Well, the race has certainly gotten a lot more lively with Edwards as the VP nominee.
I can only imagine what the blog world has already said.
It is a smart move for Kerry. My continuing concern is Kerry’s continuing oscillation. Perhaps Edwards can lessen that to some degree in the coming months.
Maybe the ticket should be reversed, Edwards/Kerry.
Still, I would be very much interested in what the pair had to say about Taiwan. It’s one of those single issues, personal things for me.
While the verdict is out on that one, the verdict is in on this one: U Theatre.
That’s a great pic. Too bad there isn’t any sound to go with it.
As for the evening program, there were no loin cloths.
But, there were drums and gongs, both big, as in three or four and even five feet in diameter.
I had always read about the various gongs but this was the first time I got to see and hear the action.
The range of the different timbres of the gongs was much wider than I had imagined. Clearly, a lot had to do with the striking of the gong from truly light, deft touches to ear rattling clangs.
Those folks just didn’t use drum sticks on the gongs, they used mallets about five feet long with what appeared to be a felt covered tips about the size of a small pumpkin.
This is where the dance came into the show. Imagine six well muscled men twirling and striking the gongs and drums in an hour long, tightly choreographed set of dances that were very much part and parcel of Tai-chi.
Should you read further into U Theatre’s web site, you will find just how deeply steeped the troupe is in Buddhism and the historical foundations of Chinese dance and martial arts.
If I had to complain, it would be about the supporting cast. They were absolutely crucial to the effective execution of the program but were shunted off to the side of the stage to make room for the performing artists. The lady who runs the troupe obviously was in control and directed from that “pit” at the side of the stage. The singers got no real space and the other assorted percussive instruments were fairly well obscured from view. Too bad. Really.
I suppose this is really the ‘fault’ of the National Theater and its limited stage.
Now, here’s a real beef.
At the very back of the stage there is a massive pipe organ. Imagine pipes three flights tall!
There was no attempt to camouflage or otherwise hide the beast. Now imagine the stage dimly lit to accentuate the bodies and the drums and gongs only to be reminded of those great huge pipes shining silvery white in the backdrop. Not good because the tubes dwarfed the men and their huge drums and staves.
I mean really. There were six guys wielding sticks, six foot long things, and using them as cudgels which worked because the routines were tightly executed. And then through it all … my eyes drifted upward to those dang pipes.
Don’t get me wrong, the organ, the king of the symphony and the piano, its queen. Still, the ambiance was compromised, severely.
All in all, it was a really good show. I just wish someone might read my mind when it came to the nuts and bolts of stage management and stage presentation.
Yeah. I know. It’s too expensive.
This race is going to get expensive as well.
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