For the launch Discover Detroit Dining/3D Tours outing, it’s a “Brew-Ha-Ha!”  Michigan is home to some of the most top-rated craft breweries in the world, raking in medals from top competitions such as the World Beer Cup and the Great American Beer Festival.  There are currently over 70 craft breweries in the state of Michigan, with many producing some truly astounding brews.

For 3D’s first-ever culinary tour event, we will be heading to three of our favorite local breweries to sample selections of their current brews, as well as tasting some of their signature foods.

On Sunday, February 21, 2010 beginning at 4:00PM, our first stop will be Bastone Brewery & Restaurant in Royal Oak, where guests will receive a flight of four current brews of their choice.  Bastone was awarded a Bronze in the Great American Beer Festival for their Saison du Bastone in 2009 and a Silver for their Bastone Müncher Dunkel in 2008.  In between chatting with head brewer Rockne about his award-winning creations, we’ll also sample some of their warm soft pretzels with cheese fondue dip.  Nothing goes better with beer than cheese and pretzels!

Really, though—it’s true!  Next on our journey to discover Detroit’s breweries, we’ll head over to Kuhnhenn Brewing Co. in Warren, where the brothers Kuhnhenn will be setting out eight different samples of their highly-regarded brews, including their Fourth Dementia Old Ale which took home a Bronze in this year’s Great American Beer Festival.  Notes of toffee and caramel mask the 9.5% ABV content.  Consider yourself warned!  They’ll also be serving a selection of seven different artisanal cheeses, including Danish Bleu Cheese and Tillamook White Cheddar.  Beer + cheese= win.

Last on our brew tour is the happiest place on earth: Sherwood Brewing Co.  In addition to brewing great beers (like the ultra-hoppy Green River Wheat IPA), owners Ray and Lisa Sherwood are incredibly welcoming and make every guest feel like a family member.  They’ve also made the commitment to the Slow Food ethos, incorporating fresh, seasonal, and locally-sourced products in their kitchen, and even hosting regular dinners for Slow Food Detroit.  All of their menu items are made from scratch in-house, including their sauces and dressings which they make with their own beer and wine.  As both a brewery and a restaurant, Sherwood is top-notch—which is probably why they’ve been voted WDIV’s “Best Brewpub in metro Detroit” for three years in a row.  They take great pride in their kitchen, and are eager to share with us some of their specialties, listed below:

~Fresh Fried Chips with housemade hummus and feta spinach dips
~BBQ Chicken Pizza with bold and spicy beer sauce
~Hand-Battered Mozzarella Triangles with garlic wine sauce
~Homemade Beer Ice Cream

The tour starts promptly at 4:00PM.  We will meet inside Bastone, located at 419 S. Main St.  From there the Night Move shuttle will take us to Kuhnhenn then Sherwood, and will drop us back off in Royal Oak at the parking garage located on the northwest corner of 6^th & Lafayette, which is where we suggest all guests park for the event.  Parking in Royal Oak is free on Sundays.  The tour will last approximately four (4) hours.

All-inclusive tickets for this event are $50.00 which includes beer flights, food, tax, gratuity, and transportation during the tour.  Tickets are available on the Discover Detroit Dining website at www.DiscoverDetroitDining.com and are subject to availability.  Tickets must be paid for in advance in order to participate.  Seating is VERY limited—once we have reached capacity no exceptions can be made.  This event is open to guests 21 & older only.  For more information about this or other events, please contact Nicole Rupersburg at Nicole@DiscoverDetroitDining.com.

Never underestimate the power of blonde ambition. The charming Elle Woods from the 2001 cinematic confection Legally Blonde is back in her own imperturbably perky musical, fresh from a successful Tony Award-winning Broadway run and an unprecedented partnership with MTV (which aired the musical uncut last October to 12.5 million viewers as well as a reality show talent search to cast a new Elle) to tackle a national tour.

Elle Woods is a Delta Nu sorority sister most interested in party planning and her boyfriend Warner. Her ambitions of a future life as Warner’s wife are shattered when he dumps her on the night she thought he was going to propose, so in order to become the “serious” girlfriend Warner seeks she hits the books and gets admitted to Harvard Law. She must overcome a great deal of adversity along the way, much of it coming from people who assume that because she’s blonde and bubbly she must also be an idiot. The ultimate message is the classic “To thine own self be true,” and despite the far-fetched plotline it’s hard not to fall for this unflappable go-getter by the end.

I loved the film Legally Blonde. Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods had an innocent and infectious charm, and while the film certainly didn’t break any new dramaturgical ground, its message was positive and though frivolous, it was also fun. This was also the film that really first allowed Witherspoon’s high energy leading lady capabilities shine, catapulting her career into the mega-watt star she is today.

