Nick Di

When London’s Royal Ballet pays your country a visit, you buy a ticket. In this case, they are setting up shop at the beautiful Auditorium Theatre in Chicago with their production of Carlos Acosta's Don Quixote.

​​"The romantic old knight Don Quixote invents stories to fulfil his need for chivalrous adventures. On his quest to save his (fictional) sweetheart he encounters the young lovers Kitri and Basilio. They're being kept apart by Kitri's father, who wants her to marry the wealthy Gamache. Don Quixote determines to rescue them. Kitri's father is duped into giving his blessing, and Don Quixote convinces Gamache that he'd rather marry the barmaid anyway. All rejoice and cheer Don Quixote on his way."

This particular production is new the the Royal Ballet's repertoire, and it shows. It feels fresh, and was certainly vibrant. Acosta's unique touches sprinkled through Petipa's original choreography took the show to new heights. Through true to the classic, it was nice to see updates made for today's audience without looking too modern. The sumptuous sets and costumes by Tim Hatley were eye popping, detailed, and everything you would want and expect from a show set in Barcelona. The show looks like a million bucks...or two or three.

The leading dancers for the night were Sarah Lamb and her partner Federico Bonelli. Sarah was a firecracker. Like a bull right out of the gate, she zipped across the stage at lightning speed. She attacked the demanding choreography, all while being poised and adorable. Bonelli was a different story. Though he is handsome and charming, at times he appeared to be struggling and tired. I have seen him dance before, and he was wonderful in the past, but tonight was a different story. Perhaps it was the jetlag kicking in. Overall, the audience was pleased, but he was missing that star power that Lamb possessed.

I will be honest...I didn't know much about Shania Twain earlier this year. I knew she had a Vegas residency at the Colosseum, and she sang country music. I was never truly interested. That all changed when I viewed a film of her Vegas production. I was hooked. Seconds after the video was over, I was regretting not seeing her show, and was on a mad hunt to see when she was next performing. Bingo. She is was just about to embark on a North American tour.

The Colosseum at Caesars Palace was packed to the gills with adoring Elton John fans, eagerly awaiting for the star’s entrance. The lights dimmed. ‘Sprach Zarathustra’ was pumped through the theatre. Drums and guitars kicked in. “The Bitch is Back”. Elton took to the stage, gold glittering cape and all. From then on out it was one hit fest after the other. He was looking good and feeling gorgeous. ‘Bennie and the Jets’, ‘Rocket Man’, ‘I’m Still Standing’, ‘Tiny Dancer’, one right after the other, more rockin’ than the original recordings. The greatest thing about seeing Elton live with his amazing band, is that, if you are lucky, they will break out into a 10 minute jam session. All of the sudden, ‘Levon’ is an epic, full length concert of its own, whipping you up into a fist pumping frenzy, and you find yourself screaming, “Yes! You go boy!”. 

As much as this show is about Elton and the songs, the production it self is just as glitzy as his suit. Over the top, gigantic set pieces, dramatic lighting, and a “Million Dollar Piano” (that is the title of his show) that projects imagery through out the instrument to fit each song.

At this point in his 45+ year career, he shows no signs of slowing down. From his piano playing skills, to his soulful singing, he sounds amazing. He mentioned that he is “happier than ever” with his life, and enjoys “playing and singing more than ever”, and you can feel it through his performance. 

Mystere by Cirque Du Soleil has been playing to Las Vegas audiences for the past 22 years. It was the first ‘Cirque’ show to hit Vegas in 1993, and even today, it still as fabulous as ever. 

It’s one of those shows that I have seen advertised all over the Vegas strip, but always thought it would be a bit ‘meh’ due to it’s venue. After doing a bit of research, I was sold. It appeared to get good reviews, and looked fun. 

Turns out, it was! 

Ballet San Jose recently held a mandatory fundraiser to keep the company on it’s feet til the next season, and was able to raise enough to do so in less then 2 weeks ($640,000. $90,000 more than the $550,000 they were hoping for). This company clearly knows what to do onstage to present an inspired performance, and that was evident in their most resent venture. 

In the tech universe that is Silicon Valley, it seemed only fitting that the name of Ballet San Jose’s current program is titled “Bodies of Technology”. Staged at the gorgeous California Theatre, the world class company of dancers proved they are capable of executing modern marvels with verve, resulting in moments of thrilling art. 

The “technology” aspects of the show were as gripping as the dancers. In Amy Seiwert’s “This Might Be True”, dancers contorted and lept across the stage as dynamic, live synchronized projections were illuminated behind them. The result was mesmerizing. At times, it looked as if sparks were flying from the dancers limbs. 

In a location that is so driven by tech giants, I hope that Ballet San Jose continues to grow in valley’s small, but mighty arts scene. Not only in it’s company, but in it’s audience as well. There is no reason their performances should be missed.  

The over the top theatrics of Cirque Du Soleil have always intrigued me. The French Canadian company has been wowing me from a young age, and is still capable of doing so after all these years. Their latest production, Kurios (wrapping up it’s run in Seattle this weekend) is an overly stylized steampunk extravaganza. Though I have seen many of the circus acts that are in this show in previous performances, contortionist acts, and aerial feats came off fresh due to the attention to detail in costuming, music, and props. In fact, the highlight for me was the music. As the Chanteuse de la Rue, Eirini Tornesaki’s vocals along with the jazzy, electro-pop, almost Bollywood score were just fantastic, and really took you on a whimsical, dreamlike journey that only ‘Cirque’ can.

I first heard praises of Dame Edna more than 7 years ago from some dear friends of mine. “You must see her, you will die of laughter. She’s a hoot! One of a kind!” After doing a bit of Googling, I found myself enchanted by just the sight of her. 

Fast forward to tonight. Dame Edna’s Glorious Goodbye, The Farewell Tour. The Dame set up shop at the historic Orpheum Theatre in downtown San Francisco for a mere week, and only minutes through her performance, you already want to book tickets to see her again. It’s a bit hard to describe this comedic, Australian housewife gigastar. The show is a bit of a Vaudeville act. Flashy wardrobe, a few dancers, a musical number or two or three, all laced with classic Edna laughs. Guests in the first few rows of the theatre became victims of the Dame’s tongue...with loving harassment. I ate it up like cake, and have a sore jaw to prove it. 

One of the great ballet giants of the states arrived at the Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, California this weekend, and gave us what we wanted. Gravity defying leaps, fast as lightning pirouettes, and all the flexibility of a yoga master. 

The company is in fine form, and appeared to be having a great time throughout the performance, but the stage really ignited in a piece called “Bells”, choreographed by Yuri Possokhov. This pas de deux danced by Victoria Jaini and Temur Suluashvil (pictured above)had the audience gasping in awe. It was the most thrilling and moving 6 minutes of ballet we have seen on a stage in some time.