The Arthropologist

Ten performances that linger in my mind

Ballet: Velocity Choreographer: Stanton Welch Dancer(s): Meloday Herrera
Photo by Drew Donovan
Houston Ballet" "Hush" with Nicholas Leschke and Kelly Myernick
Photo by Jim Caldwell
From Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company, Jennifer Decker, Patricia Duran andEric Doss in John Harvey's "Rot"
Photo by Anthony Rathbun
"Village of Waltz" by the Hope Stone Dance Company and choreography by JaneWeiner. Dancers: Brit Wallis and Patrick Ferreri
Photo by Simon Gentry
Jeffrey Bean in the Alley Theatre production of "Cyrano de Bergerac"
Photo by Michal Daniel
K. Todd Freeman, left, as Booth and David Rainey as Lincoln in the Alley Theatreproduction of "Topdog/Underdog."
Photo by Michael Brosilow

Distilling a decade of art-watching into ten selections is not for the faint of decision-making. How best to select ten best in a sea of strong offerings? I let my memory be my sieve and asked the question, "What is still with me?" Keep in mind, I didn't see everything, although heavens knows I tried. These 10 performances continue to linger, fester, mesmerize, entertain, haunt, disturb or enchant.

Astoria, choreography by Jennifer Wood, Suchu Dance (2001; revised 2004)

Wood riffs on the flimsiness of memory in Astoria, one of her most poignant theatrical pieces. With a reccurring scene of a lone dancer under a swinging overhead lamp, Wood nails the human tendency to prop up the past and re-do it according to our own devices. Wood wove memory, movement and humor into one highly memorable and whimsical whole. Nicholas Phillips' lighting design further transported us to Wood's weird world. Nostalgia never looked this good.

Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks, Alley Theatre (2004)

David Rainey and Todd Freeman crashed through Parks' Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning play with a fierce energy. The actors' chemistry, combined with Parks' soaring language, made for one of the most riveting performances at the Alley's intimate Neuhaus Stage.

Velocity, choreography by Stanton Welch, Houston Ballet (2006)

Welch proved himself a master architect of group motion in his white tutu ballet Velocity. Dense and filled with Welch's signature intricate, yet organic, movement, the ballet whipped up an undeniable kinetic momentum. Melody Herrera's stellar performance landed her a coveted spot on the "25 to Watch" list in Dance Magazine and on the cover.

Hush, choreography by Christopher Bruce, Houston Ballet (2006)

Bruce's charming portrait of a traveling circus family set to Bobby McFerrin's music was so chock filled with gorgeous stage pictures that I actually tried to slow the ballet down while watching. Houston Ballet has enjoyed a long relationship with Bruce, and it showed in this pitch-perfect ballet created especially for the company. With lighting by Houston's own Christina Giannelli, the ballet conjured a delicate world, full of nuanced dancing by the original cast. Audiences will get a second look at Hush as it comes round again this season as part of "American at Heart" in March.

La Cenerentola by Gioacchino Rossini, Houston Grand Opera (2007)

So why is an opera on a best theater and dance list? Directed by famed Barcelona troupe known as Els Comediants, this HGO production of La Cenerentola proved an entirely visually arresting theatrical experience. HGO Studio alum turned megastar soprano Joyce DiDonato delivered a Bel Canto tour de force performance, never mind looking smashing in her Mondrian inspired Cinderella duds.

Sleeping Beauty, choreography by Dominic Walsh, Dominic Walsh Dance Theater (2007)

Dominic Walsh lived up to the "theater" in his company's name with his re-telling of this classic ballet. Transposing the story into a futuristic setting complete with a graphic novel vibe, Walsh hit his stride in making a classic bold and fresh. Dawn Dippel danced her heart out as Aurora, a narcoleptic with a drug problem, and Walsh himself stunned as Lyle Laq, his play on the Lilac Fairy.

Rot by John Harvey, Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company and Bobbindoctin Puppet Theatre (2007)

I assumed John Harvey to be a black sheep relative of Edgar Allen Poe, and Rot to be a script found in someone's attic, or better yet, someone's coffin. But lo and behold, Dr. Harvey is alive and well, teaching and twisting young minds at University of Houston's Honors College where he is an artist in residence. Harvey's play is as rich in poetry as it is in delicious gore. The collaboration between Mildred's and Bobbindoctrin proved a potent match.

