STN Entertainment
Elvis In A Tutu?
The Cleveland San Jose Ballet marries rock 'n' roll to classical
dance in Blue Suede Shoes.
by
Tom Stoppard
"A compelling
mystery,
a farcical comedy
and a charming
love story rolled
into one surprisingly
moving tale..:
****
"Meadow
Brook is
on a hot
streak:
Oakland Press
Now -
April 13
SUZANNE CHESSLER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
Detroit
Free Press
For tickets call
Meadow Brook
Box Office
(810) 377-3300
Ticketmaster
(810) 645-6666
Hudson's, Harmony House
and Blockbuster Music
Supported
by the
711C '
aca,
michigan council
firadsand
cultural affairs
Meadow
Brook
Theatre
Oakland University's
Professional Theatre
Give someone another starry night .. .
.
.
"..-
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The corps de ballet puts on
their Blue Suede Shoes.
at do you get when you
mix together classic bal-
let, vintage rock 'n' roll and state-of--the-
art theatrical technology? Blue Suede
Shoes, a dance theater spectacle.
Performed by the Cleveland San Jose Ballet mov-
ing to 36 hits sung by Elvis Presley, the production
lights up to Marilyn Lowey's pure '90s designs, and
dresses up with Bob Mackie's costumes comple-
mented by his sets.
The show comes to the Detroit Opera House April
15-20, when audiences will see the choreography of
Dennis Nahat, artistic director of the Cleveland San
Jose Ballet, and hear the musical arrangements of
composer William Ross.
"It's fun to watch the audiences take in the pro-
gression of the production," said Lowey, whose high-
tech illumination has been associated with theater
pieces, concerts, films and television. "I planned the
lighting to help direct the focus of the story line."
The ballet is not Presley's story. It is about the
American experience at the time his music reached
its peak acclaim.
The theater piece revolves around three friends,
starting with their high-school years in the '50s, when
they are first seen in their blue suede shoes.
The trio moves on to the drive-in scene, army life,
lonely streets and the disco set, concluding with a fi-
nale that features four of Elvis' biggest hits and, of
course, the footwear of the times and title.
Along the way, there are romances and adven-
tures danced to Elvis' most popular songs performed
in story sequence and including "Wear My Ring
Around Your Neck," "Soldier Boy," "Heartbreak Ho-
tel," "Long Tall Sally" and "Hound Dog."
-
The song "Blue Suede Shoes" opens
and closes this contemporary piece.
"We've walked a very fine line so we
don't put anyone on edge while watching classical
ballet and hearing Elvis Presley music," said Lowey,
who has designed lighting for Neil Diamond's The
Jazz Singer as well as live concerts performed by
Kenny G., Whitney Houston, Bette Midler and
Michael Feinstein.
"We wanted to make sure this wasn't thought of
as a rock 'n' roll concert. Bob Mackie starts the tran-
sition with the creation of sets that are simple and
cartoon-like while providing a clean and pure envi-
ronment for the dancers.
"The lighting creates a three-dimensional visual
picture with color, brightness and depth providing
a focus that usually is not that necessary in ballet."
As the company prepared to go on tour, with De-
troit as its first destination, the behind-the-scenes
staff evaluated the host theaters, deciding what they
had in common and what was needed to compen-
sate at each stop.
"The approach to bringing moving -lights, color
changers and other technical effects into the ballet
is correct," Lowey said. "I think as time goes on and
kids are sitting and watching MTV, it's up to us, from
a production point of view, to bring in the visuals
that stimulate young audiences." O
Blue Suede Shoes will be performed Tuesday-
Sunday, April 15-20, at the Detroit Opera House.
Performances start at 8 p.m. every day but Sun-
day, when there is only a 2 p.m. show. Additional
shows are at 10 a.m. April 16 and 2 p.m. April
19. For information, call (313) 874-7849.
another song .. .
another dance .. .
another chance.
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