Harlem Gospel Choir

New York choir takes gospel message to the world

by Dwayne Steward
Entertainment Coordinator
The Advocate
February 21, 2008

The foot-stomping, hand-clapping, feel-good aura that accompanies the gospel music arena is coming to Columbus in full force Thursday and Friday.

The Harlem Gospel Choir, known around the world for its combined message of music and hope, plans to empower a packed audience with its signature performance style.

The choir has been traveling the world since it was forced into the limelight at the 1999 Nelson Mandela Festivities at Yankee Stadium in New York City. Its unforgettable jazz rendition of gospel classics soon was requested by the world’s elite, including President Clinton, Elton John and Pope John Paul II on several occasions.

The choir’s originator, recording industry veteran Allen Bailey, 67, started the group more than 20 years ago for a Martin Luther King Day celebration at the well-known Cotton Club in Harlem. Starting with 25 members and a humble mission, the group has grown to 65.

Performing weekly at the infamous B.B. King Blues Club, 15 of its best take the show on the road year-round.

“We work for the Lord, if we took a night off we’d get in trouble,” Bailey said, chuckling.

Many gospel or religious acts sometimes come with an agenda, but Bailey said the group’s only mission is to encourage.

“Our choir first and foremost is a ministry,” he said. “People have suffered in their life and they need to be inspired, with everything that’s going on in the world. Our mission is like Dr. King’s, bringing people together.”

And with performances ranging from New York’s Radio City Music Hall to the Vatican in Rome, the choir is not far from making its dream a reality.

“Sometimes the people in the audience don’t even speak the language, but you hear them singing the songs,” Bailey said. “It’s an amazing experience; you can just feel the emotion. It really transcends all cultures.”

The choir performs at 8 p.m. tonight and Friday at the Southern Theatre in Columbus. Tickets are $25 to $29.50 and can be purchased by calling (614) 469-0939 or visiting www.ticketmaster.com.

Chatting with Mulan

Disney glides into Columbus

by Dwayne Steward
Entertainment Coordinator
The Advocate
February 14, 2008

Kim Ryan is living the dream of millions of girls across the world. Every night she gets to dress up and become a Disney character.

“It’s amazing,” said Ryan, a principal skater in Disney on Ice presents Princess Classics, appearing at Nationwide Arena next week. “You get to play this famous role that known by kids worldwide.”

The grade school wonderland features infamous princesses from Disney’s classic animated films. Ryan, a 23-year-old from Washington, has played Mulan since she was 19 after competing nationally since she was nine, said seeing the children’s reaction makes it all worth while.

“One of my favorite parts in the show is when we go around to shake the hands of the little kids, most dressed up like their favorite character,” she said. “I just love to watch how it affects the audience.”

The show, starring Cinderella, also features Jasmine, Sleeping Beauty, Ariel and Snow White. Each get their own time in the spotlight, performing to a signature song from their movie.

The skaters’ graceful movements were created by Olympic choreographer Tom Dickson and his wife, former Olympian Catarine Lindgren. Their work showing no mercy, the show features a complicated 20-skater synchronized precision sequence during Cinderella’s ball.

The 780 costume pieces and more than 170 yards of fabric can be attributed to Broadway designer Eduardo Sicangio and his crew of more then 100 costumers. The set includes a 30-foot, eight ton spinning castle, which operates almost 100 of the show’s nearly 600 lighting fixtures.

Ryan also admits that she doesn’t mind the many exciting cities the tour stops in. She’s performed in countless arenas around the world including, Southeast Asia, Australia and on tours throughout Europe and South America.

“My favorite place to perform has to be Asia, the beaches are great, but I’m looking forward to seeing Montreal for the first time when we head there after Columbus,” she said.

The show opens in Columbus 7 p.m. Wednesday and run through February 24. Tickets are $13.50 to $44, call (614) 246-2000 or visit www.ticketmaster.com for more information.

“It’s really a great show, for kids and adults, there’s everything including fireworks” Ryan said. “I hear ohs and ahs come from everywhere.”

