Best of 2011: Tradition shared Memphis stage with risk

Don Putnam

From left: Johnny Lee Davenport (Oberon) and Slade Kyle (Puck) perform in Tennessee Shakespeare Company's production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

Novelty in the performing arts is rare in Memphis, mostly because it's risky. Nearly every artist yearns to put on the Never-Before-Seen Spectacle that will leave people in rapture for years to come. They want to tell their stories in their own words and share their own vision with their community — not just put on plays that have won Tony Awards or operas that grandma sings while making her famous lasagna.

The reality is that performing arts companies, like any business, must also sell tickets and stay within budget, while even the staunchest arts patrons hesitate to spend between $20 and $50 on an artistic experiment for which they are the guinea pigs. In a way, the risks of a new work are shared by both artists and audiences.

Admittedly, we who are in the business of reviewing plays, musicals, concerts, ballets and art exhibits crave novelty. We also have no qualms about criticizing novelty, which makes people wonder whose side we are on: artist or ticketholder?

In 2011, for example, I always enjoyed the notion of attending Tennessee Shakespeare Company's productions (held outdoors at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens and at Shelby Farms) more than I liked the plays themselves.

Some audience members would say the same about one of my favorite efforts of the year:

"A Midsummer Night's Dream," opera a cappella: Back in January, Opera Memphis teamed up with Playhouse on the Square and the a cappella singing group DeltaCappella for a new adaptation of Shakespeare's romantic fantasy composed by Michael Ching. The novelty — replacing the orchestra with a "voicestra" (a small choir who vocalized the accompaniment, including the percussion) — attracted the ears of national music critics.

Though other companies will likely attempt Ching's difficult conceptual opera in the future, it originated here because the three professional groups involved were willing to collaborate and roll the dice.

I, along with others, was underwhelmed by the staging itself. The words were unclear at times. The style of music was so new to the ears that we wished the voicestra had been visible instead of hidden down in the orchestra pit. It was a groundbreaking, but not Earth-shattering performance that nevertheless stands out as one of the few occasions when ambitious new work is created here in Memphis.

"August: Osage County" at Playhouse on the Square: There wasn't much risk in staging this Tony-winning play, but with it clocking in at three hours and with a title that says little about the tempestuous black comedy within (drugs, sex, death, incest ... and laughs!), producers thought it might not be mainstream enough. The entire cast was outstanding, however, and far and away deserved the Ostrander Award for best drama.

"Glengarry Glen Ross" at Theatre Memphis: Actors John Moore, Barclay Roberts and Jerry Chipman turned in searing performances in David Mamet's 1984 drama. Director Tony Isbell plucked the right actors from the talent pool and (it is hoped) showed Theatre Memphis that its audiences aren't entirely scared off by bad language.

"Memphis" at the Orpheum: OK, there wasn't much risk involved in this big-budget, Tony-winning Broadway musical that, in the eyes of many locals, is an imperfect portrait of the city that we know and love. Still, it was the first time in Orpheum history that a national Broadway tour launched here. As it crisscrosses the country, it remains a rousing, if harmless, tale set in the city that invented rock and roll.

Jordan Nichols: Keep an eye on this Memphis born-and-raised actor. In the past year, the talented lad tap-danced into our hearts in Theatre Memphis' "Crazy for You," ran up the corporate ladder in Playhouse's "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," choreographed Harrell Theatre's "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and directed X-rated puppets in "Avenue Q" at Circuit Playhouse. This singer, dancer, actor, choreographer and director is currently a cast member on the 25th anniversary tour of "Les Miserables."

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