Becky Gulsvig captures much of the infectious charm and undeterred energy that Witherspoon gave to the role, even bearing a striking resemblance (particularly in the slightly scrunched face) and a freakishly similar voice. At times her facial expressions seemed a bit too wooden and her dancing too robotic, but her voice was strong and she was able to carry off the bubble gum pop princess role in a way that was sweet without being sickly.

The production celebrates all the camp that made the film so great in the first place: Elle’s bubble-headed Delta Nu sisters with bottle-blonde brains but sincere intentions, the over-the-top PINKNESS of the stage and Elle’s various ensembles (LOVE the boots she first enters Harvard with, btw). The stage often looks like a candy shoppe (that’s with an extra “p” and “e”) decked out for Breast Cancer Awareness month (which just so happens to be the month of October), but it suits the production well. The sets are not elaborate but change quickly and rather seamlessly from glossy California locales to stately Massachusetts courthouses and classrooms, and they all work quite well, save for the backdrop of a generic sky at sunset that is sometimes used when the characters are supposed to be indoors.

While it would be easy to attribute some of the notable hiccups to opening night jitters, this cast has been touring on this production for over a year and that hardly seems a fair assessment. The choreography leaves something to be desired, which is probably for the best anyway since a majority of the dancers didn’t seem very sure-footed. The singers vary in talent, though Megan Lewis as Vivienne Kensington proves to be the show’s sleeper when she belts out in a powerful voice that eclipses all the others towards the end.

The first act fumbles along with musical numbers that run minutes past the point they should have ended if they knew what was best for them and jokes that fall horribly, embarrassingly flat. The signature line from the film, when Warner asks Elle (his voice full of disbelief) “You got into Harvard Law?” and Elle replies with a cheerfully snappy, “What, like it’s hard?” doesn’t garner so much as a giggle from the audience. “Daughter of Delta Nu” and “What You Want”—which act as the replacement for the film’s montage of Elle studying and finally being accepted into the school—is a mess; chaotic, disorderly, and ultimately distracting. Particularly when the reason for her finally being accepted is “for love,” as opposed to for her merit as in the film which gave the story more integrity. Paulette’s romantic diversion “Ireland” goes on WAAAAAAY too long, and honestly could probably be cut out entirely. And the addition of Elle’s gaggle of sorority sisters as a “Greek Chorus” is wholly unnecessary and confusing.

But thankfully the production really comes into its own in the second act. The musical numbers are tighter, the jokes funnier, and the addition of a few key scene-stealing characters (Brooke Wyndham, as played by Courtney Wolfson; Nikos Argitakos the poolboy, as played by Constantine Rousouli; and Kyle the UPS delivery man, as played hysterically by Ven Daniel) completes what was missing from the first act. This is when the production finally plays up the savvy side of the story’s campiness, and injects some much-needed gay appeal. The number “There! Right There!” in which the cast questions “Is he gay or is he European?” injects smart cultural humor into the show and immediately becomes a raucous good time. From there it is all smiles for the “Legally Blonde Remix” and “Ohmigod You Guys” (Reprise), which had everyone cheering by the end. Ultimately it is fun, frivolous, and heart-warming, much like the film.

Oh, and I should probably also note: Elle’s chiuahua Bruiser and Paulette’s English bulldog Rufus, both trained by animal trainer to the stars William Berloni, will just simply melt your little hearts.

For fans of the film, some liberties are taken with the plot but most is plucked straight from the script. The spirit and message of the film is very much the same, though presented a bit differently. One adjustment I found particularly enjoyable was the deeper development of the relationship between Elle and Emmett, which is drawn out longer and includes more of them spending time together and falling in love. Though I think the biggest downfall of this musical is that it takes a 90-minute movie and turns it into a two and a half hour piece of musical theatre…damn near as long as Les Miserables. A tighter script and shortened (or outright deleted) musical numbers would serve this play very, very, like omigod totally well.

Legally Blonde the Musical can’t hold itself against severe critiquing but as a simple pink powder puff of musical theatre, it works just fine. It had me singing “Ohmigod, ohmigod you guys” for hours afterwards, and as they say in showbiz, that’s entertainment!

Legally Blonde the Musical plays at Detroit’s historic Fisher Theatre through November 1, 2009. Performances are Tuesday-Sunday at 8:00PM, Saturday matinee 2:00PM, Sunday matinee 1:00PM, with one Thursday matinee October 29 at 1:00PM and Sunday evening October 25 at 6:30PM. Tickets are $30-80 and are available at the Fisher Theatre box office or online at www.broadwayindetroit.com. Find out more about this national touring production at http://tour.legallyblondethemusical.com.

