Performance Review

I recently attended the school’s production of The Jungle Book on May 13^th. This was directed by Mr. Junker and Schuler. I was very impressed by this performance. The cast was full of life and constantly engaging. This was best represented by the very boisterous Baloo, and man-cub Mogli. Throughout the play, the entire stage was constantly being used, making every scene fresh. This was accomplished by continuously changing where your eye was drawn throughout the play. This constant eye movement kept the play from becoming rigid and stale, clearly a very good decision made by the directors and brought to life by the cast and crew.

The actors and actresses clearly put in a lot of effort in order to make this play into what it was. If I hadn’t known better I would have been easily convinced that this was a college or large production show. The use of physical acting was unparalleled by what I have previously seen in school plays. The way that Sher Khan stalked and Baloo romped made for a very engaging performance. Along with this, I was impressed by the adaptability that the costume design displayed in creating Kaa, the snake, reminiscent of The Lion King Live.

If I was given the ability to make one change in this production, I would have redirected some of my focus towards the technical and behind the scenes work. For instance, it would have been a nice touch to have a spotlight follow cast members up or down the stairs. One final change that would have been made was to better amplify the play. It is meant to be a musical performance; audibility should therefore be priority number one. If I had to give this play a rating in stars, I would give it 8 out of 10.

Performance Review

Review of the Jungle Book         

Last Friday I watched the play adaptation of the Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. It was performed in the Henry Clay High School theater by Henry Clay students. The play starts off with a boy named Mowgli living in the jungle with a pack of wolves. A tiger named Shere Khan learns of him and comes to kill him. A panther named Bagera is entrusted with returning him to the human village. Along the way he meets a bear named Baloo and becomes reluctant about leaving the jungle. All this time he is being hunted by Shere Khan. Mowgli manages to escape being killed and begins to realize how dangerous the jungle is. Eventually he sees a human girl and returns to the village.   

The costumes were a little inconsistent in quality. The vultures, elephants, and snake were all very detailed. The monkies and king louis didn’t really have anything on that would let you know what they were. The snake costume was my favorite. They had a pole attached to a stuffed animal snake's head so it could be moved around and they had another person move the tail around. This was a school play though so overall the costumes were very nice. 

The sets were pretty detailed. They had a smoke machine that which was something I have not seen in a school play before. They also had ropes for the monkies and other characters to swing on. The paint on the sets looked very nice. The lighting was pretty good. The lights were always focused on the main character in the scene. If there was only one character on stage there was a spotlight pointed at them. 

Overall I think this was a very solid performance. Some parts were taken out but that was due to time constraints. The ending left some questions unanswered. I personally think this was the most disappointing part about the play. If I were to give this play a rating id say 8/10. It was very good for a school play but there was some things they could have improved on.                                            

 

 

Performance Review - Gates Sweeney

I attended the student supplied film festival at the Kentucky Theater on friday night. It consisted of films submitted by students and hand picked by Mr. Logsdon and Behler. Even though my film was in the show and a few of my friends’ were as well, I still had not seen the majority of the films submitted.

The show started at midnight, which I think is what makes it the most special. It’s like a midnight premier of a blockbuster film but instead it’s your work. The fact that my work was being shown at the Kentucky theater on the big screen was also very special, but I don’t think it was as important as the midnight timing. The show opened up with Mr. Behler giving a quick briefing on TV/Radio as a whole, and then the films played. I was worried that audio would be a problem, considering most of our class isn’t all that advanced in audio balancing. I was worried that some videos would be much louder than others, and it would quickly become a bad experience. Luckily, Mr. Logsdon knew what he was doing so our audio was somewhat balanced for the show. Also, I LOVED seeing a film with stupendous image quality on the big screen. A well shot film deserves a screen like that.

The greatest part of the whole show was the variety of great ideas portrayed through film. Some were definitely better than others, but I was really impressed at how much work many of these people put into their films. For someone like me that loves the hobby so much, it really was a pleasant feeling to see the appreciation of others towards it.

Throughout the show, from color to black and white, action to love, comedy to formal, not one of these films did I dislike or scrutinize. Even though I had never seen them, there was a significant attachment I felt towards each of them during the show. These films are what started the knot that ties up my wonderful senior year.

