Ipi Ntombi: An African Dance Celebration (1998) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have audio cassettes for Ntombi Marhumbhini. My friend gave them to me when I was in Malawi. When I came to the US, I wanted if I could find a VHS for the audio cassettes I have only to find Ipi Ntombi. I read the reviews, and I did not hesistate to buy it.
This movie is great. The way they sing and dance depicts African originality. Their voices are so sharp that I do not see it boring throughout. If you haven't watched this movie, please try to. You will not regret like I am not regretting having bought it. If you have watched Namu Lwanga from Uganda, it is almost at par. Namu Lwanga holds shows in colleges and universities all around United States.
Finally, I would advise to look for this movie and see for yourself.

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Originally created by mother/daughter team Bertha Egnos and Gail Laiker, IPI NTOMBI (pronounced Ippy-Intombee and meaning "where are the girls") opened in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1974 and then played to standing ovations all over the world for the next six years. Now, more than 20 years later, this new, updated version sizzles with its return to the stage, blending the traditional rhythms of Africa with the modern heartbeat of its people. The company of 50, some of whom are direct descendants of the original cast members, dance the story of the Johannesburg mine worker, who sings of his love for the girl back home and his sense of separation from his tribal roots. The show has restyled the musical's most popular numbers and added some new ones, including the exhilarating "Four Important Porters from Potgietersrus."

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When Hell Freezes Over, I'll Skate (Broadway Theatre Archive) (1979) Review

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(More customer reviews)This Vinnette Carroll production, brought to life by a talented 8-member troupe of singers and dancers, features a combination of poetry and song which reflects the African-American experience. Inspiring, at the same time that it is an indictment of the treatment black America endured over the ages, the production celebrates the ultimate triumph of the rich and varied African-American culture.
With music created and directed by Tony Award winner Cleavant Derricks and his twin brother Clinton Derricks-Carroll, the revue showcases the performers and their melodies and rhythms, rather than musical instruments. Hand-clapping, simple drums, and a single piano or sax often provide the only accompaniment.
Joyful and enthusiastic, the music ranges from early chants and marches, as in "When the Colored Band Comes Marching Down the Street," through folk dance, gospel, revival music, blues, and disco. The late Lynne Thigpen is the female anchor, doing a passionate blues solo, her voice a contrast to the soprano of Lynne Clifton-Allen, who "just spreads her mouth and shouts, 'Come to Jesus'" in a gospel song. Clevant Derricks is a powerful interpreter/singer throughout, as is his twin, Clinton Derricks-Carroll, whose stirring bass/baritone inspires both the live audience and the viewer.
The production contains almost as much poetry as it does music, with poems by Countee Cullen, Julian Bond, Nikki Giovanni, and Langston Hughes, among others, enacted by the talented cast. Sometimes humorous and satiric, the poems range from the elegantly expressed to the vernacular, always showcasing attitudes and events which have led to moments of triumph, including domestic triumph. Gracefully blending songs, dance, and poetry, the revue creates a moving and comprehensive tribute to the enduring spirit of Black America. As one singer attests, "You can't put out the fiery spirit [of] my soul." Mary Whipple


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The Trial of the Moke (Broadway Theatre Archive) Review

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(More customer reviews)Henry O. Flipper (played with subtlety by Franklyn Seales), the son of a white mother and a black father, particularly resented being called a "moke," a crossbred ass, the equivalent of a mule. "Moke," however, was just one of the names he was called as a cadet at West Point. Though there had been other non-white cadets, Flipper was the first to ignore all the harassment and actually graduate. In this play, Flipper is in his third year as a lieutenant in the army, stationed at Fort Davis, Texas, and his race has become an issue. A new, grassroots colonel (crudely played by Robert Burr) and a group of uneducated fellow officers frame Flipper, the only black officer, and put him on trial for stealing funds from his commissary job.
Produced in 1978, this play by Daniel Stein, set in 1881, illustrates the depth of resentment against educated black men, even in the army. Seales carries the weight of the play's message, but he keeps the drama under control, resisting the temptation to push the message by "emoting" for dramatic effect. Instead, he portrays Henry Flipper with the dignity and self-respect which were his due. Alfre Woodard sensitively portrays Lucy, the black maid who is attracted to him, representing Flipper's opportunity to become part of black society and anchoring the play thematically. Johnson Whittaker (Samuel L. Jackson), a fellow cadet at West Point, appears and reappears as a ghost through Flipper's memories. Whittaker was dismissed from West Point when Flipper did not support him in a trial.
Black/white issues permeate the visual aspects of the drama, which features tasteless entertainments starring a white man in blackface playing Frederick Douglas, "the head of the Miscegenation Society"; blackfaced minstrels appearing in black and white (though the rest of the film is in color) as ghosts during Flipper's trial; and repeated references to "twilight," when the day is part white daylight and part black night. The trial is a foregone conclusion from the beginning, but Flipper and his lawyer fight the authorities for weeks.
A true story, the play, directed by Stan Lathan, drew public attention to this injustice when it was presented by the Milwaukee Repertory Theater in 1976, and was instrumental in having the court martial reversed, posthumously. Flipper, after serving as a respected mining engineer, was reburied with military honors later that year. The acting is superb, the production is thoughtfully presented, though a bit didactic, and the message is still pertinent. Mary Whipple


