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Human Race brews up warm family comedy

By Terry Morris | Saturday, September 6, 2008, 12:18 AM

The Human Race Theatre Company has challenged audiences often during its first 21 seasons. It launched the 22nd Friday, Sept. 5, with a conventional family comedy.

Equal measures of “Brighton Beach Memoirs” and “Late Nite Catechism,” Tom Dudzick’s crowd-pleasing 1994 play “Over the Tavern” tickled funnybones and left the full house with a warm glow.

Not just a Catholic version of Neil Simon’s trilogy, the two-act, 150-minute production nonetheless invites comparisons.

It’s set in a different ethnic enclave — blue-collar 1959 Buffalo, where 12-year-old Rudy Pazinski, two brothers and a sister who’s just starting to tease her hair and yearn for romance strive to survive growing pains in a Polish-American family that lives upstairs from dad Chet’s struggling tavern.

Despite the title, the bar plays little role in the proceedings. It casts a shadow in the form of a character named Pop who never appears, but has an undefined negative impact on Chet.

The focus is Rudy, played with effective and natural ease by Alexander McCracken as a funny, challenging, creative and basically good kid, despite collisions with strict Sister Clarissa (Joan Shepard), an almost stereotypical nun who turns out to be more than that.

Caroline Clarke, whose 16th birthday coincided with her professional stage debut on opening night, plays Annie. Trevor Coran is older brother Eddie and Drew Attaway is developmentally disabled little Georgie, whose comic timing is sometimes just too amazingly perfect.

Director Pamela Hill chose them wisely and has meshed them into a family.

The play is at its best in the comic scenes that include the kids. As mom Ellen, Margaret Knapp’s economic one-on-one scenes with them and Chet consistently resonate on a deeper level. The Pazinskis would be in a fix without her.

It’s not the fault of Jeff Williams’ portrayal that Chet’s resurrection from tense grouch to patient, caring papa late in Act 2 is underwritten and unconvincing. The transformation does pave the way for a satisfying final scene between Chet and Rudy.

“Over the Tavern” will continue through Sept. 21 on Tuesdays through Sundays at The Loft, 126 N. Main St. Tickets are $16.50-$36. Call (937) 228-3630 or order online at www.ticketcenterstage.com.

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O-H-I-O! Players, that is

By Carol Simmons | Saturday, August 30, 2008, 12:26 AM

KETTERING — The wait to hear Dayton’s pioneering funk band The Ohio Players give its first performance at Fraze Pavilion had to wait a little longer than expected Friday, Aug. 29, when first heavy rains, and then rain-damaged sound equipment, delayed the start of the much anticipated show.

While the influential group is a popular draw on the touring circuit, it rarely performs here, in the band’s hometown. Dayton’s United Way hosted Friday night’s concert as the kickoff to its annual fundraising campaign.

The arrival of a replacement soundboard at 10 p.m. enabled the 10-man veteran ensemble to take the stage by 10:20 p.m., raring to go.

Any remaining sound glitches got worked out as the group opened with an extended jam of “Skin Tight,” one of the original hit singles that helped launch the Players into the national spotlight in 1974.

And the hits just kept on coming, anchored by longtime members James “Diamond” Williams on the drums, Billy Beck on keyboards, Clarence “Chet” Willis on guitar and Robert Kuumba Jones on percussion.

“Jive Turkey,” also from 1974, came next, followed by the good-humored 1973 “Funky Worm,” featuring Beck’s vocals, silly-voiced intro and all.

A tight “Who’d She Coo?” featuring the group’s solid three-man horn section, followed, leading into a slow-grooved R&B medley, which concluded with a heartfelt “Heaven Must Be Like This.”

The tempo soon picked back up, however, with a horn-drenched “Sweet Sticky Thing,” an R&B chart-topper in 1975.

The rain delay prompted Fraze to ignore the neighborhood’s normal 11 p.m. curfew. Good thing, too, because the band was really starting to cook.

