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arts@barnstablepatriot.com
After a cathartic experience in a foreign
country during the first couple weeks of this
month, the to-be-expected Friday musical
topics simply won't do.
It's a mighty world of music out there folks, and
we all know how isolated the magnet of good ol'
Cape Cod can make us, right? So let's expand our
horizons beyond the usual humdrum. Let's kick it up
a notch (thanks Emeril), rock the boat a tad, mix it
up a little, if you catch my drift.
How about ajourney beyond the beaches of Sandy
Neck, past the eastern coastline, outside the west-
ern hemisphere , to a land far, far away...
Well, as any diligent music lover will tell you,
musical inspiration can strike at unexpected times,
in the most unusual of places - China, for example,
where the music is notoriously difficult for the West-
ern palette. Did you know the Chinese have their
own cultural style of opera, performed by a special
group of actors called the "piaoyou"? They've been
performing the opera for the public, not always the
Western public of course, for over 200 years.
If you consult any one of the 10 or so China travel
guide books, the Peking Opera is a guaranteed night
of shrill, nearly ear-piercing, potentially headache-
inducing vocals from different sets of characters
dressed up in traditional Chinese opera face paint
and garb. Hopefully the voices won't drown out the
dazzling acrobatics , said one book in a footnote.
And I can't say that I totally disagree with these
sentiments after hearing the full ferocity of the
voices.
I guess you could call it singing what they were
doing, but maybe howling, or meowing, perhaps, in a
musical tone would be a more appropriate descrip-
tion, particularly at the beginning of the show when
your ears haven't acclimated.
Yet, the initial shock of the high reverberating
pitch of the voices did soften , despite the pre-
conceived notions. However possible a headache
seemed at the outset quickly morphed into a feeling
cf rapture. The warble of the singer's voices became
more and more interesting with each note's delivery.
It was like eating a rancid strawberry that started to
taste better with each bite; never fresh , but definite-
ly easier to swallow. The sound was and is incompa-
rable to anything in the West.
The orchestra sat to the right of the stage slightly
behind the curtain. The siren-like clanging of the
gongs which often accompanied the voices changed
from distracting to haunting and the myriad tones
of the violins began to have a kind of hypnotic effect ,
not in a calming or relaxing manner, but arresting
and demanding of attention.
Of course, the acrobatics and the costumes helped
build the excitement. The actors were only high
pitched singers during the first 10 minutes of the
performance and quickly transformed into agile
gymnasts shortly thereafter, doing back flips and
front flips, numerous 360 degree turns in mid-air,
and many delicate exercises in balance like long
drawn out hand stands and powerful stretches that
had the actors hoist all their weight onto one palm
with their legs and arms spread wide no more than 2
feet off the ground.
There was a story too, sung in Chinese, and
translated on two large screens on the left and right
of the stage. The fact that the transcription was in
both Chinese and English led me to believe that the
English speakers among us weren't the only ones
having a tough time following the story.
There were four acts in roughly 12-minute seg-
ments. Each act contained the same characters , I
think, at least the same bland character names like
"the old man", the "woman", and the "fairy." Even
with the translation, the story was disjointed , defi-
nitely absent of any central narrative that strung the
four acts or the characters together.
In one act, the actors brought out four-foot flex-
ible rods wrapped with red ribbons , and they began
to juggle them like clowns with bowling pins, slowly
building to an all out juggling jamboree with four
of the actors throwing the rods at each other in a
dizzying spell of kicks and punches that would bend
the rods into a "U" shape, catapulting them in all
directions.
And as the travel guides warned me, the Opera
ended and I wasn't sure if I had just seen a circus
or a play. Then it occurred to me, what I saw was
Chinese, and regardless of what Western definitions
I wanted to apply to the Peking Opera, it would
always be just that -an expression of Chinese cul-
ture that Western ears and eyes will never find easy
because we'll never hear or see anything like it.
So I decided to write about it...
m Oil MriC ByNicholasSmith
Marsland has the
pipes, and a purpose
By Ellen C. Chahey
arts@barnstablepatnot.com
CONTRIBUTED F'HOTO
LET ME BE FRANK - Larry Marsland sings
the songs Sinatra made his own, in four
performances next monthwithThe Chatham
Chorale.
For
all his Rat Pack bravado ,
Frank Sinatra also helped a
lot of people. Ride the bus
into Nazareth (yes, Nazareth , Israel,
where Jesus was a boy) and you'll
pass a Frank Sinatra Youth Center.
Since his death in 1998, can Frank
Sinatra's memory and his music still
help two Cape Cod non-profits fulfill
their missions? Larry Marsland,
Margaret Bossi. and The Chatham
Chorale are counting on it, when they
offer a "Sinatra Songbook" concert
June 2 and 3 at 8 p.m. at Chatham
Congregational Church and on June
9 and 8 p.m. and June 11 at 4 p.m.
Brewster Baptist Church.
The concerts will benefit both the
Chatham Chorale, which celebrates
35 years of musical leadership on
Cape Cod, and the Lower Cape
Outreach Council, a human services
agency that operates nine food pan-
tries, a free clothing store, and rent
and mortgage assistance for people in
need in Cape Cod's outermost homes.
Why Sinatra?
"Well... " mused Marsland as he set
a scene. It is 1952. he is 4 years old.
and he enters a studio at WOCB in
West Yarmouth to sing "Night and
Day" on the Uncle Andy Show.
"Night and Day," Marsland said, "is
a complete three-act drama. Some
day I'll master this song."
