Over the Hill Band

Music Knows No Age


By Skip Sheffield


It’s never too late to rock ‘n’ roll. If you don’t believe me, look at me. Better yet look at the Belgian film “The Over the Hill Band,” which opens this Friday at Shadowood Theatres.
“Over the Hill” is in Flemish and French, with English subtitles, but it has subject matter American audiences- particularly older people- can easily understand.
Claire (Marilou Mermans) is a woman facing her 70th birthday when her husband suffers a heart attack at the wheel of their car. Not only is Claire injured in the ensuing crash, she is rendered an instant widow.
Mermans is a woman with a beautiful face who has been a Flemish movie star since age 20. Still, her character looks in the mirror and wonders, “Who’s the old bat looking back at me?”
At the funeral Claire is reunited with her two sons. Michel (Lucas van den Eynde) is the “good son,” always there for his mother, and offering advice even when it is not sought.
Alexander (Jan van Loovern), who insists on being called Sid, has moved to Brussels and hasn’t seen his mother in five years. Sid is a would-be hip hop musician who has yet to score any kind of success.
The sons quibble over their father’s valuable wine collection and part uneasily. While going through her husband’s effects, Claire discovers the old guitar she gave Sid when he was a young man. The guitar brings back memories of her own musical career as one of three singers in a group called The Sisters of Love.
Inspired, Claire decides to revisit her old friends. Magda (Lea Couzin) lives in the shadow of her husband. Lutgard (Lut Tomsin) has remained in music, but she is a spinster church choir director. When Claire suggests the women re-form the Sisters of Love they are skeptical. They are even more incredulous when Claire invites Sid to join the group.
Sid agrees reluctantly on one condition: they must play his style of modern music, and learn some dance moves. Sid goes one step further and insists the group be re-christened as the band of the title.
“Under the skin I’m still 17,” reasons Claire.
Like many an American musical film, the story culminates with a battle-of-the-bands, with the group as a very unlikely top contender. Unlike an American film, the battle outcome is not so predictable.
Director Geoffrey Enthoven and writer-producer Jean-Claude van Rijckeghem have created a film that is funny and entertaining and also touching, pertinent to our aging population, and even romantic, thanks to a side plot involving a “ladies man” (Michel Israel) in the band.

mars needs moms

Mars Needs Moms So Does Earth


By Skip Sheffield


Hey there single moms, here is just the movie for you.
“Mars Needs Moms” celebrates all mothers, single or married, but I think it has special meaning for women struggling to fill the role of both parents.
“Mars Needs Moms” is a motion-capture animated comedy from the makers of “Polar Express.” I saw a preview of the movie at the giant screen IMAX Theatre in Fort Lauderdale with a single mom and her two young sons. I think it is fair to say we all loved the film, young and old.
Joan Cusack stars as the mother of Milo, a typically unappreciative nine-year-old boy who gives mom a hard time over his chores.
Mom isn’t even given a name in this contemporary fable by cartoonist Berkeley Breathed. There is a dad, but he is mostly absent.
Breathed won a 1987 Pulitzer prize for political cartooning with his popular strip “Bloom County,” and he retired the strip at the peak of its popularity in 1989.
There are political references in “Mars Needs Moms,” but most of them will fly over the heads of little kids.
The story is set in the present, with very funny blasts from the past adults will appreciate.
Milo is played by Seth Green for his motion and Seth Robert Dusky for his voice.
After complaining about taking out the garbage, Milo blurts out, “My life would be so much better if I didn’t have a mom at all.”
Milo doesn’t realize it, but he just said the magic words. Martians monitor human activity on planet Earth you see, and every so often they swoop down in a space ship and abduct an ideal mother. Milo’s mom is a perfect candidate. When mom is snatched, Milo desperately tries to save her, and he becomes an inadvertent stowaway on the space ship.
Life in Mars is a regimented nightmare. Martian boys and girls are artificially created and the sexes are separated at birth. Girls become sexless worker bees and soldiers and boys become hairy ape-like creatures forced to live in the planet’s giant subterranean garbage dump. The whole planet is ruled by the elderly dictator known as the Supervisor (Mindy Sterling), a nasty, spirit-killing tyrant.
Milo learns all this after he slides down a garbage chute to evade his pursuers and meets Gribble (Dan Folger motion and voice), who is king of the garbage heap.
Gribble is a jolly man whose mom was abducted years ago, when Ronald Reagan was President. Gribble had been part of Reagan’s “Secret Astronaut Program,” and he has been stuck in that era ever since.
Visually “Mars Needs Moms” is a delight, jam-packed with action, colorful costumes that parody the 1970s and 1980s and a musical soundtrack that captures the delicious retro flair.
I’ll let you guess the payoff, but parents and especially moms can rest assured their children will see them in a new, more appreciative light. See it with your kids. If you don’t have a kid, borrow one.

