Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 22, No. 35, Ed. 1 Friday, January 13, 2006 Page: 36 of 60
sixty pages : ill.View a full description of this newspaper.
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Italian Bistro and Bar
Saturday, January 21
3-piece live jazz ensemble until 1 1 pm
3-course "you pick" menu for $30
$3 wine by the glass
$3 "you call it" drinks all night
30% off any bottle of wine with dinner
Presenting our
Grand Opening
Night
And Carmine's
30th Birthday
Celebration
Everything in three's to help Carmine adjust to 30
and say goodbye to the twenties
For reservations, call 214-599-2616
4140 Lemmon Ave.
(at Douglas Ave - next to Gloria's)
214.599.2616
Visit aquabistrodallas.com for our full menu and to reserve a table
Walk-ins are welcome. Casual dress is always recommended at Aqua.
Complimentary valet parking.
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NATIONAL NETWORK
stage
Great white gay
Uptown Players' 'Broadway Our
Way' delivers consistent delights
By Arnold Wayne Jones Staff Writer
A lot of theater companies play to the
strengths of their talent pool. But Uptown
Players seems to take a slightly different
approach.
This troupe sets the bar almost too
high, inviting local actors, musicians and
designers to outdo themselves. The risks
are plentiful, but so are the rewards.
"Broadway Our Way: Divas Unleashed" is
one such payoff. The latest annual fundraiser for
Uptown, this revue of hit show-tunes (many
from recent musicals) is full of camp-induced
belly laughs, wonderful music and fluid chore-
ography.
The best reason for seeing the show is to revel
in the showcase of talent. All of the performers
volunteer their services to Uptown, but that
seems fair. For many, this is chance to prove they
have the chops to do anything. "Broadway Our
Way" is a forum where actors can shine, and
almost everyone sparkles like a crystal chande-
lier.
As in prior years, the conceit is that men per-
form songs written for women and vice versa.
That leads to some delightful, often sexy, gen-
derbending. Nowhere is this more in evidence
than on "All I Ask of You" from "The Phantom
of the Opera," sung by Stephanie Hall and direc-
tor Andi Allen, who caress each other with bed-
room eyes, and end with a kiss. Their singing is
superb, but the homoeroticism draws subtext out
of the lyric.
Not everyone on stage is gay, of course, which
is no better demonstrated than in "If You Were
Gay" from "Avenue Q." Cameron McElyea and
Tony Martin wit and parry with the cheeky song,
suggesting that the other might be in the closet.
Martin shows fearlessness in other scenes as
well, especially in portraying a portly paramour
as a muscular John de los Santos pines for him.
He turns "Funny Honey" from "Chicago" into a
comic gem that even has the musicians rolling
with laughter.
Martin isn't the only scene-stealer. William
Blake leads a group in "All that Jazz" that would
make Catherine Zeta-Jones pant with envy. And
Courtney Franklin displays her gorgeously coun-
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Master of ceremonies Paul J. Williams (as Sister Helen
Holy) keeps everything moving at "Broadway Our Way."
trifled pipes on both "Muddy Water" from "Big
River" and a medley from "Aida."
Paul J. Williams, who hosts the event, flexes
his improv comedy skills, toying with the audi-
ence while making appearances as a slate of
characters, including his signature creation,
Sister Helen Holy.
If the show has a failing, it is in its structure,
which slathers many hilarious bits for the first
half of Act 1 and then diving headlong into slow
ballads. That is a minor quibble, though, once
you hear Cedric Neal, who has never sounded
better, ring every emotion of out "It's a Fine, Fine
Line." He's just one of the stars in a production
as filled with high points as the Himalayas.
Trinity River Arts Center, 2600 Stemmons
Freeway, Suite 180. Friday and
Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2p.m.
$40. 214-219-2718.
DALLAS OPERA'S 'ARIADNE' STUMBLES
Not all operas have to be deadly serious affairs,
with men pining for suicidal (or tubercular) women.
The Dallas Opera's last venture, "Tales of Hoffmann,"
was iively and silly as well as lushly romantic. And they prove
it can be done.
It is not done, however, with "Ariadne auf Naxos." There's a
lot of promise, but little fulfillment.
The Prologue strikes the right note, as it explains the amusing
set up: A grand opera by a grave young composer must be performed
at the same time as a comedy burlesque. There's plenty of room for
comic mischief here.
But the director, John Lloyd Davies, doesn't seem to want to have fun.
The Richard Strauss score, lacking any memorable musical hooks, needs
a boost. But the pacing plods without the necessary comic energy.
Afewdesign successes — a colorful set, magically flying furniture, an illu-
minated clock that ticks away overhead until the expected fireworks display at
the end — cannot salvage the cumbersome staging.
— Arnold Wayne Jones
Music Hall at Fair Park, 901 First Ave. Saturday at 7:30 p.m. $19-$265. 214-
443-1000.
38 I dallasvoice.com I 01.13.06
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Vercher, Dennis. Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 22, No. 35, Ed. 1 Friday, January 13, 2006, newspaper, January 13, 2006; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth238891/m1/36/: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.