Summer Snapshots: Arts and Culture

Last "Summer Snapshot," I promise--especially in light of the fact that it is now, officially fall!

My family's always been hugely into culture. I saw my first Broadway musical ("Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," with Donny Osmond, duh) at the age of 5. We always had season tickets to The Children's Theater, and went to "The Nutcracker" or Lorie Line's concert or "A Christmas Carol" annually around the holidays. 

I'm so thankful to my parents for fostering a love of theatre in us early on in life. It's always been a priority to our family, so it's become a priority for me as a young adult to make sure I stay exposed to culture through the arts. As I mentioned, I'm getting plenty of Minnesota Orchestra action this year, but this summer was particularly rich with plays, musicals and opportunities to enjoy live performances in general. 

Plays/Musicals:

August and September have been so busy, with two weekends featuring doubleheaders of plays and musicals! When my sister Em was home over Labor Day, we saw "The Little Mermaid" at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre on a Thursday night, and "The Book of Mormon" at the Orpheum on a Sunday!

The Chanhassen is always such a hilarious blast...it claims to be the largest working dinner theater in the country, and every time we go, we all order "The Famous Chicken Chanhassen" and a towering chocolate cake at intermission. The play itself was delightful! I unashamedly adore Disney despite my age, and the show brought the fun, lighthearted spirit of the movie to life with a fun set, amazing costumes, and talented singers. 

I've already seen "The Book of Mormon" (we went for my 24th birthday), but that didn't stop the evening from being insanely hilarious. The play is laugh-out-loud from start to finish, rife with off-color jokes and irreverent songs poking fun at everything from homosexuality to third-world poverty to AIDS. I can't recommend it highly enough...but unless your parents are cool like mine, maybe leave them at home!

This past weekend, I saw "The Heidi Chronicles" with Hal at the Guthrie on Friday and "Hello Dolly!" at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre with my grandma, godparents and parents on Sunday. Before I dive into those shows, I have to digress for a minute to rave about an amazing opportunity for any Twin Cities residents with a passion for theater. Hal and I are members of Open Call, the Guthrie's new society for young professionals, which means we get to attend four plays throughout the year in addition to happy hours and the season's opening Midsummer Night Gala. Every July on the evening of the Aquatennial Fireworks Show, the Guthrie hosts a cocktail gala for its donors and society members, so we got to get all dressed up, drink wine and watch the fireworks with this view: 

Not too shabby--I was totally having a Princess Jasmine moment. 

Anyway, "The Heidi Chronicles" blew both of us away! Neither of us were familiar with the play...we knew nothing, not the playwright, era, not even if it was a drama or comedy. We were so pleasantly surprised with its witty, sharp take on the evolution of feminism through the 60s, 70s, and 80s. We saw it on opening night, and I can't stress highly enough that YOU SHOULD GO. The set and sound design are fantastic, the show is smart and entertaining...just get thyself to the rush line and buy some day-of tickets, you don't want to miss this one. 

"Hello, Dolly!" was the total opposite end of the spectrum...but just as fabulous. I had never seen the show and couldn't claim familiarity with the music, but my entourage couldn't have been more excited. We also saw opening night--how fancy am I, seeing two opening nights in one weekend?! I just loved it! Though the show takes place in the 1890s, its charm, warmth and sweetness seemed timeless. 

Other Arts: 

In July, Hannah invited us to join her at the Pourhouse, of all places, for an aerial acrobatics show that her cousin was participating in. I went in having no idea what to expect, and that's probably a good thing, because I never would have expected what I saw. The show featured some burlesque, some fire-dancing, and a whole lot of this: 

Yes. Hanging and twisting and contorting, like 50 feet off the ground, in silks. It blew my mind in every way imaginable. These people managed to perform what I thought were super technical acrobatics, while looking calm, collected and graceful. I'd love to find somewhere to take a class...anyone in? 