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Monkey Monkey Bottle of Beer, How Many Monkeys Have We Here? (Broadway Theatre Archive) (1974) Review

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(More customer reviews)The title for this play originates from a counting nursery rhyme that indicates who is "it" or "out", so, it may seem apropropriate for the theme of the play. Five women arrive separately to the basement of a hospital to learn the results of an experiment conducted on their mentally challenged 8-year olds. Little is known to the women regarding the experiment, except that it is "needle to the brain with no pain." So, no one knows how the experiment turned out, which of their sons could be improved or worse. Therefore, the title of counting rhyme may indicate one or another's son may have a different outcome.
The setting is the basement of a hospital, and we listen as the five woman sit in a circle, taking her place, and waiting to be called for the doctor. As they wait in closeness, the women's personalities are soon revealed, why they are in the program, their personal issues, attitudes, doubts, finances, fears, etc. There is some dramatic confrontation. So, the gist of the play is mostly that, sitting, chatting, confronting, while waiting.
The character roles are well-defined in the short time we learn about them, and, the acting is well-done. Toward the end, one woman meets with her 8-year old, and realizes he is changed. However, the kid, about 8 years old is not a good actor and unfortunately he had more than enough lines. His acting was so forced and on the brink of noticeable and irritating. It was highly distracting to the work.
Other than that, the play was nothing too memorable. Playwright Marsha Steiness, who has written about 5 plays, is new to me. ........Rizzo.


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When the Lights Go Out Review

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This dvd is awesome! It's funny, entertaining and real. I liked how relateable and real the characters seemed and the overall presentation of the play. It was like I was watching a movie and not a stage play. Another thing I enjoyed most was the story content. The message pointed back to Christ. The bonus material was really cool too. Overall I loved it and would recommend it!

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Nina Foxx's Marrying Up (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)This DVD was actually pretty good. I feel as though the movie was worth the price. Good plot and good laughs.

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NINA FOXX'S MARRYING UP - DVD Movie

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Luigi Pirandello's The Rules of the Game (Broadway Theatre Archive) (1975) Review

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(More customer reviews)Pirandello's "The Rules of the Game," which has nothing to do with the Renoir film of the same title, is a relatively minor entry in the Pirandello canon but it's still an intriguing and effective play.
This TV production, originally presented on PBS's Theater in America series, was based on a stage production by the Phoenix Repertory Company that played on Broadway in 1974. (And how sad is it that it's been so long since PBS has had anything like the Theater in America series?)
The main characters are Silia (Joan van Ark), who is having a long-term affair with Guido (David Dukes), while remaining obsessed with her estranged husband, Leone (John McMartin) As part of their separation agreement (this being Italy and there being no possibility of divorce), Leone must visit Silia every evening for a half-hour.
Leone has decided that the best way to win what he refers to as "the game" is to drain himself of all painful emotions and to give in without argument to what others request of him. By continually agreeing to all of Silia's requests, including when she requested a separation, he frustrates her will, which is why she remains obsessed with him.
The play has a couple of plot twists that are fairly predictable, but what makes it a pleasure is Pirandello's language, which comes through effectively even in translation. (The William Murray translation is used.) And Pirandello provides dramatic situations that give good actors a lot to work with.
As Leone, John McMartin is particularly fascinating, finding ways to make Leone seem somewhat passive while subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) tormenting Silia and Guido. That fine actor David Dukes (who died far too young) provides an excellent foil for McMartin. They play their scenes beautifully.
Joan van Ark, who had been a late replacement for Mary Ure in the stage production, doesn't inhabit Silia's mix of sensuality, sadism, and neediness as fully as she might, but she's generally sound and sometimes more than that.
The supporting cast (including Charles Kimbrough, perhaps best known as Jim Dial on "Murphy Brown," in a fairly important supporting role, and Glenn Close, listed prominently on the DVD case, in a tiny role) is excellent, though it's a little strange that while most of the cast speak in more-or-less standard American stage speech, a couple seem to be trying to sound vaguely Italian.
The play was a cut a bit to fit into a 90-minute TV time slot, but the cutting was done skillfully. I question how McMartin was directed to play the final moments (going way beyond what is suggested in the script), but this DVD is an excellent way to experience this rarely seen Pirandello play. And except perhaps for those final moments, McMartin gives a superb and fascinating performance.

