Tag Archives: Actors’ Theatre

Snapshots: Kentwood, Wyoming weekend news you ought to know

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By WKTV Staff

joanne@wktv.org

Quote of the day

“Winter is not a season, it’s a celebration.”

– Anamika Mishra, author

Head to the Hills

Well, at least to Spectrum Theater – which is on hill – to catch the latest production from Actors’ Theatre Grand Rapids The family-friendly musical “The Burnt Part Boys,” runs through Feb. 9. The country- and bluegrass-themed songs will get you humming as you follow this coming-of-age story set in the Appalachians.

The Bard’s in the House

Celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Grand Valley Shakespeare Festival with Bard Beyond Borders’ presentation of “Sizwe Banzi is Dead” in the Linn Maxwell Keller Black Box Theatre, located in the Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts. There is a 7:30 p.m. performance on Friday and a 2 p.m. one on Saturday and all performances are free.

Lots and Lots of Cars

The recent weather may not have been optimal for driving, but the weekend should be great to head over to the Michigan International Auto Show which is at DeVos Place all weekend. From classics to the latest vehicles, it should be a show worth a drive-by peek.


Fun fact:

Queen in Space

Queen guitarist Brian May combined his passion for astronomy (he has a doctorate in astrophysics) and his music to write a song of NASA’s New Horizon’s historic flyby of Ultima Thule, the farthest object in the solar system visited by a spacecraft. (New Horizon flew past it on Jan. 1, 2019.) It is exactly the kind of epic you would expect from the man who wrote “We Will Rock You” with soaring guitars and dramatic lyrics. Check out the video below.

Actors’ Theatre heads to the hills in latest production

Citizen Journalism, Entertainment,

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Actors’ Theatre of Grand Rapids is doing something a little different this month — the family-friendly production “The Burnt Part Boys.”

“Actors’ is known for doing awesome, sometimes controversial productions,” said director Jolene Frankey. “So it is kind of fun to be able to do something that is entirely family friendly. It is a wonderful treat for our awesome core patrons along with providing us an opportunity to reach people who wouldn’t normally come to an Actors’ production.”

Opening on Friday, Feb. 1 (due to the weather), “The Burnt Part Boys” takes place in the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia and follows the story of two brothers, 14-year-old Pete and his older brother Jake.

A report over the radio announces the plans of the Pickaway Coal Company to reopen a mine where a collapse and fire killed the brothers’ father 10 years earlier. The spot is called “the burnt place.” Jake has been picked to lead the reopening, angering Pete who vows to destroy “the burnt place.” The announcement leads both boys with friends in tow on a journey of self-discovery with the ghost of the miners following their progress.

“The music is so distinctive,” Frankey said as to what drew her to “The Burnt Part Boys.” To be honest, the songs from the show are not familiar and Frankey added that the show’s “obscurity is its charm.”

“The music is really reflective of what is taking place,” Frankey said. “It is an eclectic blend of various music such as folk and pop, all wrapped into musical theater. It has such an unusual feel yet it is so authoritative. It is not a hokey rendition of the backwoods of the Appalachians.”

There are guitars and banjo to chains and lead pipes all used to create the country- and bluegrass-flavored songs written by Chris Miller and lyrics by Nathan Tysen. The songs, according to The New York Times, “are rousing anthems to dangerous excitements of working the mines.”

Items used in a mine, such as ladders, lights, shovels, are used throughout the production, creating the landscape of the Appalachians with the ghosts of the miners serving as the map the boys follow on their quest to “the burnt part.”

“The Burnt Part Boys” opens Friday, Feb. 1, and runs through Feb. 9 at GRCC’s Spectrum Theater, 160 Fountain NE. Show time is 8 p.m Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and 3 p.m Sunday. Tickets are $24 and $28.For more information or to purchase tickets, visit actorstheatregrandrapids.org.

Actors’ Theatre was no idiot when snatching up Green Day’s musical

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When Actors’ Theatre Grand Rapids opened sales for its 2016 – 2017 season, Executive Director Kyle Los admitted the tickets for “American Idiot” were the items most ticket buyers were seeking.

 

info“I guess it is not surprising,” Los said during a phone interview, “considering that Green Day just announced it would be touring and it has just been announced that the musical will be made into a movie.”

 

“American Idiot” was first a concept album, best described as a “punk rock opera,” that marked a major comeback for the American rock band Green Day. It was the seventh album recorded by the group which had become popular in the 1990s but by 2000 the group’s popularity had waned.

 

Inspired by The Who’s classic rock opera “Tommy,” Green Day created its own story around Jesus of Suburbia, an adolescent anti-hero who is divided between “rage and love.” Through its plot, the album expresses the disillusionment and dissent of a generation which came of age in a period shaped by many tumultuous events like the Iraq War.

 

The album sold 15 million copies, was number one in 19 countries, won the Grammy for Best Rock Album in 2005, and spanned such hits as “American Idiot,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” “Holiday,” Wake Me Up When September Ends,” and “Jesus of Suburbia.”

 

From there it was reworked into a musical with the story expanded from that of the concept album, centering on three disaffected young men, Johnny, Will, and Tunny. Johnny and Tunny flee a stifling suburban lifestyle and parental restrictions, while Will stays home to work out his relationship with his pregnant girlfriend, Heather. The former pair look for meaning in life and try out the freedom and excitement of the city. Tunny quickly gives up on life in the city, joins the military, and is shipped off to war. Johnny turns to drugs and finds a part of himself that he grows to dislike, has a relationship and experiences lost love. The musical gathered several more accolades including two Tony Awards and a 2011 Grammy for Best Musical Show Album.

 

“I think a lot of companies do not want to deal with the heron use that is in this production,” Los said as he reflected on how Actors’ was able to land the Michigan premiere of the musical which was described as “a fierce aesthetic charge” upon its opening in Broadway in 2010.

 

“While the story comes from 2004, which was during the George W. Bush administration, the story carries a strong to what is happening today especially during the current presidential election,” said Director Jolene Frankey. It speaks well to the disillusionment people – especially the younger generation – have with what is going on in today’s society.

 

For more information, visit actorstheatregrandrapids.org.