Laughter and Tears at Caldwell

“Funniest Heartbreaker” at Caldwell Theatre

By Skip Sheffield

It sounds like an oxymoron, but the catch phrase “funniest heartbreaker in town” is a fairly accurate description of “Next Fall,” continuing its Southeastern U.S. premiere through March 27 at Caldwell Theatre Company, 7901 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton.
Playwright Geoffrey Nauffts has structured the play in two time frames: the present and the not-so-distant past. The comedy occurs mostly in Act One, followed by a distinctly serious Act Two.
Adam (Tom Wahl) and Luke (Josh Canfield) are a couple. Luke is an unspecified number of years older than Luke and works an unsatisfying job selling scented candles. At one point Adam frets about turning 40 and losing his hair, so one guesses he is at least that age and aspiring actor Luke at least 15 years younger.
The play begins in the present, at Beth Israel Hospital. Luke has been in a traffic accident. Adam is worried sick.
The situation is so serious Adam’s parents have been called in. Also present are Holly (Irene Adjan), the candle shop owner and Brandon (Christopher Kent), a former boyfriend of Adam’s who was first at the scene of the accident.
The mother, Arlene (Pat Nesbit) is a wise-cracking Southern belle. Father Butch (Dennis Bateman) is a stern, politically conservative and fundamental religious businessman from Tallahassee, Florida.
Pat Nesbit is a longtime Caldwell favorite who has worked many times with guest director Michael Hall. Hall is not just any guest director, but Caldwell Theatre’s co-founder and former executive director.
It is Pat Nesbit’s rapier delivery and impeccable comic timing that gives “Next Fall” its best laughs. As the play progresses the viewer realizes the situation is far more serious than it first seemed, but Arlene’s humor disarms.
The other part of the comedy is the odd couple relationship between Adam and Luke. Not only is he older; Adam has a far darker outlook on life than Luke.
Part of his sunny disposition can be credited on Luke’s Christian faith.
So there is a lot of philosophical banter between Luke, who truly believes Christ died for his sins, and Adam, who is an atheist. Like the recent Palm Beach Dramaworks production “Freud’s Last Session” there is a debate on the existence or non-existence of God, but in this case that question is secondary to the matters at hand; not the least of which is Luke’s failure to be honest with his parents concerning the true nature of his relationship with Adam.
So you will laugh and you may even cry as you come to know the characters of “Next Fall,” but you won’t be bored. Don’t be put off by the thought this is a “gay play.” It is about all of us, regardless of sexual orientation, and that’s why it is so appealing and entertaining while provoking thought on some of the biggest issues of life.
Tickets are $38-$50 and may be reserved by calling 561-241-7432 or going to www.caldwelltheatre.com.