Em and I checked out Gavin DeGraw and Matt Nathanson at the Myth when she was home over the Fourth of July. It was...meh. We got there late-ish, so we had a terrible view and missed most of the show from behind a pillar. That said, Gavin put on a dynamic, well-rounded show that featured all our old favorites as well as material off his new album. 

Finally, we checked out one of our local favorites, Dustin Hatzenbuhler, at Nicollet Island Pavilion in July. Dustin took voice from our old piano teacher, and we've followed his career on and off since I was in high school. Fun fact: he auditioned for The Voice and got some hefty TV time at the blind auditions! If you ever spot his name on a concert billing, definitely check him out--he's delightful. 

That about wraps up my summer...even as temperatures fall, I'm hoping to keep getting my butt to theaters, concert halls and clubs to keep up my Minneapolis art crawl!

101 in 1001 #89: Purchase season tickets to an orchestra/theatre.

I've only been working on my 101 in 1001 list for about three and a half months, and I'm already totally sold--writing down goals, ideas, activities and adventures is one of the best things I've ever done for myself. Checking off those items one by one satisfies my inner list-maker control freak in a big way, and I love that I have an impetus to get out and do and craft and travel and experience things! 

This item, for example, is one I probably would have seesawed back and forth on forever if I hadn't had it on my list. Last weekend, Mom and I went to the Minnesota Orchestra's beautiful outdoor season kickoff concert at the Lake Harriet Bandshell. It was a perfect day for it...cool, sunny, a light breeze...exactly the kind of day that makes Minnesotans grateful to be alive and calling this state home. 

I've been a Minnesota Orchestra groupie since my high school days, when we would take trips to sit in the worst seats in the house just for the sake of being able to afford the tickets. These days, seeing their shows is one of the few ways I get my instrumental music fix. After an extended strike and the opening of a beautiful renovation to Orchestra Hall, the 2014-2015 season promises excitement, optimism and new beginnings. 

Last Sunday's program featured a new-to-us conductor, William Eddins, who was delightful! His spirit and expressiveness were a pleasure to watch. The concert commenced on a bright, high note with a Glinka overture, then progressed rapidly to spirited Strauss to highlight their fall program, a tribute to the composer's 150th birthday. The Tchaikovsky "Romeo and Juliet" was hands-down my favorite...it's just such lovely, lush, emotive music...and the closing of Borodin's dances ended with the same spirit the show started with. I couldn't get over the sheer number and variety of people...including the Lake Harriet Streetcar Trolley captain who we ended up standing right by: 

We were so excited about the orchestra afterward that we went straight home and built a season package! I'm looking forward to our custom package, which includes next weekend's "New Beginnings" program of Mahler and Barber. We'll celebrate the holidays with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Band, and in January we're seeing a Shakespeare: Star-Crossed Lovers series! We wrap up in February with "That's Amoré," a compilation of Italian composers old and new. 

I can't wait! I'm so happy that I'm making more of an effort to get to live performances...in my eyes, it's such a great investment in an experience that's not only enjoyable at the moment, but totally enriching. Looking forward to enjoying so much live music this year!

Summer Snapshots: DCI

It's official. I am an enormous nerd. 

In case my extensive monthly reading lists and little trips down Marching Band Memory Lane didn't tip you off, this will cement it for you. I watch competitive youth drum-and-bugle-corps for fun. 

Hal, one of my good friends from Notre Dame and now Minny, introduced me to the wonderful world of Drum Corps International, or DCI, the summer after I graduated college. Founded in 1972, the organization provides a competitive venue for drum and bugle corps composed of members under 21. Making it into a corps is a huge deal, and the schedule is grueling...think "an entire summer spent on a coach bus and sleeping on gym floors while practicing or performing for 10 hours a day." It's basically like every day is gameday for them...I know I couldn't do it, but I have so much respect for the amazing and talented kids who do. 