One of its longest and most popular runs was the 10-year engagement at Toronto’s Canon (then Pantages) Theatre, where the stage was constructed specifically to host The Phantom. This is where I saw it the first time, a decade ago in its final year at the Pantages, and I certainly never thought any other production would be as elaborate, as extensive as this, where all the construction was done specifically with The Phantom in mind.

I was curious to see how the Detroit Opera House would handle such an extravagant production (and more so what adjustments would be made to accommodate the stage), and was absolutely blown away.

The Phantom of the Opera at the Detroit Opera House is an accomplished production, a visual and aural feast, a well-oiled machine in which every cog performs its function to perfection, from the performers to the production design team.

The story of The Phantom is a haunting love story—a tale of passion, longing, desperation, and fear, and above all else, a tale of love. Overwhelming, obsessive, destructive love.

Based on the novel by Gaston Leroux and adapted for the stage by the crown prince and patron saint of musical theatre, Andrew Lloyd Webber, The Phantom of the Opera is set inside a Parisian opera house and tells the story of the tragically disfigured “Phantom” (a majestic Tim Martin Gleason) and his love for Swedish ingénue Christine Daaé (an ethereal Trista Moldovan). The Phantom, who both inspires and terrifies the opera house’s performers and management, aids Christine in developing her voice and places her in a position above the resident opera diva (played with slapstick aplomb by Kim Stengel), until he is driven mad(-der) by his jealousy over the budding romance between Raoul, the Vicomte de Chagny (a solid performance from Sean MacLaughlin), and his beloved Christine.

As it is set in an opulent Parisian opera house and features a number of microperformances within the musical itself (bits of operas and ballets performed on this Opera House’s “stage,” all with their own music, choreography, and stage sets), The Phantom is an ambitious undertaking for any stage. As I’ve already noted, I wasn’t sure what to expect of this traveling production. But when the Phantom and Christine descend into the catacombs in Scene 4 of Act One, I was simply awestruck. The mechanized ramps high over the stage with the use of body doubles to create the illusion of descent, followed by the boat carrying the Phantom and Christine “gliding” over the lake, where hundreds of candles magically rise up from the stage, covered by fog, only to vanish entirely seconds later—the effect is pure enchantment.

This is why audiences all over world have fallen in love with this musical for decades: it is the tragic tale of unrequited love (that perhaps we can all relate to) and the sympathy we feel for the Phantom; it is the renewed hope we feel in the burgeoning love between Raoul and Christine; it is in the magic orchestrated by the Phantom, a masterful musician and magician whose power is reflected in the enormous set pieces that appear and vanish like so much air, and in the way each scene takes on so much life of its own. Audience members are transported to these different places: the rooftop of the Opera House bathed in the light of the moon; the labyrinthine catacombs where the Phantom makes his home; the seats of the Opera House’s own audience, viewing the Phantom’s destruction onstage as the Parisian audience would.

This production of The Phantom is impossibly grand in scale, a monumental achievement which woos audiences with its stunning visuals and its astounding performances. As Christine, Trista Moldovan’s voice soars like a nightingale. Youthful, demure, feminine, and powerful, her performance of “Angel of Music” and her bewitchment by the Phantom cuts like a knife through the heart. Tim Martin Gleason as the Phantom is strong and somber, a majestic ghost whose voice has a presence and stature that his corporeal form may lack (according to the story, anyway). Kim Stengel as the obnoxious opera diva Carlotta Giudicelli is wonderfully hilarious, showing off her stellar pipes while also poking fun at herself. Other supporting members of the cast were graceful and competent, playing up to the story’s sense of sorrow, hope, devastation, and humor in turn.

There are a number of immense sets utilized throughout the production, each more grand than the one before. The stage is rigged with a complicated system of lavish curtains, moving set pieces (such as the extravagant chandelier and the sculpture over the stage where the Phantom hides from Christine and Raoul), ramps, pulleys, a grand staircase, massive mirrors, and more. The hundreds of costumes and thousands of meters of fabrics used for the curtains are sumptuous, intricately detailed and made of the finest silks and wools. Every element of this production is breath-taking, full of visual splendor.

But even without the curtain dressing (so to speak), it is still the chillingly provocative love story that speaks to the hearts of audiences worldwide, and the haunting music that accompanies it.

This Detroit production continues through September 27th Tuesdays-Sundays. For showtimes and ticket information, visit Broadway in Detroit.

Additional note:
In 2010, Webber’s sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, called The Phantom: Love Never Dies, is set to premiere. The story moves forward several years to New York City, where the Phantom lures Christine (now married with children to Raoul) to sing once again. I will openly admit I have serious misgivings about this sequel, and I suspect a good number of Phantom fans will too. The Phantom of the Opera is a complete story as it is. To explore it once again is unnecessary, and smacks faintly of “cashing in the cow.” As so many sequels (and those who produce them) so thoughtlessly do, preliminary accounts of the plotline appear dismissive of the soul of the original. Where The Phantom of the Opera is after your heart, this new production just seems to be after your wallet. Purists are bound to be disappointed, and this sequel will likely be no more than a pale shadow of the original. The setting on Coney Island may be intriguing, but the Phantom belongs in his catacombs.

