Recuerdos de Broadway-2 September 2011

I realize this entry comes about a month late. My apologies.

While the event Gloria and I attended wasn't necessarily the actual theatrical production of Broadway scenes, there were definitely some theatrical elements that were downright amazing from the singing. Indeed, acting is something we all do everyday. We tailor our voice and our movements based on those around us. Theatre is found everywhere, including in singing performances. This entry is an interdisciplinary approach to theater as will be many other entries soon to come.

The university, Tecnologico de Monterrey, is one of the most prestigious universities here in Guadalajara, Mexico. On 2 September 2011 they held a special event in their new Salon de Congreso.

 This notice says that the "Exatec" choir and Classical Orchestra will hold a concert "Broadway Memories." There will also be the campus of Guadalajara in participation. The Exatecs are the alumni of this university.

 This is one of the side views of their new building-Centro de Congresos

 The front view is beautiful with a facade of glass.

 There are either 3/4 entries into the building through glass doors through these pillars on the left. Gloria and I rode the bus, the 629-B up to the campus. Here are a few pictures of our adventure.

 My lovely wife. I don't know where I'd be right now without her.

 Of course, this wonderful bus ride was very entertaining. The guy in the white shirt decided to play his music so everyone could here it.

While this may look crowded, this is NOTHING compared to how the bus usually is in the morning. Think of about 30 more people and that's how the buses usually are in the morning and after work hours.
The room in which the performance took place was rather small. It was a make-shift conference room turned into an auditorium. The room consisted of two sections of seats, and platforms with chairs for the orchestra and room for the singers. Two screens were positioned on the sides of the singers to display the Broadway show and during the performance photos would be displayed that pertained to that particular show. Here are some pictures of the performance space.

 The room wasn't that full when the performance began, but there were a considerable amount of people. I had a friend, Karen Cano, who performed the flute in the performance, and another friend who sang the lady's part of "Master of the House" when Les Miserables began. Here is a list of the songs performed in the show.

 The truth, in terms of singing, the presentation was spectacular. The vocalists who performed solos and the one duet, were absolutely amazing. They brought together musical-acting techniques to their voices and filled the room with their performance. The one song I was most impressed by was Maria. The person who sung this song was Exatec, or an alumni, who recently graduated. He sang with such technique! I was blown away as he sang high notes, stuck his tongue out and showed his teeth. That sounds a little weird, but if you know anything about singing techniques, then you know how wonderful it was to see that. If you want another example of this, look to Wicked the musical and watch Idina Menzel sing the final notes to "Defying Gravity" on Youtube. I think her performance at the Tony Awards is the one I'm thinking about.
The evening was wonderful. The instruments were in tune, and the lighting affects kept the performance interesting. The performers were dressed formally, as seen in the following picture.

Something I find interesting is the fact that in Mexico, Broadway has made an impact into their popular entertainment. Here in Mexico, especially Guadalajara, there is a lot of theater, and a lot of entertainment. It's a big city, so there's a lot more at your disposal. The thing that gets me, though, is that they sang in English. I know there are translations into Spanish of the musicals, although I haven't heard one yet. The Broadway favorites continue in English in Mexico. That's interesting to me. It just shows the major influence the United States holds over Mexico. This was one performance I understood completely! Though I do hope one day they can hold a concert in their university in Spanish in regards to the arts. I would enjoy to see that as well.
Bravo to a wonderful show! The vocals were outstanding and the orchestra was wonderful. When we left we had our first experience in a Taxi. It wasn't that bad, in fact it was quite enjoyable. I explained to the taxi driver that in America things are a lot more expensive than here, so our money doesn't go as far as they think. We're not all rich in the United States, but when we come to Mexico our money surely goes much farther. We stepped out and walked home. It was too late for the buses to take us the rest of the way home.

Lisistrata-A Hectic and Shortened Evening

     On Thursday 28 August my wife and I made our way downtown to the Teatro Experimental de Jalisco.

    We had previously purchased tickets to see Lisistrata. We were both a bit scared before attending this show because it has a lot to do with fornication. The plot put simply is in Athens the women take over and refuse to have sex with their husbands until they end their wars. The play was originally witnessed in 411 B.C.  but continues to be a play of significance due to its themes about women and how they are treated in a patriarchal society. Mexico is known for its "machismo" which is basically that men control their women and the women stay at home cleaning and cooking. While it's not the case for all homes, it is of a big enough phenomenon for others to note it in the Mexican culture.
     The trip to the theater was very stressful. There are two locations for the Universidad de Guadalajara in downtown Guadalajara. The first being the main campus, and the other being the historic building located at the heart of Guadalajara. We went to both thinking the theater would be there. It wasn't. I didn't print out the direction, so when I asked those around me if they knew where the Teatro Experimental de Jalisco was located they all responded in the negative. Finally we went to the police and asked them. They told us the main plaza in downtown Guadalajara has Wi-Fi, so we got on Gloria's iPod and looked up the direction. Both police told us a different way to get to Agua Azul and Calzada Indepedencia. I don't know how we ended up making it to the theater, but we got there about 5 minutes late. We crossed a dark park and somehow went straight to the building. Life is so much easier with an iPhone where I can track where we are and where our destination is.
     We walked in after the play had already begun. I felt bad, but we had paid about 77 pesos each to attend, so I didn't feel too bad slipping in 5 minutes late. The performance aesthetics were magnificent. The set was a two dimensional series of pillars, three on each side, with a set of steps leading up to a gateway. They used a fog machine and fantastic masks. The masks covered from the nose up, and made their faces appear much larger. The mouth section was neat. They painted all around their mouth red, to make the lips look big. The clothing was great as well. Knowing they could have made many phallic jokes, since the play deals a lot with old comedy, they opted for a more modest appearance. Their white robes drooped between their legs, and when they made reference to making their "manhood" bigger, all they did was bend over and look surprised.
     I actually understood the Spanish in this show a lot better than in La Casa de Bernarda Alba. Unfortunately what I did hear was pretty immoral. I was putting up with the crude humor until my wife couldn't take any more. She politely stepped out. I followed her example. I let her know before hand that if at any time in any piece of theater, if she felt uncomfortable, that I would support her and leave with her. That is exactly what I did. Thus the evening was cut short about half-way through the performance. There were themes in the show that were note-worthy, though. One of the them is the patriarchal system's abuse of women. This play shows how even in Greek society women yearned for respect and consideration from their husbands and leaders. The topic isn't new. While their way of seeking common grounds is a bit unconventional in today's standards, it nonetheless demonstrates the power women do hold over men.
     We luckily made it home that evening, because our bus back to Patria and Vallarta had stopped running. Though a kind man by the name of Salvador let us on his bus because he was on his way home and he went through all of Vallarta, which meant he would pass Patria. We left just in time to make it home. Lisistrata was a cleverly performed play with wonderful actors who captured their audience. I'm not sure if it was mostly because their masks were so large that when they looked at the audience it was a bit unsettling, or if it was because they dominated their characters so well. I believe the actors were all students at the TEC de Monterrey where I am currently attending.