‘MANON’ KICKSTARTS HB SEASON

By JOHN DeMERS

It’s not exactly The Greatest Story Ever Told – Boy Meets Girl in Paris, Girl Meets Diamonds in Paris, Girl Runs Off With Rich Old Man, Boy Chases Girl, Girl Arrested for Prostitution, Girl Dies in Desolate Place Called Louisiana. But it seems to have considerable resonance with audiences, having inspired one popular opera in French by Massenet and another popular opera in Italian by Puccini. Oddly, Manon may find its greatest psychological depth in a world without singing or even words: in this full-evening story ballet choreographed by the late British master Sir Kenneth MacMillan. 

I say “oddly” because, with the condensation of motive and meditation forced by dance, full-evening ballets are often (too often for some!) a few strong ideas, a handful of memorable moves, and a bunch of happy peasants holding what seems a folkdance festival. Thanks to MacMillan and some of his 20^th century contemporaries, however, this limitation began to be twisted into a strength. In works like 1974’s Manon and another hit from the Houston Ballet playbook, John Cranko’s Onegin, ballet finds not only its well-established flair for showmanship but its true power as storytelling. 

To do this, of course, it helps if your chief dancers are terrific actors in disguise, which explains why the cast to open this season with Manon was applauded so wildly. In company with several other women who move gracefully in and out of this role and others in Stanton Welch’s repertoire, there is no one more remarkable than Amy Fote. Welch first chose her years ago to pour layers of meaning into his intense Madame Butterfly during a tour, and she’s been doing the same number on characters here in Houston ever since. 

As Manon, Fote is absolutely believable as a flighty young girl in love with a poor divinity student, just as she’s absolutely believable as a calculating, only slightly older young woman on sale to the highest bidder. Fote apparently uses two or more different bodies in the course of the evening: her movement language is that different. Through both extremes, as she does in nearly all her roles, Fote poured an incredible  vulnerability into this Manon, a fragility to underlie her strength, that made us care what happened to her. And she danced her final, dying moments in Louisiana, wavering between her true love’s arms and a parade of frightening memories, with such abandon that I often feared for her safe landings. 

To carry off such magic, Fote had the perfect partner, ever-impressive dancing-actor Connor Walsh. It seems Walsh can take on any role, from the noble and tragic within ballet’s canon to wild, almost improvisational slapstick to modern and thoroughly weird. In this instance, we simply had to believe he was a young man who’d do anything for his great love, which in the course of this ballet he pretty much does. I was reminded, watching Walsh’s descent from religious studies to cheating at cards in a high-toned Parisian bordello, that the original 18^th-century French novel by Abbe Prevost is at least as much about a man’s fall from grace as a woman’s love of creature comforts. 

Strongly danced vignettes fill in around the four (count ‘em!)  pas de deux that MacMillan gives his two young lovers – each one so passionate it’s tempting to think it’s better than the others, until all four are finished and you can’t begin to decide. Special praise goes to Simon Ball as Manon’s brother Lescaut (a character called upon to do both a stumbling solo and then a pas de deux while falling-down drunk), Nicholas Leschke as rich-old-man Monsieur G.M., and, very late in the ballet, James Gotesky as the loutish Louisiana jailer who tries to be the last man to take a little something from the dying Manon. 

The production is lovely to look at, three acts that begin in crowd scenes and end in spaces both intimate and electrifying. Scenic design is by Peter Farmer, who prefers willowy drops full of suggestion to big, heavy set pieces rolling about, with highly effective lighting by Houston Ballet’s own Christina Giannelli. Under the baton of maestro Ermanno Florio, the orchestra made terrific work of the score by Massenet, not actually from his opera but pieced together from his entire songbook. Manon – well, it might not be the Greatest Story Ever Told, but it’s certainly The Story Told All Too Often.

Photos by Amitava Sarkar: (above) Connor Walsh and Amy Fote, (below) Amy Fote, Nicholas Leschke and Co.