“You made us feel just absolutely wonderful up here today,” Williams, who has assumed leadership of the group, told the cheering crowd. “No rain can stop us.”

A soulful rendition of “I Want to be Free” segued into the familiar opening riff from the storied single “Roller Coaster.”

The popular song, which in 1975 topped both the R&B and pop charts, on Friday night featured a hot bass solo by Darwin Dortch and some extended improvisational passages by the horn section, before morphing into “O-H-I-O.”

The exuberant audience participation for “O-H-I-O,” including synchronized arm movements, was a highlight of the evening.

The show concluded with smoke filling the stage as the Players prepared to launch into their biggest hit, “Fire.”

But first Williams reflected on the song’s meaning.

“After 9/11, I thought differently about it,” he said. “I thought about what we should burn up. … Tonight, in our fire, we’re going to burn up hatred. Put it in the fire. We’re going to burn up segregation. Put it in the fire. Racism. Put it in the fire.”

The veteran musicians proceeded to burn up the place — metaphorically speaking, of course — before leaving the stage at 11:45 p.m.

Here’s hoping their next local show isn’t so long in coming.

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Ohio Players bring home the funk

By Carol Simmons | Thursday, August 28, 2008, 04:56 PM

KETTERING — We can’t know whether Dayton’s pioneering funk band the Ohio Players is any closer to attaining its long recommended place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

But 40 years after its official founding, the Players have earned first-time entry in an institution a little closer to home.

Friday evening, Aug. 29, marks the group’s debut at the 4,300-seat Fraze Pavilion, where they’re headlining the Fourth Annual United Live Concert for Community that kicks off this year’s local United Way campaign.

“It’s like being a boy coming home a hero,” said longtime drummer James “Diamond” Williams, who joined the group in 1974, just before it exploded onto the national scene with three consecutive platinum-selling albums, and such chart-topping hit singles as “Roller Coaster” and “Fire.”

Williams is the current leader of the 10-man ensemble taking the Fraze stage this evening.

Other veteran members include Billy Beck (keyboards), Clarence Willis (guitar) and Robert Kuumba Jones (percussion). Rounding out the group is Odeen Mays and Ronald Nooks, both on keyboards, and Darwin Dortch on bass, along with a Chicago-based horn section that’s been performing with the band for a number of years.

While longtime frontman Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner is now recording and touring separately, co-founding members Clarence “Satch” Satchell and Ralph “Pee Wee Middlebrook died in 1995 and ’96, respectively.

The last time the Players performed in their hometown was in 2004 as part of a Juneteenth celebration at Island MetroPark. They played the Ohio State Fair later that same summer; and in 2006, they headlined a high-profile show at the Rock Hall of Fame in Cleveland. “It was Black History Month,” Williams recalled.

While the Ohio Players have never been a rock band, their contributions have inspired countless performers across musical genres. Such influence is a prime criteria for Hall of Fame inclusion.

“We like to think we’ve made an impact,” Williams said with understated modesty.

The group remains active as a touring band, continuing to perform everything live: “No samplers, no computers, or any of that gadgetry,” Williams said. “It’s a flash back to the old school.”

The sparseness of Dayton-area shows, however, sometimes leads locals to think the Ohio Players has disbanded.

“People ask me all the time: ‘Diamond, are you still playing?’ What band are you in?” Williams said.

What band, indeed.

“We’re still playing, and we’re doing fine,” he said.

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Get SmARTS

By alarsen | Wednesday, August 27, 2008, 03:48 PM

OK, a new offer from our local arts organizations has just officially blown my mind: For $88, you can get a premium ticket (in other words, Orchestra or Loge seats, not nose-bleed) to The Dayton Opera, The Dayton Ballet, The Human Race and The Dayton Philharmonic. It’s a great way for folks to explore the arts in town. Check out this flyer (click on it and it will open in a larger window) and see for yourself. Sounds like a heck of a deal to us!

