Live Entertainment Blog

The new version of Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” doesn’t seem to work as well as previous ones have. The problem is not the acting. It’s with the actual production on a basic level. The new translation creates a play set in 1907 and puts in language that doesn’t work. It’s complicated and unclear and much too modern for these characters at that time of history. They have also shifted the tone and focus to a certain extent: there is less focus on the domestic side and on the wife, and more on the political drama involved. The transitions don’t quite work in the characters and so the production just doesn’t quite work. Perhaps it’s just the opinion of the reviewer, so you can see it for yourself!

A few weeks ago, we mentioned Green Day on this blog. If you have been looking at tickets, then you might want to take a look at a review of the show. They are previewing their newest shows in a way and they will be fine-tuning it. But the reviewers are enjoying the show so far. It follows their newest CD which is in the tradition of American Idiot, their 2005 CD that was perhaps their most successful. The band has moved away from the 90s grunge-alternative style into a little bit of a pop-rock style, but still have the alternative feel that they used to. This show is very interesting and you can enjoy it this summer and hear their great songs and exciting lyrics.

Many current music stars come from television careers and one of the biggest of the shows that starts this is American Idol. Many of the names that you hear frequently now are connected to people who were on the show in the last few years and it will be interesting to see which ones have staying power and which ones are just short-term stars. In addition, the show has affected the kinds of music that are popular at the moment, putting a lot of stock into pop ballads and other soloist-based music. As a result, a lot of the stars often have no live music played and no harmony with other stars. These are the kinds of singers that we’re going to have for the forseeable future, though bands like the Killers and Dave Matthews are still quite popular.

No, not Michael Jackson. Andrew Jackson. The old president of the US has been the subject of many pieces of debate for many years, but this show has no debate about it! Jackson is clearly the figure being criticized here and it’s very funny to see it! They depict him as a hero that people look up to. But he’s also a figure of buffoonery in this case. He ends up being worked on in a funny way and laughed at. He is a hero in an almost modern media style where you might think of him being a self-important imperialist. The characters around him are caricatures of themselves, but only in one specific way per character. It’s a lot of fun, so don’t miss this show if you get the chance to see it!

The Tony Awards will be happening in just under a month and the people in charge have just announce who will be their emcee. Neil Patrick Harris will be hosting the 2009 Tony Awards. And who is that? You might know him as one of the stars of “How I Met Your Mother”, where he plays one of the younger men on the dating scene. Or you might even remember him from his Doogie Howser days, when he played a kid doctor. He has also appeared onstage on Broadway and on other stages throughout his career. He says that he is interested in making sure that the Tony Awards are a “first class evening for all” and that seems like a nice way to approach it.

Your favorite rapper, Talib Kweli, is now a claimed man. He wasn’t really single in the first place, it must be said, because he’s been engaged to his now wife, DJ Eque, for several years now. They were married in a private home in California and it was a rather interesting ceremony. It included Queen Latifah and ?uestlove of the Roots as performers in the occasion. Surely it was a fun time for everyone involved. But don’t expect this to change his music in any particularly big way. He will still be the same kind of rapper, especially since they’ve been together for such a long time already.

Green Day has been one of the biggest bands for over a decade. Though they were formed in the late 1980s, they first rose to prominence in the mid 90s. You might think of them as being a grunge band, and they were labeled alternative for much of the last decade. By now, however, especially since “American Idiot”, they have been described more as a group of rock musicians and they remain quite enjoyable. They have sold 65 million records and have won 3 Grammys. But the point of their act isn’t to win Grammys. They are artists and they want to make a statement in a fun way. It’s definitely an exciting show to see if you get the chance to see it and you’ll hear songs from their new albums as well as some of their classics. Green Day tickets are some of the best values in music right now!

The musical 1776 is 40 years old this year. It’s become a big part of the canon of American musical theater and is a favorite for many people. It’s not a bad show at all, and even the new production is a very good one. It seems like it would be hard to match the earlier productions, including the film and the recorded versions. But the new version has several very talented actors playing those roles and people are very pleased with the depictions. The reviewers note especially the songs “Momma, Look Sharp” and “Molasses to Rum” as particularly amazing, both in the original composition but especially in this particular production. We can recommend seeing this show, especially if you’re into historically-based shows!

Belohlavek is one of the biggest conductors in Europe right now, but the performance his orchestra gave this week in London’s Barbican Hall was, according to reviewers, uninspired and needed to be given a stronger push in the sound. Both of the pieces, by Wagner and Bruckner, were originally made to be played in large echoey performance halls. Of course, they were technically beautiful, but it’s the artistic parts of it that was missing during this performance. He will get it back, but sometimes it is hard to really get it right in a hall, and it’s possible that with further performances he’ll be able to really pull it through next time when he gets used to it!