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David E. Talbert's The Fabric of a Man Review

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(More customer reviews)The Fabric of a Man is one of David Talbert's best musical stage plays. It's the story of Dominique (Tammy Townsend - Family Matters, she played Eddie's girlfriend Greta), an up and coming fashion designer who thinks she is in love with Blair Godfrey (Clifton Powell), a self-centered stockbroker who wishes she'd focus less on her career and more on him. Her father is a minister and she has stopped going to church to concentrate on her career and boyfriend. Even though everyone tells her he is no good for her, she makes excuses for his behavior.
Dominique's employee (Buddy Lewis)forgot to take the dry cleaning to the cleaners and her regular cleaners is closed, she accidentally stumbles into an old-school dry cleaner, where she meets Joshua King (Darren DeWitt Henson - Soul Food), who has similar career goals. Joshua is a devout christian who doesn't make a move without God, their first date was dinner and church.
Dominique can't make up her mind about who's better for her, Blair who represents finance or Joshua who will give her the best of both worlds; love and a chance to explore her career goals. Dominique is forced to decide which man/fabric wears best on her.

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Zalmen or the Madness of God (Broadway Theatre Archive) (1975) Review

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(More customer reviews)Most familiar with the works of Elie Wiesel will think of his memorable semi-autobiographical novels, his two-volume memoir or his long and unflagging effort to bring the issue of human rights--not only Jewish human rights--before the eyes of the world. Here, we see a different Wiesel, even different than the man who stood up to Ronald Reagan when he urged him (unsuccessfully) not to visit Bitburg. it is not so much that his theme--the plight of oppressed Jews-- is unfamiliar. Rather, it is how it is revealed. Not only is it a play, and brilliantly cast, but, as some may remember from its appearance many years ago on PBS, it focuses us on post-World War II history, the struggle of Jews in freshly post-Stalinist Russia. Joseph Wiseman is the old Rabbi of the town who has nearly given up hope of ever seeing his people breath the brisk air of freedom, and, at the same time, grieving for his spiritually wayward daughter, while he and his neighbors and congregants alike cow-tow to the local officials who gently strong-arm them to behave and shut up. Richard Bauer, as the synagogue beadle, and crazy like a fox, tries to lift Wiseman out of his spiritual malaise and speak out. There is great humanity here, and--please--it is not just for a Jewish audience, much like, I would argue, is the case with most of the Wiesel canon. Watch this and be changed.

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Neighbors (Broadway Theatre Archive) (1971) Review

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(More customer reviews)Many may know the author, Arkady Leokum, as one who writes "Tel Me Why" childrens' books. As a playwright, Leukom has written the humorous short play "Enemies".
"Neighbors" is mostly one-on-one dialogue which doesn't entail any grand or lengthy monologues. The 70s performance is a television cast with veteran actor Andrew Duggan, Jane Wyatt (Father Knows Best), actress Cicely Tyson and Raymond St. Jacques (Roots). The scene takes place in the living room of a nice suburban New York home.
A well-to-do elderly white couple, Chuck and Mary, prepare for a visit to their home from prospective buyers, a young, also well-to-do, black couple, Bill and Vicky, from Harlem. Bill and Vicky's reason for buying into a "lily-white" neighborhood is for the schools, to buy their children an education. That's it!
Owners Chuck and Mary Robinson are stay-at-homes who thrive on community social involvement and indirectly, they lead the black couple to believe that involvement and responsibility to the community is the "thing" to do.
On the other hand, perspective buyer, Bill, a salesman, is a world traveler, and not home much, and he is confident with himself. Vicky is a Soul Sister who does for herself, has a maid, gets her nails and hair done, shops, and is strictly into being a w-o-m-a-n for her man. Bill and Vicky have absolutely no interest in community involvement.

The action begins after looking around the home and chatting about themselves. The sale is made and things get crazy when the black couple assumes that the white couple suggests "they behave like whites and get involved in the community"!
This short play is great! ....Rizzo


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