MOVIES YOU CAN EAT AT MFAH

By JOHN DeMERS

The Museum of Fine Arts’ wonderful new film series Meals on Reels, pulled together with help from some of Houston’s finest chefs, may be the closest thing we get to dinner and a show without any calories.

The basic idea for Meals on Reels was to add a theme to the already-popular annual series called, not unpersuasively, Movies Houstonians Love. And all the time the committee in charge wrestled with that notion, our culture’s obsession with restaurants, food and chefs kept coming up. There is, of course, Julie and Julia in theaters as we speak, along with chef-centric programs all over the TV, from silly showbiz like Iron Chef to personal statements by the bad-boy likes of Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsey.

So, the notion came down to this: Let’s ask a group of Houston’s best chefs what movies they love, presuming such movies would have something between a little and a lot to do with food. The committee decided, the committee invited – and the committee has not been disappointed. Several chefs, in fact, picked the same great films, in which case they had to be reminded of a very old restaurant concept: First come, first served.

“This year is the first time that Movies Houstonians Love has been themed, and the film committee couldn’t have picked a timelier subject,” offers MFAH film curator Marian Luntz. “As films like Julie & Julia and Food, Inc., reality television series like Top Chef, and bestselling books such as Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore’s Dilemma are met with increasing interest and popularity, it would seem that the food industry has captured the collective American imagination.”

Yes, you heard that last part right. The chefs themselves will introduce their chosen films, each on a different night beginning with Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner on Sept. 21 and running all the way to Food, Inc. on May 10. All the films are being screened in Brown Auditorium Theater, with a pricetag of $7 each. Special door prizes will be given out at each screening. A discount season pass is available for purchase at museum ticket desks, for $60 (general public) and $55 (MFAH members, senior adults, and students) and provides admission to all nine films.

Here is the schedule of Houston chefs presenting their favorite films:

Marcus Davis’s Favorite Film: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? Monday, September 21, 7 p.m. Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy play parents whose attitudes towards race are tested when their engaged daughter introduces them to her black fiancé (Sidney Poitier). http://www.thebreakfastklub.com.

Irma Galvan’s Favorite Film: Tortilla Soup Monday, October 26, 7 p.m. A Hispanic-American chef (Hector Elizondo) with three grown daughters cooks lovely meals, but has lost his taste for food since his wife’s death. When a widow sets her eyes on the chef, will he be able to regain his lust for life?

Michael Kramer’s Favorite Film: Big Night Monday, November 30, 7 p.m. Two Italian brothers immigrate to New Jersey in the mid-1950s and open an authentic Italian restaurant, only to be snubbed by the locals (who prefer Italian food made American style). The brothers host one big banquet to impress their guests. Starring Tony Shalhoub, Stanley Tucci, Minnie Driver, and Isabella Rossellini.http://hotelicon.com/voice-restaurant.

Anita Jaisinghani’s Favorite Film: Mostly Martha (Bella Martha) Tuesday, January 5, 7 p.m. A workaholic, German chef, Martha, is shocked when her young niece loses her mother in a car wreck and shows up on her doorstep. The obsessive cook must take a break from her upscale restaurant and devote some time to her willful new ward.http://www.indikausa.com.

Scott Tycer’s Favorite Film: La Grande Bouffe 7 p.m. Monday, January 25. In this decadent and depraved masterpiece, four friends hole up in a Parisian villa to eat themselves to death. http://www.textilerestaurant.com.

Robert del Grande’s Favorite Film: Who’s Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? 7 p.m. Monday, February 22. A serial killer is on the loose, targeting the great European chefs. A top American cook, however, may be next in line—unless she can stop the killer with the help of her ex-husband. http://www.rdgbarannie.com.

Armando Palacios’s Favorite Film: Super Size Me Monday, March 29, 7 p.m. Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock uses himself as a guinea pig, subsisting on a fast-food diet and examining the impact on his health.http://www.armandosrestaurant.com.  