Performance Review Michael Dickson

Michael Dickson                                                                       Jungle Book Performance Review

            The students at Henry Clay recently put on a rendition of the Disney classic “The Jungle Book.” The play was essentially the Disney film, almost line for line, which was not at all a bad thing, “The Jungle Book” is an amazing film to begin with. The energy, conviction, and emotion with which the actors portrayed their roles surprised me, as I hadn’t attended a school play since fourth grade, and had thus expected the same level of enthusiasm and character. Instead I was met by well portrayed characters who each clearly represented the traits they were intended to. In addition, as anyone will know, Disney’s “The Jungle Book” is a musical, having relatively short, peppy, and lighthearted songs interrupting its typical train of dialogue. This too was captured in the school performance, although it does lead to my singular complaint: I could barely hear anyone.

Although the actors had microphones, several of them did not understand that, even with a microphone, they were still required to project their voices. However, I can’t place blame solely on the performers, the main reason for my forced deafness was the musical accompaniment. The school band and orchestra had come together to provide the symphonic backing that any musical requires. Unfortunately, I don’t think they had ever practiced in the actual theatre. Their music, while incredibly beautiful and proficiently performed, was significantly too loud. Even small tone setting pieces intended to be background to certain scenes easily overwhelmed the soft-voiced performers and the dialogue was quickly lost amidst the tumult.

In spite of the occasionally lost dialogue, the actors easily portrayed the events of the scene through convincing, emotive body language, as well as interaction with stage pieces. That brings up another point, the stage was used to incredible effect, and, several times during the performance, was altogether ignored as actors ran through the seating of the theatre, immersing the audience further. In addition, the stage was incredibly dynamic, with several set pieces serving multiple roles, as well as having pieces that were brought in or removed during transitions. My personal favourite were the “vines” which were dropped down for King Louie’s musical number so that the monkeys could swing back and forth, and partially over the audience.

Overall, the play was highly enjoyable, and I would gladly go see it again if possible. Despite the miscommunication between the sound booth and the orchestra, the energy and expression of the actors, mixed with their interactions with the stage, created a highly enjoyable experience, and a relatively faithful retelling of a beloved, classic tale. 

Performance Review- Skylar Mays

Hamilton Review

Skylar Mays

    Recently Hamilton has been getting a lot of good press and if you haven't seen it you might

question “well how good is it really.” I can assure you, it is well worth the wait. It made history with 16 Tony nominations, the most ever. And has also made advances towards engaging the education systems by providing shows for high school juniors in US history for just $10. Hamilton is a new take on history in some of the most exciting ways possible.

    On April 9th, 2016 I saw Hamilton on Broadway at 2 pm. It was written by Lin Manuel Miranda and directed by Thomas Kail. Miranda also starred as leading role Alexander Hamilton. Also starring were Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr, Daveed Diggs as Thomas Jefferson, Phillipa Soo as Eliza Schuyler, Renée Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler, Jonathan Groff as the King of England, and lastly Christopher Jackson as George Washington.

    The production takes place in a common area that with a few tables and other movable props can be turned into a bar, wedding reception, or home/office. The lights change in order to set mood and provide action. For example, they use a bright, white flash of light from the right side of the stage to symbolize cannons the British are firing. And when Jonathan Groff is singing about how America has declared independence the lights are a warm red, much like the red coats the British wore, until he says “I'm so blue,” to which the lights switch to blue. The actors all wear appropriate costuming for the time period. The dancers wear beige costuming with boots, making it easy for them to add a coat to be apart of the army or a new character, like Thayne Jasperson who is normally a dancer, but added a Navy jacket and became a farmer/commoner.

    It goes without saying that it's ultimately the language that makes this play the success that it is. Miranda used hip-hop and rap not only to bring the script into modern times but to also fit more words and lyrics into a smaller period of time. His lyrics bring to life the ideals of a “young, scrappy, and hungry” immigrant capable of changing the new world. From Renée Goldsberry’s character we see hopes in advances in women's rights when she says she's been reading Common Sense, and wants Jefferson to include “women in the sequel.” Not only does it show strong feminist qualities with all the female actors and dancers but the diversity in the production is phenomenal. Almost every character is from a different descent. This is an attempt by Miranda to show students and immigrants their importance.

    I would recommend this play to anyone and everyone because I feel like there is something to be gained by everyone. And if nothing else, it is accurate and entertaining.

Performance Review-The Jungle Book-Sydney Taylor

The Jungle Book

9:30 am

May 13, 2016

Directed by Kristian Junker and Kiefer Schuler

Lassiter Theater of Henry Clay High School

Performers-Raiffa Syamil, Jade Curless, Yazmina Townsley, Jade Kropp, Anne Russell, Aislinn Langley, Ji-Hae Kim, Isabel Jenkins, Maya Creamer

The Jungle Book shares the story of Bagheera the panther and Baloo the bear attempting to get a young boy named Mowgli to leave the jungle for a human civilization so he will be protected from Shere Kahn, the tiger out to destroy man and any “man cubs”. Ultimately, they defeat Shere Kahn so Mowgli does not have to leave. However, in the end, he is lured from the jungle by a pretty, young, singing girl from the village that he observes collecting water near the jungle.

