Copious Notes

The Jonas Brothers take the stage at Rupp Arena Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009. Photos by Jason Sankovitch.

I got a lot of sympathy yesterday.

It was all in good fun, as I posted on my Facebook page and Twitter that I was reviewing the Jonas Brothers show at Rupp Arena last night.

“Ummm…sorry?” one local musician wrote, and my sister concurred.

Another friend wrote, “Some people will do ANYTHING for a buck…..hahaha ;-}”

Oh, when it comes to doing things for a buck, I have to say this is a pretty good gig. And if you have this gig, being the critic covering the biggest concert of the summer is where you want to be, so you will never hear me complain about having to go to see the Jonas Brothers or any other act.

The Jonas Brothers fans were thrilled to see the dreamy trio on stage.

Of course, it is usually Walter Tunis covering the big Rupp concerts with a sharp critical eye and years of experience. This one happened to fall to me because I have a daughter who just passed out of the the Jonas generation, so the Disney Channel tween culture is very familiar to me. I’ve watched the Jonas Brothers grow from guests on Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus’ show and tour to a marquee act in their own right, and was even vaguely familiar with their initial foray into Christian rock.

As a critic part of your job is to step back and see and appreciate things for what they are. The Jonas Brothers are the latest teen heartthrobs, backed by the entertainment empire of Disney, and they brought a show that pulled out all of the stops. I sat next to a 43-year-old musician and dad from Louisville and our jaws were dropped a few times by what the JoBros — or, to be acurate, their technical directors and designers — put on stage. I would have liked some more spontaneity and soul. There was little room here for the surprises or improvisations I have treasured in concerts by some of my favorite artists. But no doubt, many a teen and pre-teen girl walked out of Rupp last night thinking they had seen the greatest thing ever.

And there is the point here where the critic needs to remind cynical adults that every generation has its teen idols, and some of them were even the Chairman of the Board, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and the Fab Four. Am I saying the Jonas Brothers are going to be the next Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley or Beatles? Hardly. The jury is still very early in deliberations on that, and in the long run, the fraternal trio will do well to be as enduring as The Monkees or Duran Duran. Time and the Jonas Brothers talent and public taste will tell the tale of how far they go. I do think they have musical and songwriting talent, and fairly winning stage presences. But the stigma of being someone’s favorite when they were 10 can be a tough thing to overcome. The daughter who familiarized me with the Jonas Brothers world has already moved on, had no interest in last night’s show, but really wants tickets to the Kings of Leon in October.

This is why any artist that makes most of his or her cash off the delirious excitement of girls who are too young to drive would be well advised to invest that money wisely, because the trip from arena stages to the where-are-they now category can be as quick as fashions change and those shoes become so five minutes ago.

And adults will always look at the flavor of the moment with some disdain. As one friend wrote, “If you can’t poke a little fun at teenage millionaires, who can you pick on…? : )”

Lexington’s annual theatrical rite of summer in the Arboretum kicks off this week with SummerFest’s production of William Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1, directed by Joe Ferrell. Here’s a look at Act 1.

Walter Tunis as Falstaff, Jesse Hungerford as Edward (Ned) Poins and Trent Fucci as Prince Hal rehearse SummerFest's production of William Shakespeare's "Henry IV, Part 1," being presented July 8-12 at the Arboretum on Alumni Drive. Photo by Rich Copley | LexGo.com.

Trent Fucci was doing what was normal for guys in his family.

His grandfather, Dominic Anthony Fucci, was an All-American in football and baseball at the University of Kentucky in the late 1940s, and he briefly played for the Detroit Lions in the National Football League.

His father, Sam Fucci, was a baseball and track standout at Tates Creek High School and played baseball for Auburn University. His uncle, Dominic Anthony Fucci Jr., was the 1975 Kentucky Mr. Basketball who also played baseball for Auburn and was drafted by the Chicago White Sox, making it to the teams’ Triple A affiliate.

Trent’s cousin, Ryan Fucci, is currently a baseball standout at Tates Creek.

As Trent was getting started in sports, playing T-Ball, his mom, Holly Fucci, noticed that whenever he wasn’t on the field, he was over at the stands, “entertaining the audience,” Fucci recalls, catching himself referring to sports fans as, “the audience.”

Fucci says, “My mom said, ‘We need to get you into a theater program.’”

And he did do some theater, in school at Tates Creek. But he also stayed with sports, all the way through his Freshman year at Transylvania University, where he played baseball.

“Finally, it became apparent that I needed to focus on theater,” Fucci says.