A Fresh Look at west Side Story

“West Side Story’ Finds a New Voice from an Old Source

By Skip Sheffield


As written, “West Side Story” is frozen in the amber of a bygone era of the mid-50s in New York City.
One the other hand the much-beloved musical revival that plays through Feb. 27 at Broward Center is a timeless love story borrowed freely from Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and updated with some new twists.
The national touring production in residence in Fort Lauderdale is both old and new.
Arthur Laurents, the original librettist (with composer Leonard Bernstein and lyricist Stephen Sondheim) rewrote parts of the dialogue and lyrics in Spanish to complement the original English.
Laurents should be considered a national treasure. He also directed the Broadway show that opened in March, 2009 and just closed in January of this year. The national tour is directed by David Saint, the Broadway associate director.
This is the third major revival of a record-breaking, boundary-breaking, multi-Tony Award-winning show that opened on Broadway in 1957. If you count the 1961 movie, this would make it the fourth.
The bilingual dialogue makes sense considering half the characters are Puerto Rican. Most of us, especially down here, are used to hearing Spanish.
The original Jerome Robbins choreography has been restaged and in subtle ways re-envisioned by Joey McKneeley (“The Boy From Oz”).
As a result this “West Side Story” takes a fresh look at a musical theater classic more than 50 years old.
In the Romeo role of Tony is Kyle Harris, who is in a world terrific. I didn’t get to see Larry Kert in the original, but vocally Harris is the strongest Tony I’ve seen. Dramatically, as the smitten, conflicted leader of the Anglo gang The Jets, though a bit pretty, Harris is sufficiently believable as a romantic tough guy.
In the Juliet role of Maria is Ali Ewoldt, a lovely, delicate soprano who thrills the most when she is hitting operatic high notes.
Anita, the fiery older sister of Maria, is played with passion and depth of conviction by Michelle Aravena. This is the spotlight-stealing role that made stars of both Chita Rivera in the original and Rita Moreno in the movie, and Aravena goes toe-to-toe with these theatrical legends.
Anita needs a strong Bernardo, and German Santiago is just that guy; the proud, fearless but fair leader of the Puerto Rican gang The Sharks.
There are other joys in the show: Joseph J. Simeone in the Tybalt role of Riff; Alexandra Frohlinger as the tomboy Anybodys, who stuns with a gorgeous soprano on the reprise of “Somewhere,” and the entire singing and dancing cast, backed by a small but rich orchestra.
There may be some naysayers who contend “This is not the West Side Story I know and love,” but I dissent. Musical theater is a living, breathing, growing thing, and this is proof there is a lot of life yet in this contemporary classic.
Tickets are $25-$69 and may be reserved by calling 954-462-0222 or by going to www.broadwayacrossamerica.com.

Janiva Magness at Boston's

This appeared in Boca Raton Tribune last week, but I thought I would post it here for local FB friends. Janiva Magness is pretty special.

Speaking of Buddy Guy (who headlined the Garlic Festival in Delray Beach Saturday), he was the headliner at the very first Riverwalk Blues Festival in 1987. Back then the festival was held in the parking lot of the now-defunct Musicians Exchange.
Now the 22nd annual Riverwalk Blues Festival is set in the lovely Riverwalk area of Fort Lauderdale on the New River at Andrews Avenue Friday through Sunday. Music begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday with Big Poppa E and the E Band followed by Blues Dragon at 8:30 p.m. and the John Nemeth band at 10 p.m.
Big City Blues Band leads the action at 12:30 p.m. Saturday. Headliners are Janiva Magness at 6:30 p.m. and Robert Randolph and the Family Band at 8:30 p.m.
Gates open at 11 a.m. Sunday Headliners are Superchikan and the Fighting Cocks at 6:30 p.m. and Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers at 8:30 p.m.
There is a lot more than this going on. Go to the web site at www.riverwalkbluesfestival.homestead to check it out.

Singer Janiva Magness is also playing Boston’s in Delray Beach at 9 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15 as part of Frank Ward’s Blue Tuesday.
Lovely Janiva is a real blues survivor of the suicide of both her parents when she was just 16; an early pregnancy and the trauma of giving her infant up for adoption and homelessness before she found her focus in the blues. She is now one of the shining stars at Alligator Records, the world’s largest blues label, having won the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year Blues Music Award in 2009. Her latest CD is “The Devil is an Angel Too.”
“I am very grateful,” said Magness in a telephone interview. “I feel like the luckiest woman in the world. I get to do what I love to do and it is transcendent. I feel we need live music more now than ever before.”
As with all Blue Tuesdays at Boston’s, admission is free.
I went down to Fort Lauderdale to see Janiva Saturday. I was not disappointed. Her band is drum-tight and red-hot, and Janiva is pretty hot herself. In fact she’s just about the hottest 54-year-old mama I’ve seen, and when it comes to blues, she’s the real deal. She has lived the life.

