{"id":26589,"date":"2017-11-14T09:15:02","date_gmt":"2017-11-14T14:15:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=26589"},"modified":"2017-11-14T09:15:06","modified_gmt":"2017-11-14T14:15:06","slug":"on-stage-were-off-to-see-the-wizard-in-wilmington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=26589","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: We’re off to see the Wizard in Wilmington"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Staff Writer, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Wizard of Oz<\/p><\/div>\n

If you\u2019re going to The Playhouse on Rodney Square (10th and Market streets, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-888-0200, www. duponttheatre.com<\/a>) this week, you\u2019ll probably find yourself singing these words \u2013 \u201cWe\u2019re off to see the wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz\u201d.<\/p>\n

The national tour of \u201cWizard of Oz\u201d is being presented at theater in downtown Wilmington now through Sunday. The production is based on the iconic 1939 MGM film starring Judy Garland.<\/p>\n

There truly is no place like home \u2013 which is the theme of the greatest family musical of all time, \u201cWizard of Oz.\u201d The entire family will be captivated it travels down the Yellow Brick Road and enjoys the tale of Dorothy, Toto and their friends the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow in a lavish production that features interesting special effects, dazzling choreography and classic songs.<\/p>\n

The talented cast of the show, which is a Ajax Touring\/Prater Production, features Kalie Kaimann as Dorothy, Victor Legarreta as Lion\/Zeke, Chris Duir as Scarecrow\/Hunk, and Christopher Russell as Tinman\/Hickory.<\/p>\n

The show stays true to the story from the movie. Whenever \u201cThe Wizard of Oz\u201d is presented on stage, the producers and cast always have great respect for the classic staging and an attitude of \u201cWhy mess with perfection?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do stay true to the original,\u201d said Legarreta, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in New Philadelphia, Ohio.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have added a jitterbug number that wasn\u2019t in the original \u2013 but that\u2019s it. All the cast members bring something of themselves to their roles but always stay true to the original characters.<\/p>\n

\u201cFortunately, I\u2019ve played all three friends over the years. Last year, I did the Cowardly Lion in a Prater Production show. I try to make it fresh. But, my opinion is that you don\u2019t fix it if it ain\u2019t broken.<\/p>\n

\u201cI pay a great tribute to Bret Lahr (who played The Cowardly Lion in the movie). I do it the way he did it. You have to stay true \u2013 especially with a character like the Cowardly Lion\u2026like when he says \u2013 I got a permanent just for this occasion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carrying on an iconic role is never easy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are some challenges with this role,\u201d said Legarreta, who is from Islip, Long Island. \u201cMy speaking voice doesn\u2019t sound like a lion. I have to lower my speaking voice and keep the resonance going.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso, the suit is really hot. Performing a long show like this gets really hot in the costumes we wear. By the end of the show each night, the friends are all toast.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more than 70 years, exposure to \u201cThe Wizard of Oz\u201d has been part of growing up in America. It\u2019s such a well-known piece. It\u2019s a family classic because of the moral of the story, the goodness, the no place like home theme. And, there are the songs \u2013 songs such as \u201cOver the Rainbow,\u201d \u201cDing Dong the Witch is Dead\u201d and \u201cIf I Only Had A Brain.\u201d These are songs your grandparents sang, and they\u2019ve reached across generations.
\n\u201cI know I watched it on TV many times when I was a kid,\u201d said Legarreta. \u201cThis show is innocent. It hits home on every level. You become a child again when you watch it. It\u2019s a good family show. It goes from generation to generation. It\u2019s innocent and pure. Everyone can enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for \u201cWizard of Oz\u201d — https:\/\/youtu.be\/7Z8opEpklAg<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWizard of Oz\u201d will run now through November 19 at The Playhouse on Rodney Square. Show times are: Tuesday-Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m.; Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $40, with a discount of $15 off regular-priced tickets for children ages 12 and under.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Pere Ubu<\/p><\/div>\n

Pere Ubu, which visits the area on November 14 for a show at Johnny Brenda\u2019s (1201 North Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-739-9684,<\/p>\n

www.johnnybrendas.com<\/a>), is a band with no equal.<\/p>\n

Formed in Cleveland by David Thomas and Peter Laughner when their former band Rocket from the Tombs disbanded. Laughner left the group after its first two singles, and died soon afterwards of acute pancreatic failure.<\/p>\n

Pere Ubu has gone through many incarnations over the last 42 years and Thomas has remained the lone constant. Just as Nine Inch Nails is Trent Reznor and Bright Eyes is Conor Oberst, Pere Ubu is David Thomas.<\/p>\n

