I was given two spontaneous entertainment opportunities last evening, so attended both…sort of…well, segments of them, anyway.
First, my friend and I saw The Blackstar Symphony: The Music of David Bowie with John Cameron Mitchell downtown at my favorite venue. The show was devised and filled with people who knew and were closely associated with Bowie, so it was filled with personal anecdotes and nuances that were lost entirely on this non-Bowie fan, but I found it pleasurable regardless. It was here in Portland for its second spin on a continuing, highly acclaimed international tour.
I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was, but it turned out to be much more than a tribute to David Bowie and his last album. It was also a world class variety show featuring a plethora of incredible singers and players who rocked the socks off of the venue.
The show was a truly unique interpretation of the music of the Bowie album, Blackstar, along with the stellar Oregon Symphony and vocal icon –actor/writer/ director John Cameron Mitchell, best known for creating the cult-classic film and Broadway musical, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which I considered to be brilliant. The man is a charismatic entertainer who kept an attentive audience on the edge of its seat.
Cameron-Mitchell grew up in Scotland and was a big Bowie fan who inspired Cameron-Mitchell’s creation of the Hedwig piece, which became a huge international success.
Bowie, who was heavily into German expressionism, loved it, invested heavily in Hedwig, and complimented Cameron-Mitchell for “getting it right.” Years later, Cameron developed a symphonic interpretation of Bowie’s final album as a tribute, and I have to say, I found it entertaining beyond my expectations. ( I loved the part where Cameron-Mitchell twirled in the dress.)
The show overlapped a play for which I’d long held tickets (but had forgotten about), so we left a little early and darted over to a nearby theater to catch the last half of Quixote Nuevo, a play about Don Quixote that has a fun contemporary slant. I do not like all musicals, but this one was exceptional.
The play was written by Octavio Solis and based on A Reimagining of Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. Lisa Portes directed it. It turned out to be a brilliant adaptation of the classic novel. I found myself regretting not being there for the first half.
It was set in the fictional town of La Plancha, Texas, where a brilliant professor battling dementia imagined himself as Cervantes’ titular hero. The retired professor, who lived with his sister, Magdalena, and niece, Antonia, was obsessed with the threat of assisted living. His dementia drove the onset of his madness.
Of course, Quixote was dubbed a knight in a bar called Rosario's Lounge and Karaoke Bar, which he believed to be a castle. Who wouldn’t have guessed that?
Enlisting his own Sancho, he embarked on a journey for his long-lost love — tilting at border patrol drones rather than windmills. It was hilarious and a good time.
I enjoyed the vibrant, Spanish-infused music and language and found the show uplifting and refreshing. The magical retelling highlighted Tejano culture and celebrated life, love, and the human spirit. Good stuff.
Hmmmm, I think I may know the name...😎