Doc "Disturbing the Peace" Israelis & Palestinians Dedicated to Peaceful Alliances

"Disturbing the Peace" is both a wrenching doc. on the the courageous Palestinians & Israelis committed to establishing a safe, peaceful & reasonable resolution to the ongoing Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The perpetual warring factions determined to destroy each other have growing numbers within their ranks wanting to end the bloodshed & co-exist peacefully.  These courageous civilians have served in the Israeli army & within the Palestinian militia.  They've found mutual ground in their complicated relationships with one another.  "We both held a common willingness to kill people we don't know."  A former Israeli soldier tells us "Fighting denies the humanity of the other side.  We must think about the suffering & humanity of the other side."  These brave, benevolent individuals, viewed by many as traitors, have formed a movement, called Commandos for Peace (CFD.) CFD are dedicated to breaking down the walls of hatred & violence that have killed, maimed & oppressed masses of people for what feels an enternity.  It's a revolutionary endeavor exemplifying the possibility for change using a strategy of non-violence and open communication.  The doc shows wrenching footage of carnage & destruction inflicted on both sides.  The focus is on several Israelis, formerly in the army & former Palestinian militants who share the epiphany: enough is enough.  Bloodshed only brings more bloodshed.  A Palestinian mother whose son was killed, wept watching footage of Israeli fatalities from a suicide attack.  She tells us "A mother's pain is all the same.  Blood does not come in 2 colors."   One soldier said "There is courage fighting in the army.  There is real courage in civilians who don't stand for everything the government dictates."  Directors Stephen Apkon & Andrew Young's Hebrew/Arabic language documentary is sub-titled in English.  This is an intelligent, affecting & inspiring film that  examines the possibilities of sworn enemies turning swords into plowshares.  The paradigms for peaceful resolutions are deemed not only admirable but possible.

Liz Gerring Dance Co World Premier "(T)here to (T)here" Collaborating with Artist Kay Rosen

Liz Gerring's new, collaborative dance performance "(T)here to (T)here" premiered at the BAC as part of the White Lights Festival last evening.  This dynamic piece was enhanced by the visual text by artist Kay Rosen and score by composer Michael Schumacher.  Schumacher's computer generated composition provided a constant tonal sound that underpinned the forceful impact of the dancers.  The The 5 dancers, including Gherring performing in her piece, are all robust dancers whose athleticism maintained a taut elegance.  The austere staging & language based artwork also enhanced the impact of the abstract fluidity of the dancers' movements.  The piece commenced with an urgency relating to time and its perpetual momentum.  The individual choreography flowed unimpeded.  The physical contact between dancers was minimal but the parrallel connections were echoed resoundedly.  Rosen, whose works have been exhibited at the MoMA, Whitney & internationally, used illuminating text that  defined spatial relationships.  Rosen interwove & played with various words such as divisibility, vertical, horizontal, and there.   The identically sized lettering showed the equation 1 + 1 = 1 1.  The cerebral & potent performance portrayed the independent beauty of an individual with its moments of human interaction.     

Crooked TRUMP Takes $103,000 for Campaign from CEO of Pipeline Project

Correct, Trump, pres-elect collected $103,000 from CEO Kelsy Warren of Energy Transfer Partners (ETP.)  The corrupt company destroying sanctioned Native Amer lands from ND to IL & threatening the safety of the water supply to millions.  Warren has been noticeably absent from the front lines regarding the North Dakota Pipeline project pushed through by ETP.  The Obama administration finally put a halt to the project which is nearly 85% complete.  Warren wants to reassure everyone that this destructive, invasive and toxic project will get pushed through under Trump.  Of course, reassured is not how I view this immoral fiasco that is financially driven.  Warren contends this is an efficient way to transferr oil to save people money. (Just take lands that belong to indigenous Native Americans & tear them up.)  "We will get the easement and we will complete our project," boasts the CEO charlatan.  Mark Albert of CBS News asked Warren if has spoken about the pipeline with Mr. Trump.  His insidious response, "I've never met the man."  In other words Warren dodged the question.  And, he donated $103,000 to Trump's election.  To quote Warren directly, "They {protestors} will not stop the project. That's naive.  They're not stopping us."  Coming from press elect last month "We're going to allow the Keystone Pipeline and so many other changes to to move forward."  Trump has not disavowed his statement.  You can bet he's going to allow it.  What a disgraceful, dangerous hypocrite Trump has already proved himself.  He's called Hilary crooked while taking money from big business to insure their noxious self-interests and his own.

"Les Liaisons Dangereuses" with Liev Schrieber & Janet McTeer

Finding entertainment in a play about cruel manipulations of people's emotions was futile.  The world is a cruel and dangerous place.  Art has the power to enable us to escape from ourselves and to discover ourselves.  Today, my mind found the tedium of sexual dalliances & debauchery as a game unamusing.   The staging was stunning with the candle chandeliers.  Schrieber & McTeer were exceptional in their roles.  But, I didn't have the wherewithal to care at all.  Perhaps, my dismal reception for what was meant to scintillate was never given a fair opportunity to flicker.  Still, I felt fidgety throughout and found the production without substantive merit.