For the first time ever, the city of Detroit will be celebrating its fine dining culture with the inaugural Detroit Restaurant Week, and Supper Club will be joining in the festivities!

Detroit Synergy’s Supper Club has partnered up with Detroit Restaurant Week (presented by Paxahau Promotions Group and sponsored by the Greater Downtown Districts) to host our monthly outing at one of the participating restaurants, the Frank Taylor-operated Detroit Fish Market at Paradise Valley located at 1435 Randolph St. On Wednesday, September 23rd, beginning with a cocktail hour at 6:00PM and followed by dinner at 7:00PM, join Supper Club as we experience yet another new restaurant during the most exciting 10 days in Detroit dining history!

Detroit Restaurant Week (DRW) is happening September 18th-27th. There are 17 restaurants involved in this inaugural Restaurant Week, each offering a minimum 3-course menu for the fixed price of $27.00 (excluding tax and gratuity). Supper Club members will be familiar with this fixed pricing and menu structure, which is modeled after a typical Supper Club outing.

Detroit Fish Market at Paradise Valley has only been open since January, but already the response has been tremendous. “I’m thrilled with the progress the Fish Market has made in such a short amount of time,” says Frank Taylor, owner of the Fish Market as well as Detroit’s Seldom Blues, Detroit Breakfast House, and the newly-opened Cloud 9. “Restaurant Week is something that happens in every other major city in the country, and for us to be doing it is amazing. This will encourage people from all over to experience Detroit dining.”

Detroit Fish Market is located in the former home of Intermezzo, and brings to Detroit the kind of upscale fish market experience previously not available in the city. A variety of fresh fish is flown in daily, including Alaskan Halibut and Chilean Sea Bass. Fans of Northern Lakes Seafood Company and Mitchell’s Fish Market will surely love this place, which further solidifies Taylor’s reputation as Detroit’s most daring restaurateur.

The menu for Detroit Restaurant Week is as follows:

Soup or Salad (Choice of One):
~New England-Style Clam Chowder
~Louisiana-Style Seafood Gumbo
~House Salad—mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, croutons & choice of dressing
~Caesar Salad—crispy Romaine, garlic croutons, creamy Caesar dressing & shaved Parmesan cheese

Entrees (Choice of One):
~Broiled Lake Superior Whitefish—butter, lemon, white wine & capers sauce
~Crispy Fried Catfish (Belzoni Mississippi Style)—buttermilk battered with crabmeat & lemon beurre blanc
~Pan-Fried Parmesan-Encrusted Tilapia—served with jasmine rice & sautéed seasonal vegetables
~Grilled Citrus-Marinated Chicken with Cherry BBQ Sauce—with garlic mashed potatoes & sautéed seasonal vegetables
~Seafood Fettuccine—fresh seafood of the day tossed with creamy Alfredo sauce

Dessert (Choice of One):
~Banana Bread Pudding
~Housemade Tiramisu
~Warm Apple Strudel topped with ice cream & caramel sauce

Payment will not be accepted in advance; you are responsible for supplying payment for your own bill and gratuity while at the restaurant. We will be meeting at the restaurant at 6:00PM for a cocktail hour, followed by dinner at 7:00PM. Please note that the $27.00 fixed price does not include tax or gratuity; each person/party is responsible for their own check.

For more information about Detroit Restaurant Week, visit their website at www.DetroitRestaurantWeek.com. Also be sure to visit the official blog of Restaurant Week, www.DininginDetroit.net, which offers sneak previews of a number of different participating restaurants, including Supper Club favorites Cuisine and the Whitney!

Because we are not selling tickets through the online store, please RSVP in advance. ONLY 40 RESERVATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED. Email supperclub@detroitsynergy.org to RSVP and with any questions. Please pass this information on to your friends, family, and coworkers, and anyone else interested in Detroit dining!

Detroit Synergy is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. Its mission is to generate positive perceptions and opinions about Detroit by bringing together a diverse community and building upon the City’s strengths and resources to realize a common vision for a greater Detroit. Please visit www.detroitsynergy.org for more information about the group.