Charles Clark’s Favorite Film: Babette’s Feast 7 p.m. Monday, April 26. An Academy Award-winner for Best Foreign Language Film, this art house hit is set in Denmark and features two spinster sisters who hire a war refugee, Babette, to work for them in a Calvinist settlement. When Babette cooks up a decadent feast for the local elders, will the effects of the meal liberate the sisters? http://ibizafoodandwinebar.com. 

Monica Pope’s Favorite Film: Food, Inc. 7 p.m. Monday, May 10. Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) and Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto), Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it’s produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here. Filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer. http://www.tafia.com.

‘ON THE TOWN’ GOES TO TOWN

This past weekend, one of our favorite theatrical enterprises, Bayou City Concert Musicals, wowed ‘em with one of a lot of people’s favorite musicals, Leonard Bernstein’s On the Town. Celebrating a full 10 years of presenting musicals in concert – almost no sets, some costumes and almost limitless talent – BCCM sang and danced its way through classics like “New York, New York,” “Lonely Town,” “Some Other Time” and “I Can Cook Too.” Best of all, the five weekend performances benefited the Tim Harris Memorial Fund, which supports Houston musicians who have suffered a catastrophic illness or injury. In the photo, having a big time in the Big Apple, are (standing) Will Luton as Gabey and Kregg Alan Dailey as Ozzie, and (seated) Adam Gibbs as Chip. For info on future BCCM shows, check out www. bayoucityconcertmusicals.org

LEARNING VALUES

Patricia Kuehnert-Gillespy and Luis Lopez Morton

FREE APPRAISAL DAY AT MORTON KUEHNERT

A free Appraisal Day will be held this Saturday at Morton Kuehnert Auctioneers & Appraisers, 2801 W Sam Houston Parkway North.  Complimentary informal appraisals of art, antiques, jewelry, silver and decorative objects will be offered.  The event, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., is open to the public.

“Houstonians are intrigued by the prospect of discovering something of great value amongst their personal possessions,” said Luis C. Lopez-Morton, chairman and managing director of Morton Kuehnert.  “We want to provide them with an occasion on which to have their items evaluated and appraised.”

Possible items for appraisal include: antique furniture and collectibles, china, crystal, silver, paintings, books, jewelry, furs and historical artifacts.  “Many of us have family heirlooms stored in our attics that we keep meaning to find out more about,” said associate director Patricia Kuehnert-Gillespy.  “This free appraisal day is a great opportunity for people to access information about their belongings and make informed decisions about whether to keep them, or sell them at auction.”

For more information, visit www.mortonkuehnert.com or call 713-827-7835.

THE HEART’S ‘SECRET CHAMBERS’

ALLENDE NOVEL ‘LIVES’ AT MAIN STREET THEATRE

By JOHN DeMERS

Maybe, just maybe – based on her vision of how the past works within the present in extremely mysterious ways – Isabel Allende should have been a playwright instead of an award-winning novelist. There’d be no question she’d have come out much like Tennessee Williams mixed with Eugene O’Neill, except for being a woman with a Latin accent, of course. 

“It is very strange to write one’s biography because it is just a list of dates, events and achievements,” Allende observes. “In reality the most important things about my life happened in the secret chambers of my heart and have no place in a biography. My most significant achievements are not my books, but the love I share with a few people, especially my family, and the ways in which I have tried to help others. When I was young, I often felt desperate: so much pain in the world and so little I could do to alleviate it! But now I look back at my life and feel satisfied because few days went by without at least trying.” 

Starting this week, with the season opener at Houston’s Main Street Theatre, we get to read one of Allende’s best-known novels without slipping on our reading glasses. The company launches its 34^th year with the English-language premiere of Caridad Svich’s The House of the Spirits, based on the best-selling novel. The House of the Spirits opens this Thursday and runs through Oct. 11 at Main Street Theater – Rice Village, 2540 Times Blvd. 

