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Staller Center scares, enthralls, entertains, delights
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| | | Joshua Redman and Brad Mehldau Duo. Courtesy Staller Center (click for larger version) | |
October 08, 2009 | 12:47 PM
Using the latest in technological advances — the radio — Orson Welles, on Halloween evening in 1938 scared the daylights out of people by convincing many that Planet Earth had really been invaded by aliens from Mars. "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast was a Halloween present to listeners, a scary story for a day usually reserved for scary stories.
Announcements had been made both prior to and during the broadcast that this was just a story, but some listeners to the new technology, hadn't heard that part. They truly believed that the end of the world was at hand. Some panicked, believing the "news" story they had heard. Others just sat back and enjoyed the entertainment and were later puzzled by all the fuss.
This radio broadcast is being recreated for Long Islanders at the Staller Center for the Arts, Stony Brook University on Friday, Oct. 30, at 8 pm, the day before Halloween. L.A. Theatre Works will present "War of the Worlds," and in a special scary (in another way) presentation, "The Lost World." The second feature is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's trip along the Amazon and back in time to the dinosaurs.
Said Staller Center director Alan Inkles of the Halloween offering, "When I had the chance to book this show on the anniversary of the original broadcast, I thought this was a very cool idea. He [the booking agent] offered it to me the night it started. The cast of the show are all well known ... were all on science fiction shows."
Dance
But, the Staller Center's 2009-10 season is a lot more than just scary stuff. Unique dance troupes will be performing at the center as well. The Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company will bring the energy and excitement of Ukrainian folk dance to the center on Nov. 21.
On Saturday, Oct. 24 the Luna Negra Dance Theatre will bring Cuban rhythms in the group's 10th anniversary. Paquito D'Rivera and the Turtle Island Quartet will provide the music.
On Feb. 20 the Martha Graham Dance Company will draw from its 80-year repertoire with energizing results.
For traditional ballet fans, the Moscow Festival Ballet on March 21 will present the 19th-century classic "Coppelia," about a life-sized, dancing doll, that is so real that a young man falls head over heels for "her," giving up his true love. She, in turn pretends to be the doll come to life. First presented in 1870, the music is by Leo Delibes with choreography by Arthur Saint-Leon.
At the other end of the dance spectrum is the freestyle/hip hop of Groovaloo, the 2009 winner of NBC's hit TV show International Superstars of Dance. They will be performing on Saturday, Feb. 13. Noted Inkles, "Unlike 'A Chorus Line,' these are the nine actual people who found dance." He added, "This is their only night in the New York area."
Music
The musical performances at the Staller Center are eclectic as well, running from classical to contemporary.
The Tierney Sutton Band opens the Staller Center season on Saturday, Oct. 10 with its jazz rhythms. Other jazz performances include the Monterey Jazz Festival on tour on Feb. 14, Christian McBride, acoustic bass on March 27 and the Joshua Redman and Brad Mehldau Duo on April 17.
The world-renowned quartet in residence, the Emerson String Quartet, will perform several times during the season, first on Oct. 13 (see separate article on page B18).
Stony Brook University has a number of artists in residence. Four (Gil Kalish, Alan Kay, Colin Carr and Frank Morelli) will present Music on an Autumn Night on Wednesday, Nov. 11. The program will include Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time." Music on a Winter's Eve, featuring Soovin Kim, Katherine Murdock, Colin Carr, Kurt Muroki, Eduardo Leandro and Christina Dahl will be presented on March 3.
The Band of the Irish Guards and the Royal Regiment of Scotland (Saturday, March 13 at 8 pm) are making their debut tour of the U.S. Dressed in traditional uniforms of red and black the bands have played for many important functions in the U.K., including Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday celebration at Windsor Castle.
The lineup is truly eclectic. Joan Osborne, The Holmes Brothers and Paul Thorn will bring an evening of pops and blues on Nov. 15 and Masters of the Fiddle, Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy, will present both folk and Celtic music on Feb. 28.
A truly unique presentation will take place on Jan. 23 and 24 at 8 pm when the Aulos Ensemble will present all six of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos.
Other
Finland's Circo Aereo (Friday, Nov. 13 at 8 pm) mixes cabaret and circus acts to amuse and entertain. Critically acclaimed throughout Europe, this is the group's first U.S. tour.
Tao: The Martial Art of Drumming will be presented on Friday, March 19 at 8 pm. The Japanese drumming presentation has been described as "explosive" and the choreography as innovative. Contemporary in costumes yet traditional in technique, Tao has met with sold-out theaters around the globe.
Not Just For Kids
In addition to performances geared more toward teens and adults, the Staller Center presents a number of performances under the series heading, Not Just For Kids. These child-friendly performances include visual artist and mime Michael Cooper's Masked Marvels on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 3 pm, An Afternoon with the Bach Family (presented by the Aulos Ensemble) on Jan. 24 at 3 pm and Darwin, the dinosaur discovering the meaning of true love (Sunday, March 14 at 3 pm). The final performance in this series is Do Jump (Sunday, May 2 at 3 and 7 pm), combining acrobatics and dance.
Opera
As in past years, some of The Metropolitan Opera's live performances will be projected on the center's big screen during the 2009-10 season. Noted Inkles, "We were the first art center to be approved for the Live from the Met series of broadcasts." Nine performances are scheduled including "Tosca," "Aida," "Turandot," "Der Rosenkavalier," "Carmen," "Les Contes d'Hoffmann," "Simon Boccanegra," "Hamlet" and "Armida." Presented in high definition, most of the performances are live but several will be a rebroadcast. Specific dates and times will be announced shortly with tickets currently available.
Inkles noted that in the current economy people are less able to afford a night at the theater. Some of the Staller prices have actually come down and he has been very creative in booking shows, in some cases having more than one featured performer on the bill. These combination shows "reach out on a lot of different levels," to the community. Inkles added, the jazz night, in February "represents a veritable who's who in jazz, great performers wanting to work together" to produce an exceptional and unique show.
Most tickets for Staller Center performances are in the $30 to $40 range, but the Not Just For Kids series is just $12 per person and the Live at the Met series is $22 per person with discounts for seniors, students and children. For tickets and further information, call 632-ARTS or go to www.staller.sunysb.edu
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