Post by kaya on Aug 30, 2007 10:30:03 GMT -5
By AMANDA MERRILL / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
FORT WORTH – The Butterfly Connection's new play combines multiple art forms, dynamic performances and historical detail to tell the story of Bob Marley, the legendary reggae musician and cannabis-smoking promoter of peace.
Also Online
Show details
In Rainbow Country: The Life and Death of Bob Marley, writer and director Adam Justin Dietrich tells the Marley story in new and inventive ways rather than as a standard chronology. Events seem to be haphazardly sorted into two acts with opposite tones, an approach suggested by one of Marley's first lines in the show: "I'm happy to be happy," he says, "but sometimes I'm sad."
The first act envelops us in the colorful Jamaican culture in which he was raised. Faith in God and the joy of rhythm, music and dance allow optimism to co-exist with the devastation of poverty. Even the ramshackle hovel that makes up the set is painted in bright, cheerful colors. We see young Marley's introductions to both Christianity and the magic of Africa that are combined in Rastafarianism, the religion that had a profound influence on his music.
Adam Dietrich
Elliott Gilbert II portrays Bob Marley, and Michelle Rene is his mother in the Butterfly Connection production. The Jamaican culture comes to life in several powerful performances. Elliott Gilbert II stars as a passionate, authentic Bob Marley, while Oni Kedara plays his loyal wife, Rita. Michelle Rene as Marley's mother, Cedella "Ciddy" Marley, embodies Jamaican values as she seamlessly integrates anger, joy and faith. Drew Tomlinson draws power from his energy and enthusiasm (as well as his white robes and position high above the stage) in the role of Haile Selassie, the Ethiopian emperor considered a divine savior by Rastafarians. And Sheran Goodspeed Keyton is consistently comical in her portrayal of Rita's overprotective Auntie Vie.
Perhaps most creatively conceived are re-enactments of concerts in which Marley's own lyrics voiced his message. Video footage from concerts, projected onto a screen beside the re-enactments, add the heft of recorded history.
Theatergoers old enough to remember Marley's 1970s hits hummed along with the tunes, while younger audience members tapped their feet to the rhythm as they heard reggae's messages of love and acceptance.
The second act, much darker than the first, includes multiple arguments between Marley and his wife, and deals head-on with his excessive womanizing. These flaws seem overemphasized, but they also offer perspective: Marley, who was 36 when he died of cancer complications in 1981, wasn't just a legend but a man – a flawed human who nonetheless inspired hope and peace throughout a poverty-stricken and politically unstable country.
Mr. Dietrich's passion and admiration for Marley are not only obvious but contagious. His script, however, attempts to include enormous amounts of information, much of which seems superfluous. The second act relies so heavily on narration that the play drags as history overpowers drama. This information overload also leaves the audience with a thorough account of Marley's life but no powerful, overall message as to its meaning.
Nonetheless, the spectacular use of artistic elements and the fascinating subject of the play inspire the audience to get up, stand up to applaud.
Plan your life
Continues Friday through Sunday at 7:30 p.m. at Rose Marine Theater, 1440 N. Main, Fort Worth. $10, $15 at the door. 682-560-0776, www.thebutterfly connection.com.
www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/wfaa/stories/DN-marley_0830gl.ART.State.Edition1.4270da9.html
FORT WORTH – The Butterfly Connection's new play combines multiple art forms, dynamic performances and historical detail to tell the story of Bob Marley, the legendary reggae musician and cannabis-smoking promoter of peace.
Also Online
Show details
In Rainbow Country: The Life and Death of Bob Marley, writer and director Adam Justin Dietrich tells the Marley story in new and inventive ways rather than as a standard chronology. Events seem to be haphazardly sorted into two acts with opposite tones, an approach suggested by one of Marley's first lines in the show: "I'm happy to be happy," he says, "but sometimes I'm sad."
The first act envelops us in the colorful Jamaican culture in which he was raised. Faith in God and the joy of rhythm, music and dance allow optimism to co-exist with the devastation of poverty. Even the ramshackle hovel that makes up the set is painted in bright, cheerful colors. We see young Marley's introductions to both Christianity and the magic of Africa that are combined in Rastafarianism, the religion that had a profound influence on his music.
Adam Dietrich
Elliott Gilbert II portrays Bob Marley, and Michelle Rene is his mother in the Butterfly Connection production. The Jamaican culture comes to life in several powerful performances. Elliott Gilbert II stars as a passionate, authentic Bob Marley, while Oni Kedara plays his loyal wife, Rita. Michelle Rene as Marley's mother, Cedella "Ciddy" Marley, embodies Jamaican values as she seamlessly integrates anger, joy and faith. Drew Tomlinson draws power from his energy and enthusiasm (as well as his white robes and position high above the stage) in the role of Haile Selassie, the Ethiopian emperor considered a divine savior by Rastafarians. And Sheran Goodspeed Keyton is consistently comical in her portrayal of Rita's overprotective Auntie Vie.
Perhaps most creatively conceived are re-enactments of concerts in which Marley's own lyrics voiced his message. Video footage from concerts, projected onto a screen beside the re-enactments, add the heft of recorded history.
Theatergoers old enough to remember Marley's 1970s hits hummed along with the tunes, while younger audience members tapped their feet to the rhythm as they heard reggae's messages of love and acceptance.
The second act, much darker than the first, includes multiple arguments between Marley and his wife, and deals head-on with his excessive womanizing. These flaws seem overemphasized, but they also offer perspective: Marley, who was 36 when he died of cancer complications in 1981, wasn't just a legend but a man – a flawed human who nonetheless inspired hope and peace throughout a poverty-stricken and politically unstable country.
Mr. Dietrich's passion and admiration for Marley are not only obvious but contagious. His script, however, attempts to include enormous amounts of information, much of which seems superfluous. The second act relies so heavily on narration that the play drags as history overpowers drama. This information overload also leaves the audience with a thorough account of Marley's life but no powerful, overall message as to its meaning.
Nonetheless, the spectacular use of artistic elements and the fascinating subject of the play inspire the audience to get up, stand up to applaud.
Plan your life
Continues Friday through Sunday at 7:30 p.m. at Rose Marine Theater, 1440 N. Main, Fort Worth. $10, $15 at the door. 682-560-0776, www.thebutterfly connection.com.
www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/wfaa/stories/DN-marley_0830gl.ART.State.Edition1.4270da9.html