British Playwright Mike Bartlett's' "Love, Love, Love" Biting Satire of Baby Boomer's Self-Indulgence

British playwright, Mike Bartlett (b 1980) is a brilliant, prolific playwright, "King Charles III" 2015.  He's an interesting playwright with a broad spectrum of subject matter that incorporates clever contrivances to his staging.  "Love, Love, Love" is a lighter farce focusing on a swinging 60''s couple. Both are narcisstis who spout freedom, free love and adventure without concerns for the consequences of their all consuming self-indulgences.  Sandra meets Kenneth in a London flat while on a date with his his older, working class brother.  Kenneth has been freeloading & annoying his older brother Andrew who wants him to leave.  Sandra manages to manipulate Andrew out of his apt. & shamelessly seduces Kenneth.  Both are more suited being cut from the same solipsistic mold.  "Love, Love, Love" is in a triptych format.  It deals with generational divides, sibling rivalry & cavalier concern for others.  The 2nd act is set in an affluent home in 1990.  Kenneth & Sandra are married & parents to two teens.  Time has moved forward but the couple remain annoying, manipulative & self-centered.  Their children become pawns & collateral damage from lack of parental love & support.  The tour de force meltdown by 16 yr old daughter Rose when frustrations boil over is exasperating & exhilarating.  The 3rd act set in 2012 is a cumulnation of the wake of destruction caused by the couple's climbing the ladder of success while simultaenously breaking it.  The son is not a fully functioning member of society.  The distraught, 37 yr old Rose fails miserably to convey to her parents how empty & alone she feels.   This engrossing satire may seem shallow.  But, stop in the name of love to consider the cost of a self-obsessed generation that has razed our planet and empowered a hate monger to flourish.  What the world needs now is love, sweet love.

"Loving" Illegal Interracial Marriage Ruled Legitimate by the Supreme Court

"Loving" is a graceful film based on the odious arrest & conviction in 1958 of an interracial couple in VA for marrying & cohabitating.  As put by the arresting officer to Richard Loving (Australian actor Joel Edgerton "You know better. That don't fly here. God is law. A sparrow is a sparrow and a robin is a robin.  They different for a reason."  The hateful ruling stated their "marriage went againt the peace & dignity of the commonwealth."  This hateful rhetoric festered from slaver.  It was deplorable but enforceable under the laws of VA & several other souther states.  Mildred Loving (Ethiopian-Irish actress, Ruth Negga) was pregnant with their 1st child when officers barged into their bedroom and arrested the couple.  Loving was released on bail the following morning but Mildren was detained for several days in prison.  Her husband was not allowed to post bail for his wife.  The movie begins disarmingly, Mildred tells Richard she's pregnant and his quiet delight.  There's no frivolous disclaimer  "…being based on a true story."  The landmark civil rights case was ruled by the US Supreme Court in 1978 that marriage is an inherent right guaranteed by the Constitution.  It's only been since 2016 that the Supreme Court ruled gay marriage legal.  "Loving" is an intelligent, unhurried profile of a courageous couple who risked their safety, the safety of their family & lengthy incarceration to rectify an egregious ruling in the courts and racist mentalities.  The heart rendering acting by both Negga & Edgerton is stirring.  The wheels of justice turn slowly.   "Loving"tells the history of unsung heroes of humanity and social justice with eloquence & dignity.   This historic civil rights film warrants viewing.    

"Ultimate Beauty Bible" at New Ohio Theater-The Ugly Underbelly in the Big City

The world premiere of Page 73's "Ultimate Beauty Bible" is a black comedy of a couple of NYC gals who are self-proclaimed gurus of glamour.   Three women are at the helm of a fiendish friendship.  They have all mounted the masthead of the fashion mag. "Crimp;" an amalgamation of" Cosmo" & "Vogue." Since joining together as interns, Danielle (an exceptional Eboni Booth,) Lee & Tiffany, the trio have triumphed into senior editorial positions which provides them plenty of swag & misconceived notions of self-esteem.  Danielle & Lee are roommates.  Tiffany lives alone, somewhere downtown.  The 3 buccaneer, besties work hard by day at their glam jobs & are on the prowl most nights hunting for booty.  Daneille, the seeminlyg more sensible & self-assured of the 3 says she'd "just like to meet a nice cute guy."  Ergo, Kit, short for Kristopher (or nitwit) saunters by & is waylaid by "Tif" who orchestrates his hook-up with Danielle.  Kit & Danielle's dalliance at her aptmt is waylaid by Lee when she stumbles home late to find him in their living room.  Danielle has only recently been diagnosed with cancer & is beginning her treatment process.  Although she shares her diagnosis with her friends & Kit, she receives the most comfort & empathy from Seth, her insurance phone contact who givers her his direct extension.  Mixed in with this glossy group of characters is Autumn, a lowly intern at "Crimp."  Autumn sprays bizarre biographical soliquies.  Yet, her perceptive observations surgically dissects all that is noxious in her vertiginous surroundings.  The one act, two hour plays runs on, managing to get on your nerves but also under skin.  The talented ensemble cast & clever staging suture some of the play's flaws.  Kit texts his breakup to Danielle while he & Lee sneak into an affair.  Kit says to Lee, "I told you I love you. I didn't say I like you."  I didn't love this appealing production.  I will say I liked it.  