Svich’s adaptation of Allende’s stunning novel was commissioned for NYC’s Repertorio Espanol, where the Spanish-language version is currently on stage there through November. The play is told from the point of view of the youngest of three generations of women, Alba, whose swirling memories – frightening and amusing, lyrical and fantastic – illuminate the stage as she records her family’s history and ultimately finds the strength to recover her own story. MST’s production will be the English-language premiere of this play, which critics call “a tumultuous and supernatural family saga that restores the story’s vibrant magical realism.” 

The House of the Spirits charts the rise and fall of the Trueba family in an un-named Latin American country that’s reminiscent of Alldende’s native Chile. The piece spans the 1920s through the 1970s, as the country moves through enormous sociopolitical changes that culminate in a devastating dictatorship. Author Allende said of the production at Repertorio Espanol: “It was a true celebration to watch the show…it’s extraordinary because it is presented with immense creativity and originality. The novel’s spirit was replicated in the play. It’s very authentic.” 

Just this summer The House of the Spirits/La Casa de los Espiritus and its production at Repertorio Espanol have been honored with Seven 2009 HOLA Awards including Outstanding Achievement in Playwriting for Caridad Svich. Main Street says it’s honored to be able to offer the English-language premiere while the Spanish-language premiere is still running. MST’s production also marks the Houston premiere of any of Svich’s works. 

Coming off of her hit run of Awake and Sing! at MST, Luisa-Amaral Smith returns for House.  The rest of the cast includes Orlando Arriaga, Eva De La Cruz, Alexander Garza, Séan Patrick Judge, Chelsea Ryan McCurdy (Ps and Qs), Rosarito Rodríguez, Laura Michelle Salas, and Richard Solis (Anna in the Tropics). Tickets range from $20 – $36, depending on date and section, and are on sale in person at the Main Street Theater Box Office, 2540 Times Blvd., via phone at 713.524.6706, or online at http://www.mainstreettheater.com.

GARDEN VISION

BECOMING A REALITY FOR THE COMMUNITY

By STACEY HOLZER

Three women’s vision and a passion for growing things has sparked an all new community garden worthy of our attention. Ceramist-sculptor Hana Bibliowicz a Houstonian originally from Bogata Colombia, Janis Barnard  and Ludmilla Ivanova have turned a neighborhood lot into the First Ward Community Garden.    

Initially using the soil that was already there, and some borrowed tools, the garden has begun to flourish yielding a fair crop of melons, okra, three varieties of basil, eggplant, Malabar spinach, and more.  Her love of planting was fostered by Hana’s grandmother who was a farmer, and a longing for nature in our urban environment.   A big dream has become a reality through collaboration with local restaurateur Chris Shepard of Catalan on Washington Avenue, who helped raise funds for Phase 1 of the garden with recent participation in a cooking competition.   This contribution allowed the garden to purchase 10 additional beds and supplies that will expand it even further this coming fall.    

The positive benefits of a community garden are far reaching, sustainable and have a lasting effect on the community.  Plants produce life giving oxygen impacting our environment for the better, community gardens yield organic vegetables that create healthy, flavorful eating, they provide a source of income and bring communities together to work and share.    

This is what First Ward Community Garden is all about.   All are welcome to participate either through the donation of time, or financial support for seeds, a drip system, trees, or other gardening essentials. In addition to providing a source of food for a large number of people the garden is home to creative projects that teach children the value of growing food in a sustainable, cost effective way.   As a part of Urban Harvest, the garden receives valuable support from a community of gardeners that provide information on what grows best for this region, and support from like projects that have achieved success over time.     

 Workdays combine art, clay projects for kids, and some serious garden work.  Clay as a medium is the perfect correlation as it comes from the earth and can be worked like the land formed, shaped, and processed into an idea from one’s own imagination.    Children learn that cooperation and hard work yield a bounty for all to share.   This abundant garden is harvesting support from all over the city to contribute contact Hana Bibliowicz at hbibliow@hotmail.com,   Read more about how art makes a difference in the community in the fall edition of VisualSeen at www.visualseen.net premiering Oct. 1.