A Lot to Love

TUTS eclectic 2012-13 season features killer bunnies, Constantine Maroulis,Flashdance and a JFK favorite

Spamalot
Victoria Hamilton-Barritt as Alex Owens in Flashdance: The Musical from the 2008UK Tour
Photo by Catherine Ashmore/® Flashdance/© Paramount Pictures Corp.
Cathy Rigby returns as Peter Pan.
Camelot
Jekyll & Hyde
Man of La Mancha

Constantine Maroulis, from Camelot to Spamalot and everything in between. The tenor of the 2012-13 Theatre Under the Stars season is a melange of familiar musical theater with a twist. That's what associate artistic director Roy Hamlin tags as "gourmet comfort food" for theater goers. These shows appeal to traditionalists but have enough of a sparkle to whet the appetite of adventurous artsy types.

"We can't deny the status of the economy when bringing unknown products to our audience," Hamlin tells CultureMap. "But we can't do the same thing we've done in the past, either."

Unlike the origins of theater, classical music, ballet and opera, jazz and musical theater are purely American genres, he points out. Taking a cue from the homegrown art form, TUTS has programmed works that, whenever possible, have strong Houston connections. That's fitting for 45-year-old nonprofit that also nurtures strong community engagement and education initiatives through the Humphreys School of Musical Theatre and The River Performing and Visual Arts Center.

"In order to make our native genres applicable still, we have to put a lot of work into them," Hamlin says. "Audiences assume jazz and American music theater are just fun. But they are as artistically important as Yo-Yo Ma."

The challenge for TUTS has been finding ways to convert single ticket buyers into subscribers. It's a strategy to get cash upfront to underwrite the cost of productions. The company has found a winning formula in offering accessible shows, with an edge. Because TUTS presents big glitzy productions in a well-equipped building, it is easy for audiences to be unaware of the effort to mount high quality theater.

Touring productions

American Idol mania is back, kicking off the season with Jekyll & Hyde (Oct. 9 -21). Both TUTS with Rock of Ages and the Alley Theatre with The Toxic Avenger have learned that headlining stars — especially amicable personalities that can sing and act — add to the bottom line. Imbued with anthem power ballads, Maroulis returns to lead as Dr. Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde in a new 2012 pre-Broadway production directed by Jeff Calhoun, set to premiere in San Diego in October.

The original Frank Wildhorn show took shape with director Gregory Boyd at the Alley in 1990. The stunning hit broke box office records, sold out quickly and the run was extended twice. It's a big undertaking with a strong Houston legacy. But the first 1999 touring version removed some of the stunning visual elements.

If theater lovers know anything about Calhoun is his ability to recreate, innovate and reinvigorate. It's what he did with Big River at the Deaf West Theatre in Los Angeles, earning a Tony Honor for Excellence in 2004. Expect great things in Jekyll & Hyde.

It was back in 1986 when Olympic gymnast Cathy Rigby began her journey starring as the "boy who won't grow up" in the iconic Peter Pan at TUTS. Her performance took flight on Broadway and on tour, receiving a Tony nomination in 1999. She temporarily retired from the role in 2006. Rigby returns for Peter Pan (Dec. 11 - 23) in a new production of the popular holiday show. Writes the New York Times: “Rigby still carries off the flights, fights and acrobatics that make Peter Pan audiences mesmerized.”

Five of The Lost Boys of Neverland will be played local students. A musical theater coach will arrive in Houston ahead of opening night to prepare children for the stage.

Flashdance – The Musical (June 4 - 16) follows the international trend to revive nostalgic themes from the '80s. The show premiered in 2008 and is expected to arrive in Broadway following the U.S. tour directed by Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys, Memphis, The Addams Family). Alongside popular tunes like “Flashdance - What a Feeling,” “Maniac,” “I Love Rock & Roll,” the production also includes 10 original songs.

Self-produced shows

Whimsically combined, Camelot (Jan. 22 - Feb. 3), Man of La Mancha (Feb. 26 - March 10) and Spamalot (May 14 - 26) pay homage, or poke fun, at legendary worlds of yesteryear.

Camelot, loosely based on Arthurian myths, tells a story of romance and heartbreak. The original 1961 cast recording was a favorite of President John F. Kennedy. Spamalot takes its cue from the hilarious 1974 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail sans regal etiquette. Instead, the witty parody includes flying cows, killer bunnies, a one-legged knight and gassy Frenchmen.

With a nob to literary giant Miguel de Cervantes, Man of La Mancha's Don Quixote ambles through the times of the Spanish inquisition attempting to right all wrongs and while wooing women along the way.

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Movie Review

Over-the-top acting and incoherent plot drag down Her Private Hell

Photo courtesy of Neon

Sophie Thatcher in Her Private Hell.

Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn is not someone who plays nice with the general film world. His 2011 film Drive introduced him to American audiences in a big way, but that pulsating thriller was followed up with artier films like Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon that eschewed coherent plots in favor of moody, atmospheric pieces.

Winding Refn, who hasn’t made a feature film in 10 years, has gone fully down the rabbit hole with Her Private Hell. Taking place in a liminal space that kind of resembles Earth but also feels like someone’s dreams/nightmares, the film focuses on Elle (Sophie Thatcher), an actor currently starring in a sci-fi film. Staying at a hotel with newcomer Hunter (Kristine Froseth), the two bond over their shared passion and the legend of Elle’s father, Johnny Thunders (Dougray Scott), who’s now married to Elle’s friend Dominique (Havana Rose Liu).

After spending a good amount of (mostly incomprehensible) time with that group, Refn introduces Private K (Charles Melton), who seems to be living in post-World War II Japan. He is looking for his daughter, who might have been taken by a mysterious figure known as “Leatherman,” and he will stop at nothing to find her, fighting whoever stands in his way.

It becomes clear almost right away that Winding Refn has no desire to engage in traditional storytelling in this film. The main characters wander through neon-drenched streets and buildings, which are often surrounded by a mist that is referred to on multiple occasions but never explained. Everyone speaks as if in a constant state of wonderment, and there are many moments where it’s unclear if events are actually happening, part of a movie-within-a-movie, or something else entirely.

Unlike his previous films, Winding Refn has taken the characters in this film completely out of the real world, with every scene taking place in a sparsely decorated room or street that is obviously a movie set. While there are moments where this decision really works, especially the striking first shot of a human-like figure mixed in with a cityscape and clouds, most of the time it only adds to the stilted nature of the film as a whole.

In fact, the entire movie has the feel of an avant-garde theater exercise. Every actor seems to be trying to outdo the others with awkward performances and out-sized reactions. Two very specific characters make appearances in both sides of the story for seemingly no reason other than to inject their weirdness into both spaces. The shocking violence that crops up on occasion would have more of an impact if it was related to anything intelligible.

Thatcher (Companion) and Liu (Tuner) are among the young stars who have had breakout moments in recent years, but neither of them is served well by this hot mess of a movie. They, along with Melton, still demonstrate the talent they possess, but the oddity of the film weighs them down. Scott makes an impression for all the wrong reasons, while Froseth is called upon to play a character who might as well not be there at all.

If there’s any kind of message that Winding Refn was trying to convey with Her Private Hell, it’s lost among the flashing lights, overload of pink, and jewel-like structures. Filmmakers who try to make art for art’s sake have a place in the world, but this film too often feels like people are making things up as they go, with no real goal in mind.

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Her Private Hell opens in theaters on July 24.

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