Hal, Steph, and I road-tripped down to Rochester, Minnesota early this summer to take in one of the first DCI competitions of the season, the River City Rhapsody. It featured seven out of the 22 World Class corps, and was a great, cheap way to get a marching band fix outside of football season. Hal takes DCI as seriously as a religion...that weekend alone, he had seen two other shows with plans to take in another the following day! I felt lucky to get to tag along and soak in some of his expertise. 

During the show, I took rough notes on both what Hal said about each corps and what I thought of their performances. I also discovered the "Panorama" feature on my iPhone camera, which was perfect for the wide use of an entire football field (and the gorgeous sunset-lightning storm combo we were treated to later!). The shows themselves are so intricate! There are costume changes, multiple sets of auxiliary flags and banners, and props ranging from small and portable to massive, moving set pieces. It was overwhelming in the best way imaginable. 

First up: The Pioneers. Their show's theme was "Joy," and my crib notes tell me their show was heavily Irish-driven. I remember they had a really cool section that fused Handel's "Messiah" with "When the Saints Go Marching In." And they closed with "Danny Boy," which made my Irish eyes smile. (Also, their lady-drum-major had a sick cape-skirt thing that she swirled around. A lot.) (Final place: 7th, with 56 points)

The Colts, per my notes, had a hot drum major that for some reason I didn't take a picture of. Their show was a cool post-apocalyptic take on "The Wizard of Oz," where the Scarecrow has taken over. The show was gorgeously sinister, but not a standout compared to later ones. (Final place: Sixth, with 65.2 points)

The Troopers' show spoke to my nerdy little heart so hard...it was called "To Build A Home," and featured Aaron Copland's music, particularly the Lincoln suite. Their sound was incredibly lush and beautiful, and every movement was choreographed to just be stunning. Plus their drum major WAS hot and I DID take pictures. One of the highlights: mid-show, their auxiliary unfurled banners that, held together, made the iconic Lincoln portrait...and the woman behind us asked "Who's that?" Her companion answered, "Ulysses S. Grant." And I died inside. HA. (Final place: Fifth, with 68.5 points)

This is when Steph and I made the mind-blowing discovery that there are laceless marching shoes. Revolutionary, folks. I also read in the program that the average DCI corps member eats around 4500 calories a day during the competition season, and found out about the gym floors. That's when my regret that I didn't get to be a DCI kid died. Well, then, and when I found out they don't take piccolos. 

The Cavaliers' show was called "Immortal," and struck me first and foremost for their insane athleticism. They're one of only two all-male corps, which made their show aggressively full of motion. Even their pit drums were mobile...there was a mind-blowing section where their marimbas formed a circle and they were jumping from drum to drum like demented, demonic monkeys. I was blown away. (Final place: FIRST! With 78 points)

The Madison Scouts, the other all-male corps, are the first corps to have used trombone, for their "Time Trip" show. The whole auxiliary started out dressed in black and white, and by the end of the show, were wearing this insane neon rainbow of colors. The show is a time travel look-back at the music of Stan Kenton and Duke Ellington. I liked, but didn't love this show, but did note that "their held notes were such rounded blasts of sound that they could stop your heart." (Final score: Third, with 74.5 points)

The Phantom Regiment! They did "Swan Lake!" And it was stunning. To quote Hal, "They're the storytellers, the orchestra of drum corps. They're just so elegant." And I agree entirely. Their low brass was so rich, and their all-female auxiliary was like watching a true line of ballerinas. Just so visually engaging and classic. (Final score: Second, with 77.6 points)

Finally, the Blue Stars, a local group out of Lacrosse, WI, closed the evening down with their show "Where the Heart Is," an homage to the concept and feeling of home. To my novice eyes, it seemed like they had a LOT going on with auxiliary and props, but their sound was really good for so early in the season. Their closer, an a'cappella sung riff of Phil Phillips' "Home," was near tear-inducing. (Final score: Fourth, with 72 points)

Aaaaand if you're still reading, please be still my nerdy beating heart, I love you so. Call me up and let's discuss marching bands for hours and hours, okay?