Most performers wore clothes specific in color to their character, though not necessarily a costume exactly depicting the character, with makeup and/or ears showing what animal they played. This is with the exception of characters like Shere Khan, played by Yazmina Townsley, who wore a full tiger outfit and the vultures who had feathers on their costumes. Jade Kropp, playing King Louie, wore a simple orange outfit and Mowgli, played by Raiffa Syamil, wore brown pants and a shirt. Jade Curless, voicing the snake Kaa, walked carrying a large green snake puppet while Anne Russell carried the rest of the snake body. The set was simple other than a background, a tree to climb, and a throne for King Louie. King Louie’s monkey minions swung from ropes suspended from the top of the stage to simulate them swinging from trees. Large green leaves hung around the top of the stage, enhanced by green lights that shone on the stage and the performers.

The content followed the same story as the movie adaptations. The lesson in this story is that everyone should have the freedom to live where they want and be accepted, but some people have destinies elsewhere that they never would have imagined.

The Jungle Book was one of the best performances put on by Henry Clay High School and the drama department in the past four years. The singers were phenomenal and the orchestra carried the performance (if sometimes overshadowing the performers without microphones). This was an impressive show for high school students, and it was very obvious how much dedication every member committed to making the show as great as it was. They seemed to always have energy, even after the countless elementary school and evening performances they did. 

Performance Review Derrick Thomas Jr.

 At the Woodford Theatre, a local organization opened its season-ending musical last Friday, and it’s no surprise that this energetic production of the popular Marc Shaiman musical Hairspray was very entertaining.

The cast is a diverse group of seasoned professionals and talented college students that share the spotlight with young hopefuls and first time performers. The sense of a community coming together to put on this play and having fun is very apparent. Anyone who comes to see it will enjoy it a lot.

The star Tracy Turnblad is played with abundant energy by Madeline Williamson. Her tone and facial expressions are hilarious. She nevertheless has a commanding presence and easily carries the play.

Singing wise I’d have to say, the props go to Peter Gibbons, who plays the pretty boy Link with likable sincerity, and Darian Sanders, who plays soul-singing Seaweed with starful pizazz. Singing from all actors was good throughout the musical

Jessica Slaton Greene casted as Motormouth Maybelle projects herself good in the part. As Tracy’s parents, Robert Parks Johnson, dressed in drag as Edna, and Patrick Lee Lucas as Wilbur, are played wonderfully, and perform great in their second-act duet (You’re) Timeless To Me.

Daniel Bruington and his larger than life attitude as TV host Corny Collins. As the stuck-up antagonist Velma and Amber Von Tussle Sloan Gilbert and Rachel Jarrard present rather flat shallow characters, but are fun to watch throughout the plot. Emma Becker is good as Tracy’s friend Penny.

The cast of singers, dancers, and actors that make up the rest of the fictional town perform with obvious energy and enjoyment that touches the audience. A credit should be given to to Erica Tilford, Alicia Davila and Brittany Morton, who play a 60’s style trio called the Dynamites with gusto.

The 1960s-style choreography engulfs the theater with flashy movement from start to finish. Constant energy is the main claim for this production, and although lack of experience can be seen throughout the cast, everybody gives their all when it comes to dancing.

The staging direction by director Vanessa Becker Weig keeps the play moving along, although sometimes dialogue can seem clouded by constant motion. Even in serious moments, when stasis would help emphasize the importance of a scene, such as Link’s deciding to be with Tracy instead of Amber, or Motormouth’s speech about the struggle of racial tensions, the characters wander around mindlessly, without real dramatic purpose. But these are small flaws in the overall staging of a huge cast in an emotion filled high-energy musical. Overall the play came off as a fun family experience that the whole community could be proud of.

Performance Review Emily Salamanca

Emily Salamanca

Performance Review

                  After watching the eleventh performance of The Jungle Book from the light box at Henry Clay High School’s Lassiter Theater, I became a bit more cynical of the production because I had seen it over and over. However, the musical was still endearing, childish, and fun. Even at the eleventh performance, I still bopped along to “I Wan’na Be Like You,” while “Trust In Me” continued to give me shivers.

