Moulin Rouge – the Ballet
Atlanta Ballet
ends February 13, 2016

This incredible performance closes tomorrow, so let’s jump to the bottom line. On the usual 5-star rating system this is a solid 10. It is undeniably as good as any ballet you would see in NYC or London or elsewhere, so waste no time. The show is at the Cobb Energy Arts Center at I-75 and 285, and you can order tickets easily at AtlantaBallet.com

You know that the Moulin Rouge (red windmill) is a Paris landmark, right up there with la tour Eiffel. It’s been around for many a decade, featured in plays, films and stories galore. If you’ve been to Paris you have probably gone up to see the Basilica Sacré-Coeur, then strolled down rue Lepic past all the shops and galleries. Then at the bottom of the hill the Moulin Rouge was just to your right. If you haven’t done so, then put it on your bucket list.

The ballet was commissioned and premiered by the Winnipeg Ballet and we should thank them and salute them for doing so. Our ballet company under John McFall has grown so wonderfully under his direction, and this production is unique in several ways. The set by Andrew Beck works wonderfully from background to café to streets to theatre. The costumes, by Anne Armit & Shannon Lovelace, are terrific. In traditional ballets you don’t often see a danseur (male dancer) clad in full formal attire, nor the ladies doing the Can Can.

The days when the dancers started to twirl around and show off their bloomers were considered quite lewd; and that’s why Henri Toulouse-Lautrec got off on their shows. So Henri, danced by Heath Gill, serves as a central figure in this story. He sort of tutors Matthew (Jacob Bush / Ben Stone) and they wind up in a contest for Nathalie (Tara Lee / Alessa Rogers). They even get into a fight in Act II. There are dozens of performers. Some of them come on in 2 or more different roles.

There are live musicians on stage who are backed up by a wonderful sound track of more than 30 classic works, most of which you will recall, even if you don’t know the specific name of the opus. If you have kids who can’t stay up too late or who may be put off by somebody being shot in the final scene, they might enjoy The Sleeping Beauty which will play for an hour at 2pm on Saturday and Sunday. Certainly a beautiful Valentines Day gift to a possible future balletomane.

American Buffalo

True Colors Theatre

through March 6, 2016

David Mamet may best be known for his work, Glengarry Glen Ross which dealt with some real estate characters; and he also wrote Speed-the-Plow, about the film industry. He likes to deal with the undersides of life. Everything is never as we might perceive it to be. C’est la vie.

This work is set in a dumpy looking resale shop that makes my garage look neat as a pin. The set by Moriah and Isabel Curley-Clay is a knock-out. You sit there wondering how they managed to scour up all this junk and how many trucks it will take to get it all back to Goodwill.

The cast of three, directed by John Dillon, is soooo right-on. We meet Bobby (Garrett Gray) who is a newbie working at Don’s Resale shop. He’s a gofer and may be thinking about how he could learn and benefit from being apprenticed to a pirate like Don who owns the shop and is a cheat, scoundrel and general small time hustler who isn’t that good at cards some days.

G. Valmont Thomas plays Don who gets into a mess twixt working with Bobby and his friend and co-conspirator, Teach. Neal Ghant is perfect as a Teacher. And how well named, as they each have lessons to learn as this one goes forward.

The buffalo in the title is derived from a numismatic referral to a rare old 5 cent coin displaying a buffalo on one side. The story is one that seems to unfold but goes nowhere. Each of the trio has his own motives and plans, and while they may pledge allegiance to one another, they find out that you can’t take that to the bank.

In short it is about a hustler who sells a rare coin for less than what he deems it may be worth, decides to try to steal it back, and you get to watch as they scheme and act. But do they find the gold at the end of the rainbow? That’s what it is all about.

Caveat: there is an abundance of expletives in the script, so Ms. Prim may not dig this one. She’d be sitting there thinking WTF? True Colors performs in the Southwest Arts Center on New Hope Road off of Cascade. Easy to get to and comfortable. For tickets and more info visit them online at TrueColorsTheatre.org

Moxie

Theatrical Outfit

through February 28, 2016

This is a world premiere of a work by Lane Carlock and Brian Kurlander. It is not the usual sort of drama, inasmuch as it takes a while to try to figure out WTF is going on.

We meet a young man (Royce Mann) who is diddling on his computer or iPhone, and he gets a skype call from his soldier dad (Bobby Labartino) who is in Afghanistan. Dad sees the son has a black eye and wants to know how it happened. The boy doesn’t want to discuss it, but finally fesses up that he got into it with some bullies who dealt it to him. And that’s when Dad tells him he’s got Moxie. Not the Moxie that is a carbonated drink, but the Moxie it takes to stand up for what’s right.

Dad starts to draft a book he titles as Moxie and will send it to his son. And then we go through a series of vignettes as the Moxie diary travels to Paris to the home of Madame (Carolyn Cook), to someplace in India, to several other countries and ends up in a town like Detroit. I tried to recall the story of an old Jewish manuscript, or maybe it was a Torah, which wended it’s way from Venice to Shanghai and elsewhere, carrying with it the stories of each venue.

The authors are working to portray that as they say it, “Whatever affects one destiny, affects all.” And maybe that could also remind us that “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” (George Santayana) Interesting in this, an election year . . . .

Young Jaden Robinson does a neat job when he gets involved with the book and with the bookbinder (David De Vries) who needs to repair it. Makes you understand why so many actors hate to share a stage with animals or youngsters of talent.

Directed by Elisa Carlson, the show is set on a pretty basic stage, but the lighting design and projections onto the backdrop screens really makes it move very easily from one part of the tale to another.

The show runs about 90 minutes without intermission. Easy to get to and park in the garage just north of them on Luckie Street, and you can buy your $4 discounted parking ticket at the theatre ticket booth. For more info and times visit them at TheatricalOutfit.org