CHICKS AND GLOWSTICKS
THE ULTIMATE ELECTRO, HOUSE, GHETTO TECH PARTY
Host: DJ FLUFF/ DJ ROW/ DIDDYBOP RICK/$$B~RICH$$
Type: Party – Club Party
Network: Global
Price: $12 Tickets, $15 @ the Door
Start Time: Friday, September 4, 2009 at 10:00pm
End Time: Saturday, September 5, 2009 at 4:00am
Location: Five Elements Art Gallery 2125 Michigan Ave
Street: 2125 Michigan Ave
City/Town: Detroit, MI
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Phone: 3134524527
Email: chicksandglowsticks@yahoo.com

DescriptionITS GOING DOWN FRIDAY ~FRIDAY~FRIDAY~FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 4TH

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The Tour Reaches it’s last stop this Saturday, Sept. 5th, and for the finale we have asked Detroit resident Monty Luke (Planet E/ Mothership) to be our special Guest. Monty, has also informed us that he will be digging deep and spining a special All Vinyl set!

With us as always are your Tour guides:

Joe Vargas
Steven Robert
Erno the Inferno

Join us for the last Tour D’etroit of 09′ and help us celebrate the end of summer, the coming of fall, friends and family, and everything else that makes our town special!

Tour Detroit would like to thank everyone who lent a hand, came and danced yr asses off, and again made this summer memorable!

We could not have done it without you.

-Tour D.

Host: Tour Detroit
Type: Party – Erotic Party
Network: Global
Price: $5 Cover
Start Time: Saturday, September 5, 2009 at 10:00pm
End Time: Sunday, September 6, 2009 at 5:00am
Location: 5E Galley
Street: 2125 Michigan Ave.
City/Town: Detroit, MI

“We are very pleased to have downtown Detroit’s top tier restaurants involved in this exciting new promotion,” said Sandy Levine, restaurant liaison for Detroit Restaurant Week. “Our roster of participating establishments is a powerhouse.”

2009 Detroit Restaurant Week will offer specially-priced dining at these fine restaurants:

24Grille                                            Andiamo Detroit Riverfront
Atlas Global Bistro                      Coach Insignia
Cuisine Da Edoardo                    Foxtown Grille
Detroit Fish Market                    Forty-Two Degrees North
Iridescence                                    Mosaic Restaurant
Opus One                                         Rattlesnake Club
Roast                                                 Saltwater
Seldom Blues                                 The Whitney
Wolfgang Puck Grille

In addition, Detroit’s Eastern Market will offer special Detroit Restaurant Week culinary demonstrations each Saturday morning from now through September 26.

Each restaurant participating in the 10-evening dinner promotion will offer a minimum three-course dinner for the fixed price of $27 (exclusive of beverage, tax and gratuity). Many restaurants will also elect to offer specially-priced wine and beverage pairings to accompany the meal.

Levine noted that restaurant week promotions are extremely successful in other major U.S. cities and he expects the same will hold true for Detroit. Levine participated in four Center City District Restaurant Week events during his years at Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse in Philadelphia. He had been back in Detroit for several years working in the local restaurant industry when the Paxahau Promotions Group tapped him to take the lead on this new event.

A complete list of participating restaurants and reservation options can be found at www.DetroitRestaurantWeek.com. Online visitors can also sign-up to receive the latest news and information. DRW menus for each restaurant will be available online soon.

Be sure to also visit the official blog of Detroit Restaurant Week, Dining in Detroit (www.diningindetroit.net).  There you will find weekly updates on DRW events, as well as previews of several of the participating restaurants.  You can also follow Dining in Detroit on Twitter @DininginDetroit.

Detroit Restaurant Week is sponsored by the Greater Downtown Districts — Downtown, Midtown, New Center, Corktown and Eastern Market — to support downtown’s many fine restaurants. Social Connection and the Metro Times are also proud sponsors of DRW, which is being presented by Paxahau Promotions Group, producers of the MOVEMENT: Electronic Music Festival.

About Paxahau
Paxahau Promotions Group was established in 1998 to promote electronic music. Since then it has grown to become a year round event production company. In addition to producing Detroit’s annual electronic music festival—Movement; Paxahau has been responsible for booking talent or producing several other events including: Comerica Cityfest; Arts, Beats & Eats; North American International Auto Show events; the Book Cadillac Grand Opening Weekend, and BravoBravo! With a network of alliances and resources that span the globe, Paxahau has earned the reputation as a premier promotions group. Visit www.paxahau.com for more information.

Luckily, that’s not all it means.  Labor Day weekend in Detroit also means a lot of great art and music festivals–we like to save the best for last and then cram them all into one weekend!

There is a little something for everyone this weekend, from jazz to art to film.  Enjoy!

Arts Beats and Eats
No longer the “Chrysler” Arts Beats and Eats (Chrysler could not afford the sponsorship this year), Pontiac’s annual festival of art, music, and food soldiers on with only a $2 admission price.  With 50 restaurants, 200 music performers, and 155 art exhibitors, this is one of the largest festivals in the metro area, not to mention one of the most comprehensive.  (It rivals CityFest in restaurants and music performers and whallops them in art; the Ann Arbor Art Fair has more art but little of anything else.)  It’s one of my favorites and I’m thrilled that, even without their major sponsor, they were still able to pull it off.

