King" of Marvel comics.

Tickets are $40 for the first day, $25 for the second, on sale at the Plaza Theatre box, Ticketmaster outlets (including Walmart), ticketmaster.com and 800.745.3000.

A preview is planned for Sept. 14.

• Tickets for teen popera sensations Il Volo's Sept. 25 show at the Plaza will go on sale at 10 a.m. April 13.

They'll go for $37 and $77, plus service charges.

They'll be available at the box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and 800.745.3000.

Presales will run from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. April 12.

• The Plaza also has booked the annual Moscow Ballet tour of "The Great Russian Nutcracker" for shows at 3 and 7 p.m. Dec. 16.

Those tickets range from $48 to $88, plus SC, on sale at 10 a.m. April 2 at the box and Ticketmaster.

• Duranguense band El Trono de Mexico headlines the next gran baile at the Coliseum at 8 p.m. April 21.

La Original also is on the bill.

Tickets are $32, plus service charges, on sale at 10 a.m. March 29 at the box and Ticketmaster.

 

Theater review: Playhouse offers up a touching 'Bountiful'

The El Paso Playhouse production of "The Trip to Bountiful," which continues through April 7, marks the return of Leighton Dahl, a veteran actress who has appeared on Broadway and in the movies, after a long hiatus from the stage.

Here's the review by stringer C.B. Goldsmith:

 “Think you're escaping and run into yourself," James Joyce wrote. "Longest way round is the shortest way home.” 

I thought about these comforting words long after the El Paso Playhouse’s production of “The Trip to Bountiful” was over because "comfort" defined this fine evening of theater, comfort created by our great Texas writer Horton Foote and recreated by this solid company of actors.

Ironically, “The Trip to Bountiful” begins in pure discomfort, with the three members of the Watts family are crammed into a tiny Houston apartment. Their claustrophobia is both physical and emotional as the two generations battle a cluttered and sleepless night together.

The elderly matriarch Carrie Watts (Leighton Dahl) and her son Ludie Watts (Corey Dlask) are country people trapped in the big city by economics. Though they long to return to the land, there is only work for Ludie in Houston.

Ludie’s wife Jessie Mae (Vanessa Keyser) is stuck, too, though her trap is one of childlessness, childishness and need beyond Ludie’s income. The first act starkly illuminates the simmer and discontent of apartment life in place far from comfort.

Carrie Watts aches for her country home in Bountiful, Texas. She has run away before and her family obsesses that she may again, taking with her the government checks they require.

Director Jean Ames deftly allows the tiny apartment to simmer. There is a palpable sense of entrapment as the family bounces off the walls and each other. Dahl, in her first stage appearance since the mid-1980s, begins her performance in tiny, perfect moments that show her misery away from her real home.

Dlask seethes, too, trapped between economics and his deep love for the women in his life. The always powerful Keyser is terrific here. Her tempestuousness brings the apartment to a boil, driving her mother-in-law towards the comfort she craves within fictitious, metaphorical Bountiful.

Act Two follows Carrie home as she escape, literally and figuratively, from her cell of a city. Using her last dimes on a bus ticket, Carrie meets Thelma, a fellow traveler.

Played with precision by Elizabeth Dahl, Leighton Dahl's daughter, the two women have the immediate chemistry of wonderful actors speaking pitch-perfect dialog, aided by their natural connection. As Carrie tells her new friend about Bountiful, Thelma shares her journey, sweetly expressing her love for her husband, who is away in the military. These two actresses take the audience on their journey home.

When they arrive at the nearest bus station to Bountiful, the younger woman must move on to another bus. Their parting was genuinely beautiful.

Foote specializes in these tiny moments of humanity, where authentic emotion connects the characters and story to the audience. When Thelma leaves, we ache for Carrie.

Although she is only a mere 12 miles from Bountiful, she has left her purse on the bus and is again trapped by economy, falling asleep in the empty terminal while waiting for its return. The sheriff (Dan Wright) arrives at the behest of her daughter-in-law, who turns to the law track her down — and her funds.

Wright has an easy grace and the chemistry between these two older actors is the key to the play's powerful conclusion. Rather than keep Carrie in the bus station to wait for her son and daughter-in-law, her drives her home to Bountiful. The two actors connect gently to each other and the land, creating a simple yet poetic scene,  as only Foote could write.

Leighton Dahl takes her performance to a yet a higher level as she shares Carrie's powerful correlation to the land. When her son arrives, they quietly reunite with each other and the home they once knew.

As she holds a piece of earth in her hands, the amazing actress bonds herself to the land and allows Foote’s words to take us home as well. Tears welled in her eyes, and my own, as Carrie’s finally finds both the destination and the definition of home.

"The Trip to Bountiful" continues through April 7 at the El Paso Playhouse, 2501 Montana. Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $10, $8 for seniors, $7 for military and students. Information: 532-1317, elpasoplayhouse.com.