                  At the beginning, Mowgli (Viviana Ortiz), a human boy, is found by a Panther named Bagheera (Emily Spencer). Wolves raise Mowgli until it is recognized that a man-eating tiger, Shere Khan (Yesmina Townsley), has returned to the jungle. Thus, Bagheera must take Mowgli from his home and back to the ‘man-village,’ although Mowgli resists going. Along the way, Mowgli runs off and meets Baloo (Jordan Gross), a bear who just wants Mowgli to feel better and have a good time. Mowgli and Baloo bond, which further convinces Mowgli that the jungle is the right place for him. The company falls asleep and Mowgli is taken by monkeys, led by King Louis (Jessalyn Brown), who just want to be like him, a human. Baloo interrupts and destroys the monkey civilization. Baloo informs Mowgli that he needs to go back to the Man Village since the Jungle is dangerous. Mowgli runs off, too angry with Baloo to stay. Alone, Mowgli is nearly eaten by Kaa (Anne Russell, with assistance from Jade Curless), a snake, but is saved when Shere Khan frightens Kaa enough to let Mowgli go. Alone again, Mowgli encounters the Vultures, who provide him with some friendship. However, Shere Khan interrupts the friendship and battles with Mowgli. Baloo comes to rescue Mowgli. Shere Khan is burned up in a fire after lightening strike a stick. Together again, Baloo, Mowgli, and Bagheera, encounter a human woman. Mowgli, struck by her beauty, follows her off to the village. Bagheera and Baloo rejoice that Mowgli has found his place without force. He is safe.

                  The costumes showed the most professionalism in the show. Kaa’s costume, just a snake body and austere dress-in-all-black actresses made the snake sufficiently creepy. It wasn’t laughable because it wasn’t forced. The large snake body was all there and it maneuvered well to scare elementary school kids. The costumes of Mowgli and Bagheera were not too thought provoking, but they suited the roles well. King Louis’s bright orange frock contrasted nicely with the baggy brown monkeys. The orange showed his power and pizzaz. Baloo’s costume looked fuzzy and fun, just like the characters.

                  The pit made the show. Although the intro was a bit too long for an hour-long show, it was still quite riveting. The band eased shaky transitions and provided humor, such as when the elephants ‘ran’ into the pit. Their volume prevented some people from hearing the show though, so that aspect could certainly be improved upon. The singing was also incredible. The stars in this respect were Anne and Jessalyn, who provided more emotion to their songs than any other character did in the entire show. Each played their respective role well and surprised everyone. Anne’s sharp voice reflected her creepy character. Jessalyn’s power was a perfect mirror of King Louis.

                  My personal favorite part was when Shere Khan was scared off by the lightning. The lights flashed on and off, then transitioned into a glowing red. The drums beat in a chaos. The vultures swarmed. Extras brought in fiery flags to resemble flames. This was technically the best part of the show, competing only with the monkey scenes where the ropes fell from the ceiling.

                  Since it was a high school play, there was a lack of deep emotion. It’s Disney, so it can only elicit so much guttural feeling, yet no one brought it to the stage. Maybe since there were so many performances the actors grew tired, but in general, the play seemed a bit rushed. Next year, we should try to accomplish something deeper. Regardless, I still enjoyed the production, especially comparing the two casts. It certainly was great to see everyone giving it their all.

Performance Review- The Jungle Book (Isabelle)

I was lucky enough to see Henry Clay High School's production of "The Jungle Book" twice: once last Saturday, and again during school on Friday, May 13th, 2016.

The play was directed by Kristian Junker and Kiefer Shuler. The show starred Cas Young as Baloo. Emily Spencer as Bagheera, and Raiffa Syamil as Mowgli. They portray the characters similarly to how they were presented in the original 1970 Disney film. The story revolves around Mowgli's journey as a young boy living in the jungles of India, raised by animals. The other animals fear for him, as a dangerous tiger, Shere Khan, is hunting after him. Yet Mowgli, young and naive as he is, is not afraid.

The piece as a whole was very well-choreographed. The lighting varied-- the use of different colors and spotlights helped guise the audience throughout the show as well as catch their attention. The costumes looked well put-together, and the backdrops were beautifully painted.

The actors did a wonderful job. However, at times, I could not hear the singing over the accompaniment, which was a bit frustrating. Additionally, some of the actors could sing much better than others.

Yet overall, I recommend this show to anyone. It was very entertaining and well-done.

The Jungle Book - Performance Review - Anthony Tamasi

Performance Review

Anthony Tamasi

               In the Lassiter Theater of Henry Clay High School, The Jungle Book cast members quickly brought me back to my childhood, reminiscing upon the animated movie I watched as a kid, originally based on the book by Rudyard Kipling. I was able to instantly immerse myself within the excitement and jubilance radiating from the large cast. The performance was able to add even more to my initial excitement with seeing this play from my early formative years.