Friday-Sunday, 11:00AM-10:00PM, Monday 11:00AM-8:00PM

The Detroit International Jazz Festival
Celebrating its 30th year, the Detroit Jazz Fest (DJF) features 5 stages with over 100 artists performing over the four-day weekend.  It is one of the most noteworthy jazz festivals in the country (and the largest free jazz festival in America), and is a signature event for Detroit.  The DJF strives to perpetuate Detroit’s significant jazz history and nurture the development of jazz by offering educational and collaborative opportunities, and all of it free to everyone.

Friday 6:00PM-11:00PM, Saturday-Sunday 12:00PM-11:00PM, Monday 12:00PM-10:00PM

The Innaugural Ferndale Film Festival
The summer begins with the DWIFF and ends with F3.

Local filmmakers have yet another opportunity to shine with this 4-day festival held in locations all over Ferndale, from Dino’s to the Rosie O’Grady’s.  55 films ranging from 300 second micro-minis to full-length features will be shown throughout the city over this four-day weekend.  Regulars of the local festival circuit–this and last year’s DWIFF, the Mitten Movie Project–will likely see a lot of familiar titles, but there are also plenty of new titles (or ones you might have missed previously) worth checking out.

I know from having been at the screening that there were only about 8 people watching Tracy at this year’s DWIFF, which is an outright shame.  I thought the film was hilarious (read about it here), and I highly recommend to the 8 of you who didn’t already see it that you go to the Go Comedy! Theatre on Saturday at 5:30PM and catch this screening.  Get there an hour earlier and you can also catch local filmmakers Five Clover Films’ Office Space send-up First Day.

The Purple Gang is a riveting documentary that covers one of the most feared (and now one of the least-known) crime syndicates in history–the predominantly Jewish Purple Gang, who ruled Detroit (and much of the country) during Prohibition.  It’s a fascinating piece of local history, and one you don’t often hear much about.  See it at Rosie O’Grady’s Sunday at 8:00PM.

Detroit Unleaded is a much-buzzed-about short film by Detroiter Rola Nashef, which is a coming-of-age drama about two Arab brothers who own a gas station and asks the question: What is the American dream?  This is playing with several other shorts, including the award-winning short Bitch by Lilah Vandenburgh, at AJ’s Cafe on Saturday at 7:00PM.

The Festival opens with the red carpet premiere of Creator of God at the Magic Bag on Friday.  There will be an opening reception inside the venue at 7:00PM followed by the screening at 8:30PM.  F3 also will feature a micro-mini film challenge, outdoor screenings of Army of Darkness and Monsters, Inc., and free workshops which range on topics from guerrilla filmmaking, photography, lighting, and zombie makeup.

Tickets are $5 per screening, $10 for opening night, and $20 for weekend passes.  Tickets are available at Dino’s Lounge and other show locations.  See the website for details on screenings, workshops, and more.

Hamtramck Labor Day Festival
The fringe festival of Labor Day, the Hamtramck Labor Day Festival–now in its 29th year–promises lots and lots of polka, the Polish Day Parade (Monday at 1:30PM), a world music stage featuring everything from Afrobeat to Bosnian pop, and enough local indie rock to see you through to the next indie rock festival (i.e., next weekend).  There will also be children’s activities, a dunk tank, carnival rides, and all the Polish food you can eat (which isn’t much, because those pierogies are filling).  It’s a tried-and-true Hamtramck-style festival!

Friday, September 4th-Monday, September 7th (see website for complete schedule)

Post-Labor Day Events

The fun doesn’t entirely stop after Labor Day!  There are a few more festivals we can count on before we need to break out our parkas once again.

Dally in the Alley
Saturday, September 12th (rain date: Sept. 13) Detroit’s greenest festival returns with indie rock, techno, food, art, beer, and all that random stuff you find in the alley.  It’s got the most DIY spirit of all the Detroit festivals, though it doesn’t quite have the name…

…Not like the DIY Streetfair!
The second installment of this popular music-food-art event, first started last year, is back and is now spanning three days, Friday Sept. 18-Sunday Sept. 20.  The beer garden, featuring all Michigan-made brews, is back, as is the stupendous music lineup on the main stage.  The Hard Lessons, Octopus, Oscillating Fan Club, Johnny Headband, Lee Marvin Computer Arm, Champions of Breakfast, the Hentchmen, Friendly Foes, Child Bite…yes, this is the best indie rock lineup any of the big outdoor festivals have seen yet this year.  It looks like DIY might once again take top prize for best fest!