And his stage career since is another example why as much as we watch college sports programs to look for future sports stars, it’s also worth watching the stages for future marquee actors.

Fucci has gone on to graduate school at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, where he will spend his last year, the 2010-11 academic year, as an intern at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater.

And it was Orlando and the prestigious Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival that helped point Fucci toward his biggest role in his hometown.

Looking for a monologue to perform in the Festival, a couple of University of Central Florida professors pointed Fucci to Prince Hal from William Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part I. Fucci’s performance of the monologue that ends Act I earned him the classical acting award in the competition.

This week, Fucci will expand his performance of that role from a signature monologue to the entire show in SummerFest’s production of Henry IV, Part I.

Read the rest of this entry »

Adam Fister as Claude burns his "draft card" in SummerFest's 2008 production of "Hair." He will play Daniel in "Once on This Island" this summer. Photo by Rich Copley | LexGo.com.

So, who are we going to see onstage at the Abrboretum when SummerFest kicks off July 8? Which usual suspects will be on stage, and who are some of the new talents we can look forward to getting to know?

Answers to those questions are somewhat epitomized at the top of the bill of the first play, Joe Ferrell’s production of Henry IV, Part 1. The title character will be played by Eric Johnson, who was Antony in last summer’s production of Antony and Cleopatra and has been a leading man in the Arboretum several times, while Prince Hal will be played by Trent Fucci, who’s played supporting roles in the past and is stepping into the spotlight. Personally, as a colleague, I can’t help thinking Walter Tunis was probably born to play Falstaff.

Once on This Island will be led by Adam Fister, whose performance in Hair last summer was a star-establishing turn, and Jackie Chance, who will be a new face to a lot of viewers.

Here’s the lineup for the shows, which will run July 8-26.

Henry IV, Part 1 by William Shakespeare, directed by Joe Ferrell

King Henry the Fourth — Eric Johnson
Prince Henry of Wales (Hal, son of King Henry) — Trent Fucci
Lord John of Lancaster (son of King Henry)– Zach Moseley
Earl of Westmorland (loyal to the King)– Mike van Zant
Sir Walter Blount (loyal to the King) — Joe Gatton
Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester (rebelling against King Henry) — Tim Hull
Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland (Thomas’ older brother, also rebel) — Mark Smith
Hotspur, Henry Percy, (Northumberland’s son, rebel) — Jack McIntyre
Lady Percy (Kate, Hotspur’s wife) — Brooke M. Haney
Lord Edmund Mortimer (Kate’s brother, rebel) — Michael Grice
Lady Mortimer (his wife) — Haley Manion Smith
Owen Glendower (Lady Mortimer’s father, rebel) — Terry Withers
Earl of Douglas (rebel) — Nick Vannoy
Sir Richard Vernon (rebel) — Nick Schwartz
Sir John Falstaff — Walter Tunis
Edward (Ned) Poins — Jesse Hungerford
Bardolf — Jeff Sherr
Peto — Sean Harkless
Mistress Quickly (Hostess) — Bianca Spriggs-Floyd
Chamberlain/Sheriff — Zach Moseley
Messenger — Evan Chethik

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Jeffrey Hatcher, directed by Patti Heying

Dr. Jekyll — Bob Singleton
Elizabeth – Kim Dixon
Lanyon – Adam Luckey
Utterson, etc. – Jacob Karnes
Carew, Inspector, etc. – Matt Seckman
Poole, Maid, etc. – Susan Wigglesworth
Dark Angel, etc. – Pinelopi Williams
Dark Angel, etc. – Jim Trujillo

(note: in this version, Hyde is played by four actors)

Once on This Island by Lynn Ahrens and Lynn Flaherty, directed by Margo Buchanan

Julie-Ann Aguhob — Mama Eurali
Katie Berger — Beaux Homme
Tamia Bowden — little girl
Manuel Castillo — Armand
Jackie Chance — Ti Moune
Clark Davis — Storyteller
Taylor Eldred — Andrea
Adam Fister — Daniel
Tarynn Grundy — little Ti Moune
Alicia Helm McCorvey — Erzulie
Tamera Izlar — Asaka
Tyshaun Lang — Tonton
Luther Lewis — Agwe
Justin Norris — Storyteller
Pam Perlman — Beaux Homme
Peggy Stamps — Storyteller
Jason Thompson — Papa Ge
Juonita Thurman — Storyteller
Manny Thurman — Storyteller
Joseph Waterbury-Tieman — Storyteller
Emanuel Wright — Storyteller