"The Drawer Boy"

Newark native headlines award-winning play

by Dwayne Steward
Entertainment Coordinator
The Advocate
February 14, 2008

John Fields (left) performs in "The Drawer Boy" with
castmates Geoffrey Nelson (middle) and Terrance Mosley (right).

When John Fields, 72, of Los Angeles, looks back on his life, he sees three major constants: His wife of nearly 35 years, his continuing acting career and Newark.

The bona fide thespian, born and raised in Heath, has led a fulfilling 50-year career, which has brought him full circle, as he performs in the Columbus production of “The Drawer Boy,” presented by the Contemporary American Theater Company

“I always come back once or twice a year, especially for my high school reunion,” said Fields, who graduated from Newark High School in 1954. “We were close, that class. I’ve lost a lot of friends, so I want to be sure and keep the ones that I have.”

“The Drawer Boy,” set in the early 1970s, follows Angus and Morgan (Fields), two World War II veterans, as they host a young Toronto actor researching farmers for an upcoming role. Hilarity ensues as the closed-minded old men butt heads with the progressive city slicker.

Fields’ return to central Ohio comes after a long trek through the theater landscape. He’s performed around the country, mostly in Shakespearean drama, reprising roles from King Lear to Sir Toby Belch from “Twelfth Night,” where he met his wife, Mary Ellen, who incidentally played Maria, Belch’s love interest.

The couple now owns a costume shop in Hollywood, Bill Hargate Costumes, where they create original pieces for much of the theater and film industry. Disney and the national Broadway production of “Camelot” are among their clientele.

If not for a junior high school math teacher, Fields said he may have never considered acting.

“I was cutting up in class and she forced me to be in the school play as punishment,” he said. “She thought if I was going to cut up I might as well do it on stage.”

Though a small spark, it would lead to a sensitive Denison University football player wandering into a drama practice for something to occupy his time during the off-season.

“I was majoring in Greek and Latin classical languages, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” he said.

After a few stints in the school’s summer theater, Fields was in, and he headed to Ohio State University to pursue his masters in drama — and the rest, he said, was history.

“They say if you want to hear God laugh tell him your plans,” he said chuckling. “[Acting] kind of just happened; I could never really get away from it.”

And like the wistful traveler, he’s followed his instincts back to where it all began.

The Drawer Boy opened at The Vern Riffe Center on Feb. 1 in Columbus and will run until Feb. 24. For more information, call (614) 469-0939 or visit www.capa.com/columbus.

Spike Lee

Wexner Center to honor filmmaker Spike Lee

By Dwayne Steward
Entertainment Coordinator
The Advocate
February 7, 2008

Director and producer Spike Lee has had a large influence on America’s culture through his powerful films. From “Do the Right Thing” to “Malcolm X,” “Crooklyn” and now “When the Levees Broke,” Lee’s films have made him a cinematic icon.

Now Ohio State University’s Wexner Center for the Arts is recognizing that influence by awarding Lee the prestigious Wexner Prize at a ceremonial dinner next week. The multi-disciplinary award, in its 13th year, has been awarded to the likes of composer John Cage, director Martin Scorsese and choreographer William Forsythe.

Lee’s arrival Monday will include engagements with OSU students, City Council and area high schools. Tuesday, the director will also be the guest of honor at “A Conversation with Spike Lee,” where he’ll discuss his work with James McBride, author of “The Miracle at St. Anna,” the subject matter for Lee’s next film.

In advance of his appearance, The Advocate offers a Q&A with Wexner film curator Dave Filipi about Lee’s illustrious career.

Lee poses on the set of "Why the Levees Broke."

Question: Why do you think Spike Lee is deserving of the Wexner Prize?

Answer: The prize celebrates a body of work and is usually awarded to somebody who’s been working long enough that you can recognize their influence on other people. Spike Lee is definitely at that point in his career where you can examine him as this iconic figure. Anytime he does something it creates these ripples that affect all of American cinema.

Q: What accounts for this longevity? Why is he just as relevant today as he was when he created “Do the Right Thing”?

A: Very simply put, he’s a great filmmaker. Every one of his films is taking chances in an artistic fashion; he doesn’t get enough credit for his artistry and style. To work at the level he works at you have to be artistically successful and be able to deliver something that’s accessible to everyone. “Inside Man” was his most successful film at the box office, but that gives him a chance to make less popular, but more artistic films such as “Why the Levees Broke.”