And there you have it.  It ends not with a whisper, but a bang (on drums, with lots of fuzzy guitars and reverberating amplifiers).  Enjoy these final hours of summer fun!

The Spirit of Rent: Christine Chemello as Mimi

I hate Rent. Since seeing it performed at the Fox Theatre almost a decade ago, I’ve been pretty outspoken about how over-the-top, hyper-sentimentalized, and over-hyped I thought it was. After all the buzz, I was simply disappointed. I was further perturbed by the fact that this rock opera about bohemian artists grappling with poverty, discrimination, and AIDS in New York’s squatter artist community Alphabet City was in direct and almost hypocritical contrast to the big-budget Broadway production that was attracting crowds from all over the country and legions of die-hard “Rent-heads,” all of whom could afford to purchase the hefty $85 Broadway tickets. To me, the very people that made it the smashing success it had become (one of the most successful musicals of all time) were by socio-economic nature incapable of relating to the characters that the musical was actually about. The irony was simply too thick; coupled with the fact that I related its achievement to the ridiculous Cats—which is and always will be the de facto reference point for all over-produced, excessively cloying, mass-marketed musicals—and the very thought of Rent made me weary, sighing the way only a self-important know-it-all like myself can sigh, especially when other self-important know-it-alls would lecture me on how wrong I was.

After seeing the Who Wants Cake? Theatre’s production of Rent at the Ringwald Theatre in Ferndale…I was wrong. I specifically wanted to see this production because I knew if there were any theatre troupe that could make me like this musical, it would be Who Wants Cake? By the finale, teary-eyed after Angel Dumott Schunard’s return to the stage, it would be impossible for even a cynic like me to not fall in love with this story, these characters, this music.

Rent, written by the late Jonathan Larson, is loosely based on Giacomo Puccini’s opera La bohème. It is set in New York City’s East Village in the late-‘80s, when “Alphabet City” was home to impoverished ethnic families and struggling artists living a bohemian lifestyle. La bohème translates well into late-20th-century America, as Puccini’s opera dealt with struggling artists living a bohemian lifestyle in early-19th-century Paris (and in which one of the main characters is also living with a fatal illness). Rent follows Mark Cohen, a Jewish filmmaker, as he documents the lives of him and his friends over one year. They fall in and out of love and fight to keep their autonomy as free-wheeling artists and their dignity as underprivileged, socially scorned, and (in some cases) terminally ill citizens. The cast is a multicultural cross-section of the pre-gentrified East Village: black, white, Latino/a, Jewish, gay, straight, rich, poor, drug-addicted, sexually uninhibited, with and without AIDS. There is a great deal of complexity built into these characters’ backgrounds and in their interactions; the story tackles issues of prejudice, poverty, illness, discrimination, temptation, and class struggles, but at its very core, it is a love story.

I caught opening night at the Ringwald, which was introduced by a very gracious and sincere Joe Bailey, whom I absolutely adore (seeing him perform in a leading comedic role should be on a list somewhere of Top 100 Things Every Detroiter Must Do). It was almost a full house that evening…which isn’t difficult, considering how tiny the theatre is.

But this is exactly what made this experience of Rent so much more enjoyable: it felt like Rent the way Rent was meant to be seen. Personal, intimate, almost as if the audience was part of the action itself. The stage and props were simple; most of it could probably be found at a yard sale or a junk yard (I speak here specifically of the plastic wrap and wire fencing suspended above the stage, meant to give more of a sense of a squatter’s domain). There was simply nothing inherently over-the-top “Broadway” about this production: this was Rent DIY-style, and it worked.

The actors needed no microphones, as the space itself is probably only about 500 square feet (sometimes their voices project too loudly, but only as a result of such close proximity). They walk amongst the audience and are never more than a few feet away (close enough to see their sweat under those hot lights). The audience thus becomes much more intimately involved in the show—much moreso than they would, say, sitting in the back half of the upper balcony at the Fox…or the Nederlander Theatre in Times Square.

The cast varied from competent to outstanding. It was unfortunate that some members of the ensemble cast were stronger singers than a few of the leads, though by looking at each of the ensemble members there really were no leading roles appropriate for them to play. Ashlee Armstrong had a wonderful voice but a baby’s face; the program states that she is fresh out of college though I suspect she might have been on an accelerated program, one of those child prodigies that have a Bachelor’s degree by the time they’re 17. Others just didn’t quite have the right “look,” like Richard Payton who, God bless him, couldn’t pass for a vicious drug dealer or an angry nightstick-wielding officer for all the Prada shoes in the world. However, the fact that the supporting cast was as strong (if not stronger) than some of the leads is far more desirable than having a hodgepodge of second-rate second-stringers, and because of this the cast is far stronger as a group than they are individually.

