Campus Arts
Senior Spotlight: Georgina B. Parfitt
Ever since she was a little girl growing up in Norfolk, England, Georgina B. Parfitt ’13 knew she wanted to be a writer. But her talents extend beyond ink and paper: this year, she will be the puppeteer for the play “Sea Change,” which will be put on at the Loeb Drama Center during Arts First.
Burning with "Desire"
From the moment Blanche (Ema H. Horvath ’16) stepped onstage and looked around with incredulity at an apartment ironically situated on Elysian Fields Avenue, the production, directed by Sayantan Deb ’14, crackled with energy, anger, and suppressed hysteria, transfixing by the sheer force of the actors’ charisma.
Freshmen Go to Hell and Back
For a musical about Hell, "What the Hell?!" is strikingly uplifting. It's a world where Satan (Brad A. Latilla-Campbell '16) is a socially isolated failure, and where the most gruesome scene is an attack with hockey sticks. Despite using political messages as a source of humor—much was made of Hell's ill-advised decision to "go corporate," and the Greedy Pig demon lord kept workers at Walmart non-unionized—the show did not moralize to the audience.
Labor of Love in "Frankenstein"
In 1818, the 18-year-old Mary Shelley published “Frankenstein,” but some scholars say her novel had significant input from her young husband Percy Bysshe Shelley. The relationship between the couple and their supposed collaboration on “Frankenstein” is the subject of “Sea Change,” the new play by director and writer Daniel J. Giles ’13, opening on the Loeb Mainstage on April 26.
"Beowulf" is Woefully Weird
With a mix of folksy belting, thumb war games, and a mock magician’s act, “Beowulf” could hardly be more genre-bending and avant-garde. At times it risks being as raw and in-your-face as Lady Gaga’s meat dress, only longer and less symbolic. Though the show’s direction, lyrics, and overall concept prove so shockingly anarchic that it is hard to digest the performance, its original score and talented singing provides some redemption.
"Dreamgirls" Goes Up in Lights
On April 25 at 7:30 p.m., Farkas Hall will transform into a Motown palace complete with tinsel, back-up dancers, flashy costumes, and 106 stage lights directed from the back of the stage out at the audience. “Dreamgirls” follows soulful starlets the Dreams as they belt their way to the top of the charts despite racial tensions present in the 1960s and ’70s.
Translated Tales: "He Who Burns" Explores Sufi Narratives
The Sufi poetry translations in English showed the rich depth of Sufi poets such as Mansur Al-Hallaj and Hafiz, who provide compelling spiritual aphorisms on love and loss. One line in particular reflected both the title and theme of the play. Iblis describes love “to be like the flame of the candle always burning,” thereby invoking the theme of fire and light. All three dancers moved with fluid and effortless synergy, mastering the interplay of strength and softness of movement.
Get "Closer" in the Ex
An unconventional love story about two interchanging couples, “Closer,” which opens on Friday in the Loeb Ex, could either be the perfect show or the worst show to take your date to. Exploring the selfish and sadistic motives of love, the play promises to be as abrasive and irresistible as a destructive relationship. "’Closer’ is brutally honest, I think that's what I like about it. There are no bells and whistles. It is quite raw and bare," says Lily R. Glimcher '14, a first-time director. "I wanted a play with a small cast that would allow me to explore the complex psyche of these characters and their relationships.
Throwing Tarantino a Bone
The transformation of “DOGS” into a stage play succeeded because of the largely good design, effective use of sound and music, and excellent group of actors. As morally ambiguous as the original, “DOGS” added attitude and youth to the original premise. From the beginning of the show, when the actors strode through the waiting crowd outside the Loeb Ex, they immersed themselves in their characters and emphasized the best aspect of a live theater adaptation—being in the room with “the professionals” instead of viewing them through a screen.
Hip-hop Greats Dig the Standards
Hip-hop giants 9th Wonder, Pete Rock, and DJ Premier were the centerpiece of the event, “Digging the Music of Hiphop: These are the standards,” last Wednesday, which was sponsored by the Hiphop Archive at Harvard.