Doc "The Eagle Huntress" Soars as an Inspiring Biopic of A Mangolian Teen

The majestic documentary of a 13 yr old Mangolian girl, Aisholpan, is both inspiring & groundbreaking. Director Otto Bell's light touch gives us an unobtrusive view of a remarkable young woman, Aisholplan and & her family.  The film is a stunningingly beautiful look at their nomadic lives in the mountainous Mongolia outskirts.  Aisholpan is the 1st female ever trained as an eagle hunter. It's a courageous & highly skilled undertaking which up until now had been delegated to men. This arduous, dangerous & noble task has been handed down from father to son, from generation to generation.  However, in this remote region of the world, change in attitudes and opportunities for women are expanding.  I formed a fondness for this soft hearted girl with a strong will; willing & able to do whatever it takes to succeed.  She is helped in her quest by her loving father, her biggest ally & mentor.  Their bond is endearing & unbreakable.  He's admirable & heroic as her proponent.  There are many skeptics among the older men opposed to women becoming eagle hunters.  Those opposed have strong dictates for roles assigned to men & women.  Nonetheless, she is permitted to perform in the highly esteemed eagle hunting competition.  It's no buzzard kill knowing she wins.  Full eagle hunter status is only bestowed after capturing prey.  Despite being a longtime animal advocate, I applauded Aisholpan successful hunt.  The respect & teamwork between Aisholpan and her animals is incredible. Every frame of this gorgeous film grants a look into the fascinating, harsh & happy lifestyles in this remote region.  Bell's enthralling doc. presents the exciting process of capturing an eaglet & the necessary training.  A sense of tradition & a respect for nature is felt throughout.  "The Eagle Huntress" shows the rigorous demands upon Aisholpan and her family.  It also presents the pride, thrill, love and respect Aisholpan experienced & inspired in others.    

Ava DuVernay's Doc "13th"-Emancipation Bent into Incarceration & Injustice

Ava DuVernay's disturbing documentary "13th" is meant to make us uncomfortable, as well we should be.  The "13th" Amendment; the emancipation decree is legal semantics for the transformation of slavery into Jim Crow laws into mass incarceration of black men.  Footage of lynchings, violence against peaceful civil rights protestors and black men being arrested & imprisoned are horrific.  However, as a society, we promulgate unfair & inhumane sentencing practices.  Senator Booker and legal activist Bryan Stevenson are eloquent yet alarming voices of reason explaining how systemic racism in our country has evolved from the plantation to incarceration. The Reagans', Clintons', Bushes' misguided war on drugs became legal loophole for locking up black men in alarming numbers & with egregious sentences.   In other words, "slavery" is not legal but the incentive and intention of imprisoning of a disproportionate population of black men has become big business with financial & racial driven motives.  Everyone must see this intelligent and piercing documentary.  Hopefully, its  intent will provoke a public's outcry for humane changes in our country's legal system.  The inhumanity of slavery has in theory been abolished.  In reality, we have become a heinous nation of mass incarceration.  DuVernay's documentary is required viewing, especially now that the KKK has endorsed a presidential candidate who doesn't disavow their support.  DuVernay is a powerful filmmaker who allows the interviewees their say.  DuVernay makes it apparent the troubling truths of the clandestine cover-up of today's Jim Crow rulings.  

THE ENCOUNTER-An Immersive Diversion into Sensory Overload

British dir/playwright Simon McBurney's one act one actor iteractive theatrical experience is not an original inception.  The production relies on sensory overload and an overly ambitious concept.  Disney was an earlier innovator of immersive technology in their "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" theme park film.  Each seat was wired for individual, visceral responses.  "The Encounter" provides headsets for each "guest" with instructions to ensure they're operational for everyone's inward audio & visual interactions.  At times, this proves very clever & eerily effective.  Nonetheless, Disney will inform you it all comes down to storytelling.  The play is at its most charming when its lone performer, Richard Katz, is cajoling & bribing his 2 yr old daughter to go to bed.  She finagles a treat and a bedtime story.  She wields the upper hand while mom is away at a Buddhist retreat  Katz sets the audience up with an instructive, introductory pre-performance.  The driving, true story is the quest of Nat'l Geographic photographer, Loren McIntyre.  McIntyre journeys into the deep recesses of the Amazon.  His mission is to prove the existence of the Mayoruna Tribe whom he claimed rescued him from a near fatal attack by the "Cat" Tribe."  This intriguing story gets lost in translation.  Simon McBurney conceived and directed this tech savvy theatrical immersion.  He beats the audience into madness by fusing everything in an overkill.  There are environmental messages & philosophical queries of merit.  And, there is much to recommend in the creative aural & visual encounter.  However, the blending rendered a madness of mixed messaging that was dense in special effects and obtuse in substance  Although, this may be the show to encounter after drinking the kool-aid.