Two Contemplative, Downbeat Films

By Skip Sheffield

It’s the opposite of a slam-bang action weekend in new film releases, with two contemplative, dare we say downbeat? foreign films.
The oddly-spelled “Biutiful” is generating the most interest because it has an Oscar nomination as Best Foreign Film (Spain) and its star Javier Bardem is a Best Actor candidate.
There is no question Bardem does a masterful job as Uxbal, a Barcelona hustler involved in shady dealings, mostly involving crooked cops and illegal immigrants.
On the other hand Uxbal is a loving father to two young children, whom he is raising as a single parent because of their mother’s mental illness and utter irresponsibility.
His wife Marimba (Maricel Avarez) has sunk so low she does tricks as a prostitute when she is not sleeping with Uxbal’s no-count brother.
If this weren’t grim enough, Uxbal is trying to carry on his chaotic ordinary life with the knowledge he has terminal cancer and only a couple months left to live.
Yes, Mexican writer-director Alejandro Guillermo Inarritu has really heaped the misery on his leading character, yet Bardem’s Uxbal soldiers on with stoicism and generosity, even as he is entering the terminal stages of illness.
So you see the title, which is Uxbal’s young son’s misspelling on a crayon drawing, is anything but “Beautiful.” The paradox, if you stick with the story through its two-and-a-half-hour length, is that this is a tale of redemption. It is a remarkable performance by Bardem, surely one of the best actors in the world today.



“Another Year” Unexciting but Reassuring

“Another Year” is an unexciting title for an unexciting film by British director Mike Leigh. That is meant in a good way, because “Another Year” is a film of great subtlety, anchored by two fine character actors.
Tom (Jim Broadbent) and Gerri (Ruth Sheen) are a long-married couple still in love in the autumn of their years (the film is divided into the four seasons).
By contrast everyone around them is not happy at all. Gerri’s best friend Janet (Imelda Staunton) is almost comatose from depression. Tom’s old friend Ken (Peter Wight) is pretty much a lush with other bad habits. Then there’s Mary (Lesley Manville) who also drinks too much and struggles with depression.
Tom and Gerri, so different from the cartoon characters, are almost apologetic for being so darn content, with fulfilling jobs, useful hobbies, and a good relationship with their grown son (Oliver Maltman). In short, the challenges of life do not get Tom and Gerri down.
For that “Another Year” is a lovely, uplifting and gently entertaining film.

"Company Men" Hits Close to Home

“Company Men” hit a little too close to home for me.
I was never a high-paid executive, but I had a job that I loved at a newspaper I had served since I was a 12-year-old delivery boy. When the Boca Raton News closed its doors I was not so much surprised as resigned. My worst fears had become a reality.
That was about 18 months ago, but I still miss the old routine.
“Company Men” follows three corporate executives after they are arbitrarily laid off from the fictional GTX ship-building organization.
Writer-director John Wells picked a likely field for downsizing and outsourcing, because American ship-building is as sickly as daily-delivered newspapers.
Ben Affleck plays the archetypical young hotshot: Bobby Walker, regional sales manager of GTX and owner of Porsche, dream house in Connecticut and fat expense account.
“Guess what I shot today?” brags Bobby as he breezes into work.
When Bobby realizes nobody is interested in his golf game, he becomes defensive.
“What happened? Did somebody die?”
Yes Bobby, your career just died along with a host of your best buddies.
“We work for the shareholders now,” announces a grim-faced Craig Nelson as CEO.
Anger, shock, disbelief, rage and sorrow are the immediate reactions of Gene McClary (Tommy Lee Jones), who has been with the company since its formation, and Phil Woodward (Chris Cooper), a loyal company man if there ever was one.
For those of us who have been there, it is hard to feel sorry for these guys as they are knocked down to size. It is much easier to sympathize with the women in their lives, who for the most part prove more resilient and adaptable than the men.
It is richly ironic that Bobby is reduced to begging for a construction job from his gruff brother-in-law Jack Dolan, played with relish by Kevin Costner. Bobby deserves an humbling experience.
By contrast it is a lot harder on Phil Woodward, played with great gravity and inner turmoil by the strong, almost silent Chris Cooper.
For Gene McClary it is more a personal betrayal, and Tommy Lee Jones makes us feel his seething rage.
There is a faint uptick of hope in “Company Men” that keeps it from being totally bleak. As our economy struggles to regain its footing we can appreciate any little Atta boy we can get.
“Company Men” has been pretty much ignored in this year’s awards sweepstakes, but it is not a bad film, just very dark, with the cold slap of truth.