Pere Ubu created its own genre-defying genre in the late 1970s \u2013 avant-garage \u2013 and is still defying genres.<\/p>\n

In 1978, Pere Ubu released its debut album \u201cThe Modern Dance\u201d on Blank Records. After releasing more than 20 albums in the last four decades, Pere Ubu unleashed its latest long-playing sonic assault in September.<\/p>\n

Pere Ubu\u2019s new album \u201c20 Years In A Montana Missile Silo\u201d on Cherry Red Records is an album that opens the doors of the avant-garage to reveal the hardworking mechanics hammering away at the fundamentals of blue-collar rock. A three-guitar revision spans the state of the art for guitar-based rock in the year 2017. Keith Molin\u00e9 is joined by Cleveland guitar legend Gary Siperko and Kristof Hahn in the now familiar orchestra of analog and digital synths, clarinet, drums and Thomas’ unquestionably unique vocals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started working on the album in the summer of 2016,\u201d said Thomas, during a recent trans-Atlantic phone interview from his home in Brighton, England.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe finished it in January this year. We recorded most of it at Suma, a studio in Ohio where we\u2019ve always recorded. Then, we did some overdubbing at a smaller studio.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Pere Ubu line-up on the album included David Thomas \u2013 vocals; Keith Molin\u00e9 \u2013 guitar; Gary Siperko \u2013 guitar; Kristof Hahn – steel guitar; Darryl Boon – clarinet and more; Robert Wheeler – analog synths, theremin; Gagarin – digital synths; Michele Temple \u2013 bass; and Steve Mehlman \u2013 drums.<\/p>\n

According to Thomas, \u201c’To my way of thinking, the new album is The James Gang teaming up with Tangerine Dream. Or something like that. The Chinese Whispers methodology we worked on the last two albums, now that everyone has gotten comfortable with it, has been replaced by the Dark Room. Put a bunch of musicians in a lightless room and by feeling one small section of an unknown object have them figure what it must be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pere Ubu\u2019s current tour is called \u201cThe Monkey Net Tour\u201d and features David Thomas, Siperko, Wheeler, Temple and Mehlman. On the choice of tour name, Thomas said, \u201cAn infinite number of monkeys clicking on an infinite number of links will yield nothing but an infinite number of bananas.\u201d<\/p>\n

The recently-released album plays heavily into the current live stage offering from Pere Ubu.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe band is American, British and German,\u201d said Thomas. \u201cWe\u2019re touring in support of \u201820 Years In A Montana Missile Silo\u2019 \u2013 that\u2019s the purpose.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe live show will be one-third the new album, one-third the middle years and one-third from the early years. It depends on which songs were difficult to play. We\u2019re concentrating on the new album. We got it charted out so we can do it easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

When a band has been releasing albums for more than 40 years, it normally accumulates more than a few \u201cmust play\u201d songs \u2013 tunes that the fans demand to hear. But, \u201cnormally\u201d doesn\u2019t normally factor in Pere Ubu\u2019s weltanschauung.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, there is nothing that is \u2018must play,\u2019 to be honest,\u201d said Thomas. \u201cThe songs we choose from the past are ones that are easy to learn. Deciding what songs to play in a set is not something I\u2019m very good at.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing is crucial \u2013 songs or band instruments. We have great musicians and we have me. Nothing is crucial except delivering the goods.\u201d<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s demographics fall into the same area as its sound \u2013 almost impossible to figure out or pinpoint.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur audiences vary from city to city,\u201d said Thomas. \u201cSometimes, it is a bunch of old guys and their dogs — like the show we just played in Lisbon (Portugal). Then, we did a show in Madrid (Spain) and it was a totally different demographic.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Thomas and his band play at Johnny Brenda\u2019s, there will be one definite unifying factor in the audience \u2013 a love of Pere Ubu\u2019s music and its charismatic and enigmatic front man.<\/p>\n

Video link for Pere Ubu \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/wI0GfXynR6k<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Johnny Brenda\u2019s, which has Minibeast and RunHideFight as opening acts, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times If you\u2019re going to The Playhouse on Rodney Square (10th and Market streets, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-888-0200, www. duponttheatre.com) this week, you\u2019ll probably find yourself singing these words \u2013 \u201cWe\u2019re off to see the wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz\u201d. The national tour of \u201cWizard of Oz\u201d is being […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26591,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[6518,9695,4817],"class_list":["post-26589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-pere-ubu","tag-the-wizard-of-oz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26589"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26589\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26590,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26589\/revisions\/26590"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/26591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}