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‘High School Musical’ stars make double-play

By Carol Simmons | Tuesday, August 26, 2008, 11:24 PM

Concert review

DAYTON — Gabrielle and Chad, er, Vanessa Hudgens and Corbin Bleu — the singing-dancing actors who play Gabrielle and Chad in Disney’s popular “High School Musical” film series — brought their youthful charms to town Tuesday night, Aug. 26, for a joyfully exuberant co-headline concert at Fifth Third Field.

The pair, both already entertainment veterans at 19 years of age, performed individual one-hour sets on a simple stage situated along the second-base, infield line.

Bleu opened the early evening concert with a powerhouse show that seemed choreographed down to every quarter beat of the beat-heavy material. Backed by four instrumentalists — playing bass, keyboards, guitar and drums — and four dancers, Bleu thrilled the predominantly pre-adolescent audience with his athletic dance moves and magnetic personality.

Although his segment was plagued by various sound problems that made his speaking voice difficult to follow and cut out the lead vocals through the first half of what could have been a show-stopping “Marchin,’ ” Bleu never missed a beat.

In comparison, Hudgens’ set seemed less orchestrated, though no less appreciated by the adoring crowd, which danced and sang along to the pop-infused songs culled from Hudgens’ two album releases.

Backed by six dancers and no instrumentalists, Hudgens gave a looser performance than Bleu’s, and the heavy use of pre-recorded material made it difficult to tell from the stands when the singing was live. No matter. She was live and in person, and that’s what counted most with the crowd.

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Dayton Opera hosts film preview tonight

By Carol Simmons | Tuesday, August 26, 2008, 10:14 AM

BEAVERCREEK — Dayton Opera spokesman Chuck Duritsch says that about 50 seats have been made available to the general public for a preview screening this evening, Aug. 26, of the independent film “The Streetsweeper” at Regal 20 Cinemas at Fairfield Commons.

The 7 p.m. showing, presented by Dayton Opera as a special event for its season subscribers, will be followed by a talk by the film’s writer and director, James Hill.

Hill agreed this week to open the event to nonsubscribers as well.

The R-rated film, scheduled for wide release in February 2009, tells the story of Enzo Morelli, a former opera singer who gave up a promising stage career to support his family as a streetsweeper.

According to the film’s promotional material, the film opens as Enzo is arranging the final payment on his son’s tuition at Harvard — keeping a promise made to his late wife. Meanwhile, the son thinks he attended the prestigious college on a scholarship and comes home with an attitude and a rich girlfriend.

Remaining seats to this evening’s screening will be filled first-come, first-served.

For more information about the Dayton Opera, call (937) 461-8282 or go online to www.daytonopera.org.

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Tickets to Hudgens/Bleu show still available

By alarsen | Monday, August 25, 2008, 11:32 AM

Vanessa Hudgens and Corbin Bleu, pop singers, actors and stars of Disney’s “High School Musical” franchise are a mere day away from their big Aug. 26 show at Dayton’s Fifth Third Field.

Owen Serey, a media relations assistant for the Dragons, reports that, “ticket sales have met expectations, and have really picked up in the last couple of weeks.” Still he says,” there are still some good seats available.”

Here is the seating chart. For those of you who have attended concerts at Fifth Third Field before, you’ll note that this time around the stage is going to be much closer to the infield, which is good for fans in seats.

There are five way to get your tickets according to a page on the Dayton Dragons Web site:

1) Ordering online at ticketmaster.com

2) Visiting any Ticketmaster location. For a complete list of locations, visit ticketmaster.com

3) Calling Ticketmaster at (937) 228-2323

4) Stopping by the Dayton Dragons Box Office near the main entrance to Fifth Third Field.

5) Calling the Dayton Dragons Box Office at (937) 228-2287.

Both have said that their individual sets at this particular concert will feature songs taken from their solo album debuts (Hudgens released “V” in 2006, while Bleu’s “Another Side” came out in 2007) as well as material from new records.

Can’t get enough of these Disney stars? Here’s a story that will help. And if it’s pictures you’re looking for we have those too …

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