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|  Thursday, January 17, 2008 |
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 "The Rite of Spring"
Jan. 17-19
Hilbert Circle Theatre
I was all set to write a paragraph or two about the importance of Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" to contemporary music. Homework was done on its volatile premiere in 1913. I was prepared to draw comparisons between David Hochoy's Dance Kaleidoscope dancers, who will be part of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra show this week, and Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, who performed at the premiere. Notes were made.
But then I found out that Roger Rees also will be part of the program. And my plans went out the window.
You may only recognize Rees from his recurring roles on "Cheers" and "The West Wing," or from his can't-blame-him-for-taking-the-money gig as the Sheriff in the movie "Robin Hood: Men in Tights." And his run as the title character in the Royal Shakespeare Company's eight-hour production of "The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby" (a blockbuster in both London and New York) would have been enough to earn him a place in theater history. But prior to that landmark show, as a member of the RSC, he performed in a big percentage of the Shakespeare cannon.
Post-"Nickleby," Rees has balanced his theater work (including the premiere of Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing" and the original company of the musical "A Man of No Importance") with feature films (not all of which are the stuff of pride-yes, he was in "Stop! Or My Mom will Shoot").
I could go on. But I should probably refocus and remind you that "The Rite of Spring" is a magnificent, primal piece of music that demands to be heard live. And for post-show reading, I urge you to find a copy of Alex Ross' book "The Rest is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century." This sounds like the concert of the year for the ISO and, like I said, I was fully prepared to recommend it to you.
With Rees added to the mix, though, I'm declaring attendance mandatory.
For details, click here.
"Three Girls and Their Buddy"
Jan. 18
Clowes Memorial Hall
I'll readily admit that when I think of Shawn Colvin-one of the three headlining "girl" musicians of this show-what I hear in my head is her sweet duet with "Sesame Street"'s Ernie on "I Don't Want to Visit the Moon." See it here.
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As for "girl" number two, Emmylou Harris, my go-to song is her cover of James Taylor's "Millworker." Hear it here.
And Patty Griffin, "girl" three, well, I'll admit that I had her mixed up with Patty Larkin, who used to play with The Four Bitchin' Babes. So I don't have a recommendation, although she's earned plenty of acclaim recently.
The "Buddy," by the way, is Grammy-nominated guitarist/songwriter Buddy Miller. For details, click here.
"Doubt"
Through Feb. 19
Indiana Repertory Theatre
So far this season, the Indiana Repertory Theatre has trod on familiar ground, with "Our Town," "A Christmas Carol" and "Tuesdays with Morrie." Now, we're off into unfamiliar territory-unless you were privileged to catch the Broadway production of this Pulitzer-Prize winning play.
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| Personally, I like not knowing what's going to happen when a said-to-be-great play opens here. I don't like reading scripts in advance because that takes away the thrill of the first in-theater experience. So I will only tell you what you are likely to have overheard: "Doubt" centers around a did-he-or-didn't-he situation involving a young priest. Here's what you may not know that might help convince you this will be anything but dry: Author John Patrick Shanley also wrote the screenplays for "Moonstruck" and "Joe vs. the Volcano."
And one other thing: "Doubt" is currently being filmed with Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and "Enchanted"'s Amy Adams. For more details on IRT's production, click here.
"There Will Be Blood"
Opens Jan. 18
A theater near you
The latest film from Paul Thomas Anderson ("Magnolia," "Boogie Nights") is one of the most acclaimed films of the year. Here in Indy, we're getting it a little late, but that's the way it goes.
IBJ is hosting a screening this evening and I've only got one extra pair of tickets (contact me ASAP and, if you can pick them up at our downtown office, they may be yours). They were distributed through my blog, "Lou Harry's A&E," which you now have one more reason to visit. Find it at http://blog.ibj.com/blogsae/blogshell.asp. Check in tomorrow when we'll be encouraging those at the screening to offer up their thoughts.
In the meantime, here's something that has nothing to do with the movie, but does have to do with a little kid saying the word "blood" over and over again. See it here.
And for more information on "There Will Be Blood," click here.
The Harlem Globetrotters
Jan. 21
Conseco Fieldhouse
The game is at 2 p.m., but if you're an advance group ticket buyer, you really want to show up at noon. That's when Globetrotters University is in session. Here, two or three players from the team offer a crash course in the history of these bucketmasters.
For the rest, well, the game itself should be pretty amazing-even if the ending is a foregone conclusion. For more information, click here.
This week's contest
This week, win a family pack of four tickets to see ComedySportz, the all-ages improv-based competitive comedy show now entering its 15th year in Indianapolis. Just fill out the form, here. We'll pull one winner at random on Jan. 22. For more information on ComedySportz, click here.
While filling out the form, tell us a literary style, an article of clothing, a breakfast cereal and a famous automobile. We'll link you to representative responses next week. And maybe the folks at ComedySportz can build a routine around your responses.
By the way, last week, we asked for your favorite performance by a drummer, real or not. Responses are here.
From those who entered, we pulled one winner at random: Steve Graham won a pair of tickets to see Todd Rundgren performing this Sunday at The Music Mill. For more information on the concert, click here.
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