Q: Every time you see “a Spike Lee joint” on a film you know you’re getting something different and maybe controversial. What is it about Lee that makes him so unique?

A: He takes more chances then the average filmmaker. “Why the Levees Broke” was a huge undertaking. “Inside Man” was also very ambitious. He’s even working on producing a stage play. He’s still challenging himself, still making new things. He also still has an appreciation of film history and looks at other great filmmakers. He’s the kind of filmmaker that studies other people’s work and uses them to inform upon his own work.

Q: Lee has also been just as successful as a documentary filmmaker. What makes him so versatile?

A: I’m not sure why he’s such a great documentary filmmaker; I just know that he is. He really doesn’t get enough credit. My personal favorite work of his is “Four Little Girls,” a documentary about the four girls who died in the church bombing in Montgomery during the civil rights movement. It’s an all-time great American documentary. He’s also made a documentary film about Jim Brown, which is also an epic documentary. And most recently there’s “Why the Levees Broke.” You can tell that he has a passion for certain material. He just seems like a very passionate person. “In Four Little Girls,” every once in a while you can hear him asking questions off camera to the girls’ families. You can tell he has an amazing rapport with them. I wish he would make more documentaries; he is really good at it.

Q: I noticed “Do the Right Thing,” “25th Hour,” “Malcolm X,” “She’s Gotta Have It” and “Crooklyn” will be playing throughout February. Why were these specific films chosen?

A: We just wanted to show his best work. “Crooklyn” is very autobiographical in nature so we really wanted to show that. “25th Hour” is just another great recent film of his, and I don’t even think a lot of people know he made it. We wanted to include his most influential, well-known films and revisit those that many haven’t seen or haven’t seen in a while. This way you get to experience all the different facets of his filmmaking.

African Footprint

African troupe leaves 'Footprints' across globe
Famous traveling show combines African dance with Broadway performance

By Dwayne Steward
Entertainment Coordinator
The Advocate
February 7, 2008

In 1999, before millions, performers from a small dance school in South Africa took the world by storm and have kept a strong grip ever since.

The musical tour de force, African Footprint, is finally bringing its world-renowned native artistry to Ohio, on the wave of a six-year run, an album that’s gone gold and a fan base totaling 250 million. It’s become the longest-running show out of Africa.

The cast of 30 presents a show that draws from African and European techniques, featuring tap dancing, Cirque du Soleil-style ballet and full light and sound Broadway-influenced dance sequences.

Back in 1998, entertainment guru Richard Loring started a school for the disadvantaged youth of Johannesburg; little did he know that humanitarian endeavor would become an international phenomenon.

“The auditions have become the American Idol of South Africa,” said Corey Ross, the show’s producer, “Richard (Loring) just wanted to train these kids to become dancers, singers and actors, give them a skill so they could make money and take them out of their horrid situations.”

The small group of students was asked to perform at South Africa’s Millennial Festivities, New Year’s Eve 1999. The show was picked up by CNN and the rest, as they say, is history. It’s become a journey that’s brought a group of students — who’d never seen much outside the small town of Soweto, where the school was founded — to a world stage, Ross said.

“When we were in New York one of the girls came out dressed to nines ready for a night on the town, it was her first time ever being outside of Johannesburg,” he said. “It’s an incredible experience many of them may not have ever had.”

African Footprint has made its way to the U.S. after touring in Europe, Australia, China, Israel and India. It originally planned to perform in the states soon after being discovered, but was scheduled to leave Sept. 11, 2001. That morning’s terrorist attacks postponed the American premiere indefinitely.

“Coming here has really been a dream come true for them,” Ross said.

Their first performance finally was introduced to America by Academy Award winner Louis Gossett Jr., an avid supporter of the show, in New Orleans in November to four sold-out shows.

The show will continue its way across the country until the spring, making its way to Columbus on Tuesday and Wednesday nights at Veterans Memorial, 300 W. Broad St. Tickets are $20 to $62.50; call (614) 221-4341 or visit www.ticketmaster.com for more information.