Jeffrey Bean in Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, Alley Theatre (2008)

Bean delivered a performance so luminous it seemed an act of cruelty when the show was done. The veteran Alley Acting Company member owned every minute on the Hubbard Stage, transforming each syllable into a ecstatic experience. What a divine match between an actor and his words.

Awake and Sing by Clifford Odets, Main Street Theater (2009)

Odets' depression-era tale of a claustrophobic Jewish family surviving in the Bronx felt timely and MST did a noble job living up to Odets' biting prose. Outstanding performances by Charles Swan and Luisa Amaral-Smith and sensitive direction by Cheryl L. Kaplan made for a riveting experience. I wasn't the only person blown away; Terry Teachout also raved in the Wall Street Journal.

Village of Waltz, choreography by Jane Weiner, Hope Stone Dance Company (2009)

Weiner, a slow cook choreographer, took our breath away in her most realized and polished work thus far in her decade-long Houston dancing-making career. Athletic dancing, pristine ensemble work and a taste of a village atmosphere placed Weiner in the one to watch category on Houston's local dance stages.

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Movie Review

Steven Spielberg captivates with new aliens drama Disclosure Day

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment

Tommy Martinez, Emily Blunt, and Josh O'Connor in Disclosure Day.

With the release of Disclosure Day, Steven Spielberg has now directed 17 feature films over 26 years in the 21st century, the exact same number over the exact same period of time he did in the 20th century. The first half of his career was mostly defined by his blockbuster films, while the second half has seen him exploring a lot more serious material. Disclosure Day marries the two for an experience only he could deliver.

The film starts in medias res, as Dr. Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) is being pursued by Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth) and a team of henchmen for stealing intellectual property from Wardex, a government contractor for which he works. As the audience gradually discovers, Daniel is a cyber-security programmer who has discovered evidence of alien life in the company’s servers. He and others within the company, including Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo), are determined to release the information to the public.

Concurrently, television meteorologist Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) starts experiencing weird things, including the ability to speak multiple languages and read people’s minds. Without either of them actively trying to seek each other out, Daniel and Margaret are set on a path to meet, with Scanlon (with the help of a mysterious alien device) trying to track their every move.

Directed by Spielberg and written by David Koepp, the film is an almost even mix between classic Spielberg wonder and a deep story about what it is to be human. By starting the film in the middle of the story, Spielberg immediately ramps up the excitement level. While the movie has relatively little action, that sequence and a few others deliver the type of propulsiveness for which Spielberg is revered, keeping the 145-minute film moving at a brisk pace.

Of the different types of alien movies Spielberg has made over the years, this one is closer to Close Encounters of the Third Kind than E.T. The story ponders the ethical, religious, political, and sociological effects that revealing the existence of aliens could have on the world. The debates had by various characters purposefully take the film out of being a sheer popcorn flick, forcing the audience to grapple with issues that they may have never considered before.

Unlike some other Spielberg films, he and Koepp don’t hold the audience’s collective hand throughout the story. There are a lot of times when viewers have to use context clues to understand exactly what is happening. That especially goes for an extremely important aspect of the world in which the story takes place that could pass you by if you’re only paying attention to the main characters’ dialogue. Spielberg’s using only subtle allusions for an element which would be the main focus of most other films is a fascinating choice.

O’Connor (Wake Up Dead Man, Challengers) has that everyman quality that a story like this needs. It always feels like it's him against the world, and does a terrific job of exuding both confidence and fear. Blunt delivers a fantastic performance, switching between confusion and composure with ease. Firth makes for a solid villain, and the story is helped by great turns from Domingo and Eve Hewson.

The idea that the nearly 80-year-old Steven Spielberg is still making blockbuster-style movies over 50 years after he made Jaws is astonishing, and the fact that he still knows how to make them work is even more impressive. Disclosure Day may not be the type of alien movie many were expecting, but it’s another high water mark in a career that has been full of them.

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Disclosure Day opens in theaters on June 12.

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