Marsland , who said that he has
been "singing forever," also plans to
offer "I've Got You Under My Skin,"
"Send in the Clowns," "New York,
New York." 'That's Life," and many
more Sinatra favorites.
A press release describes Marsland
as a native Cape Codder whose most
recent play. Panama Club , enjoyed
standing-room-only business for its
entire run at Cape Cod Community
College, where he teaches an ad-
vanced acting course and a perfor-
mance course for actors who sing.
Panama Club is slated to run again all
summer at the college.
The playwright has sung with the
Cape Symphony Orchestra and ap-
peared in leading roles in many local
theater productions.
Marsland. who works for Lower
Cape Outreach Council , noted in the
release that "two non-profits join-
ing forces to raise funds is a kind of
a harbinger of what's happening in
the not-for-profit world , especially
on Cape Cod. There are now over
1400 organizations competing for the
public 's charitable dollar.
"And frankly." he added , "anything
'Sinatra ' seems to have a magical at-
traction to Cape Cod arts lovers."
For tickets ($25) for The Sinatra Songbook, call
888-556-2707.
Actor tackles toughest role:
singing
Sinatra's
songs
Cactus Flower
tickly, not
prickly - fe^
- . .
By Briti Beedenbender
arts@barnstablepatriot.com '•
BCC PHOTO
SCALES FALL FROM HIS EYES - Dr. Winston (Cleo Zani) see his
nurse (Kerry Sullivan) from a new perspective in Cactus Flower.
As the two couples sit
uncomfortably at a table in
a seedy bar, Toni Simmons,
in pure maternal fashion,
tries to ascertain the suit-
ability of her soOn-to-be
husband's almost ex-wife's
new boyfriend.
s "So you're ah actor? she
|
asks. "Isn't that a very in-
I secure profession?" The
=: smarmy gent replies, "Only
|
'financially!"
f This is just one of many
s amusing moments and
§ clever one-liners in Cactus
Flower , which opened last
night at the Barnstable
Comedy Club.
The play, written by Abe
Burrows in 1965 , is not
dated other than by the
Beatles soundtrack that
provides fitting love songs
as a backdrop to the com-
edy. Toni is a vivacious and
voluptuous young woman
who has fallen for an older
married man with children.
Only JulianWinston, anoted
dentist,isn't married and he
doesn't have children. He
is an eligible bachelor who
has found a unique way to
stay free of more permanent
entanglements.
The shenanigans begin
when Julian fallsin love with
Toni and asks her to marry
him. Afraid that she is a
home-wrecker, she insists
upon meeting hiswife. Fran-
tic, Julian asks his nurse ,
the prim and reserved Ms.
Dickinson, to play the role
and as she sheds her uniform
and outward person a to
do so, she is transformed ,
revealing her inner beauty
and desires.
The production is near
seamless, with clever set
designs by Henry Morlock
and superb direction by
CONTINUED ON PAGE C:2
Comedy Club extracts laughs from
dentist's dilemma
w
With a nod to the
arts , town joins
Whale Trail
By Britt Beedenbender
arts@barnstablepatriot.com
BRITT BEEDENBENDER PHOTO
0 Barnstable High School seniors
Danielle Iris, left, and Alyson
^
Ainsworth stand by their
^
B|
k creation. "Whale War II." a 1
7*£v whale turned B-1
^
J
Hjfc ->v bomber T
It was a surreal scene, a crowd of
more than one hundred people gath-
ered in almost complete darkness ,the
odor of epoxy and shellac pervading
the air, the eerie soulful bellows of
whales echoing through the hall, and,
interspersed among the silent onlook-
ers, dozens of mysterious, shrouded
forms. Wasthis some private religious
gathering, atribal ritual, or some type
of silent protest?
You could make an argument for
all three of those possibilities, but in
actuality it was the "Great Whale Un-
veil 2006," the introduction of nearly
50 decorated whale statues created
by local artists. The reception was
held Monday at Four Points Sheraton
Resort in Hyannis.
The "unveil"ushers in the 2006 Cape
& Islands Whale Trail, the single larg-
est public art display ever organized
on Cape Cod. The project is sup-
ported by sponsors, tourism officials
and the community to call attention
to the Cape's extraordinary array of
charitable organizations , boost sup-
port for the arts by showcasing the
talents of local artists, and to bring
art into our communities. The project
also intends to celebrate the unique
character of the region and to raise
awareness of the endangered status
of the right whale.
Whale spotting will begin Memorial
Day weekend and run through mid-
September when the statues will be
reunited at the Sheraton Four Points
for an auction that will present 90
percent of the proceeds to more than
50 non-profits spread throughout the
Cape & the Islands. The remaining
10 percent will go to reimburse the
artists.
Conceived as a se
ries of ten pods,
referring to the J
familiesofwhales '
that migrate A
together , the M
whales will W
be located at Eg
sites across |
'•
the Cap e m\
- from Buz- f
l|
zards Bay to ¦
Provincetown ¦
-andMartha's fl
Vineyard and Nantucket. There are
also nine "independent" whales.
The brainstorm of the Creative
Arts Center in Chatham, the Whale
Trail supports local charities on the
Cape and Islands and includes the
International Foundation of Animal
Welfare (also the educational spon-
sor of the project ), the Alzheimer's
Association , the Whale & Dolphin
Conservation Society, the Needy Fund,
the Cape & Islands Special Olympics,
the West Falmouth Library, the Cape
Cod Conservatory and the Children's
Miracle Network.
CONTINUED ON PAGE C:2
Wiaks spottedonMmStottl