               The story opens with Mowgli (Viviana Ortiz), a young boy who was adopted by a pack of wolves when he was just an infant. We fast forward several years and Mowgli is still young, seemingly pre-teen, and the return of the tiger Shere Khan (Yesmina Townsley), who hates men with a passion, threatens the “man-cub” Mowgli. A black panther, Bagheera (Emily Spencer), offers to escort him, to the nearest man village to ensure his safety from the dangerous tiger, as there is no chance of his survival in the jungle. Mowgli and Bagheera encounter a care-free bear named Baloo (Jordan Gross), who promises Mowgli that they can stay in the jungle together. However, Baloo loses Mowgli several times and Bagheera tells him that he is incapable of taking care of the child, and Mowgli needs to get to the man village before Shere Khan finds them. Mowgli runs away out of anger and eventually encounters Shere Khan. The tiger nearly eats Mowgli, but Baloo comes to his rescue, nearly dying as he fights off the tiger. Shere Khan flees after a fire erupts and lights a stick, tied to his tail, on fire. Mowgli, Baloo, and Bagheera continue to walk and eventually come upon the man village, where Mowgli becomes enthralled with a young girl he sees fetching water, whom he follows back to the village.

               What really stole the show was the use of the lights on the set. The audience was constantly kept aware of the theme of good versus evil. When Shere Khan initially emerges, we see the tiger bathed in a dark red light, painting him with emotions of fear from the audience. However, when Mowgli is dancing with Baloo, the lights on them are light and cheerful, with green and no red. Finally, we see blue tinted lights when Mowgli is walking alone, running away through the jungle and talking to the vultures. Whenever Mowgli is upset, or feeling down, the lights portray that emotion to the audience. The lights reflect the mood of the play throughout, attempting to involve the audience on an emotional level, as well as the physical level by the actors interacting with the entire theater. When Mowgli runs away, he runs up the stairs in the theater and out the door at the top of the auditorium, giving the audience the feeling that he has abandoned not only Bagheera and Baloo, but us too.

               The cast was able to get creative with the costumes as well. Kaa (Anne Russell) was my personal favorite, as the producers had actually provided a large snake costume that Ms. Russell could control with a stick. This allowed the audience to see Kaa coiling around young Mowgli, showing everyone that the jungle was not a place for Mowgli and giving us that sense of imminent danger even from those you trust.

               However, as much as I enjoyed the play, there was a lack of professionalism in some parts. I cannot place my finger on any portion, and perhaps there was some intent, but I felt as though Baloo especially failed to completely memorize his lines and show emotion for the character he portrayed. I wanted to see a more enthusiastic performance by the big bear more than others, and I feel that Mr. Gross did not completely bring that.

Overall, I enjoyed the performance not only because of the sentimental value I hold for this story, but also because of the execution. I was pleased to see this play as performed by the Henry Clay students, and I feel it was performed well enough to allow one to reminisce and not worry about the play ruining their memory of such an important work to their life. I would give this play a four out of five (4/5).

                                            

Avery Brown - Spring Semester Performane Review NAHHHHH Sa wenya!!!!!

Spring Semester Performance Review

I attended the 7:30 performance of The Lion King, on April 9^th in New York City. This was the most breath taking performance I have ever seen. Better than any film or recorded song or any other play I’ve been able to attend, The Lion King evoked every emotion you could experience into two and a half hours of acting, dancing and singing. The music and lyrics to this performance were written by Elton John and Tim Rice. The book was written by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi. This playwright was produced by Peter Schneider and Thomas Schumacher. And finally it was directed by Julie Taymor.

Performed on Broadway, this musical was expected to hold a higher standard of theatre. The lighting reflected the mood of the scene and also inflicted the emotions into the audience as well. Also the physical stage was created to move and fit into each scene as needed. It could rise up in a spiral motion to create Pride Rock and it’ll recede into the floor to create an unevenness in the terrain of the savannah.

The costumes made the performance what it is by far. The masks that the adult lions wear can fall over their face when leaning over to make the whole body look like a lion. The puppet like costumes of the secondary actors were incredibly created to move as the animals would move.  My favorite character of all Disney movies is Rafiki and it was exciting to see the character come to life and played by an amazing African actress, Tshidi Manye.

I give this performance an overall 20 out of 10 for its overall high quality of acting, amazing vocals, bright and colorful scenes and the feeling of joy I got when I walked out of the theatre despite the unfortunate events prior to the musical.