Joanne (Shondra Tipler) is magnificent, and it is unfortunate she does not have more opportunity to showcase her stupendous pipes solo. Collins (Dez Walker) starts out a little too understated but soon finds his form as a soulful lead. Leads Mimi (Christine Chemello), Mark (Patrick Kilbourn), and Roger (PJ Vasquez) are all at times shaky, their voices sounding a little unsure. This could easily be attributed to it being opening night, but would also mean certain death on Broadway.

Thank God this isn’t Broadway.

Jitters or no, it was obvious that these actors were not only wholly invested in their roles, but also that they were having a tremendous amount of fun onstage. The ad-libs and witty one-line improvisations uttered by Angel and Mark are brilliantly quirky and fun.  But the moment of absolute joie de vivre came with the full cast’s performance of “La Vie Boheme,” which succeeded in having more spirit, more sass, and more vie than the much poppier, much more polite Broadway version (the interplay between Angel and Maureen is worth seeing repeatedly). The smiles at the end of this wildly energetic performance could not be contained, neither by the actors nor by the audience.

He Just Doesn't Look the Same Without the Make-Up and Heels: Vince Kelley as Angel

Ask any Rent-head and they’ll happily tell you who their favorite characters are and why; odds are pretty good that one will be either Angel or Maureen. Maureen, the character who doesn’t even appear until nearly halfway through the play (though her presence is felt much earlier on with the playful and instantly memorable duet between Joanne and Mark, Tango: Maureen), and Angel, the character who does exactly what the very best stage performers know to do: always leave them wanting more. Inside the Ringwald Theatre, Angel (the silky-voiced Vince Kelley) and Maureen (played as more slapstick and less self-serious by Annie Reinholz) were the unmatched show-stealers. Their voices, their energy, their presence eclipsed the other performers onstage. Kelley and Reinholz were the perfect performers for these larger-than-life roles, transforming these characters into the explosive personalities they are meant to be. There is no denying that Angel is pure magic and Maureen is a powerhouse; it was thrilling to see these two stars shine as brightly as they did.

Rent’s tremendous popularity is due in large part to the fact that it is about regular people with real problems in contemporary society, problems that almost any theatre-goer can relate to, whether it be feeling as if you’re nothing more than an observer of life, feeling a reluctant temptation to “sell out,” or desperately wanting to be loved as you are. The heartbreak, the humor, the honest emotions—this is why Rent is so well able to connect with so many audience members. The folks at Who Wants Cake? nailed it with this production.

The WWC? production is less poppy, more gritty, more rough-around-the-edges, more intimate, more real than its immensely more polished Manhattan counterpart, and it bursts with the kind of frenetic energy that perfectly suits this ragtag group of carpe diem against-the-odds artists. Maybe it’s because that same spirit of hope in the face of despair, of creation over desolation, is still alive here in Detroit, whereas in Alphabet City that spirit was long ago replaced by $774/sq.ft. studio-sized co-ops, while a few subway stops away an older, pre-gentrified version of the area was being presented onstage to 1,200 people nightly who each paid $85+/seat. Somehow, it’s just different. Here in Detroit, in the 85-seat Ringwald Theatre in the bohemian-inspired suburb of Ferndale, Rent takes on a whole new meaning, a whole new energy. And I loved every minute of it.

RENT plays now through Monday, September 28th. Performances times are 8PM Friday, Saturday, and Monday nights with the Sunday matinees beginning at 3PM. Tickets for RENT are $25.00 for Fridays and Saturday performances, $20.00 for Sunday matinees and Mondays are still only $10 a ticket! Reservations may be made by phone at 248-545-5545 or online at www.WhoWantsCakeTheatre.com. The box office opens 30 minutes before performances.

BOBBY LONG (“Twilight” sound track) with Jarrod Champion and Patrick Davey
All ages…

Price: $12 in advance, $15 at the door
Start Time: Sunday, August 30, 2009 at 8:00pm
End Time: Monday, August 31, 2009 at 2:00am
Location: Small’s Bar
Street: 10339 Conant St.
City/Town: Hamtramck, MI

Phone: 3138731117
Email: melody@strangleholdbooking.com

Bobby Long is a British singer/songwriter who rose to fame after his song “Never Think” appeared on the immensely popular sound track to the movie “Twlight.” The song was co-written by Long’s childhood friend Robert Pattinson, who of course plays Edward Cullen in the hit movie.

Detroit is one of few cities Bobby Long will be visiting during his summer U.S. tour. For the Small’s show, Bobby will be supported by two of Detroit’s stellar songwriters, Jarrod Champion Sleeps Till Dusk and Patrick Davey.

Tickets are available in advance at www.smallsbardetroit.com, or at Small’s Bar any night after 8 p.m.