Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
The fine arts folks at Eastern New Mexico University have quite a weekend in store for us: an eerie play by a hometown playwright, a poignant musical about the Titanic, and an afternoon of music from the symphonic band and wind ensembles.
Portales native Leonard Madrid’s play, “Las Aranas” (“The Spiders”) opens Thursday for a four-show run on the main stage in the University Theater Center.
High school students at ENMU’s annual DramaFest got a sneak peek last week, and the rest of us have an opportunity be in the first audiences for the premiere of the work written by a 1993 graduate of Portales High School and 1997 graduate of ENMU.
Madrid said he is “elated” to have his work come alive for the first time on stage in Portales.
“I grew up in Portales as did my parents,” he said. “Both of my parents and two of my brothers also have degrees from Eastern. It means so much to have an extended theater community that is so supportive.”
Directed by ENMU’s Jon Barr, “Las Aranas” takes place on the mesas west of Albuquerque, gorgeously depicted in a set created by ENMU’s Patrick McCreary with a glowing Georgia O’Keeffe mountain backdrop and an adobe shack illuminated with flickering prayer candles.
The supernatural story about a long line of healers who share the mesa with vengeful spider people “was made up, but intended to feel like an old myth,” Madrid said.
He said he hopes local audiences will enjoy the show and “feel some sense of magic on stage,” and added, “I hope some of them appreciate that New Mexican stories on stage are just as relevant and important as the stories we’re used to seeing.”
While there’s nothing particularly graphic in the production, Barr said this mysterious tale may be best suited for audiences of 13 and older.
“Las Aranas” curtain times are 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. General admission tickets are $7, and the show is free to ENMU students with ID. Thanks to a generous venue and four performances, you should have no problem snagging tickets at the door, but you may also call 575-562-2711 during normal business hours to reserve seats.
Across campus at Buchanan Hall, the Friday and Saturday night performances of “Titanic: The Musical” are sold out.
If you have one of the 442 tickets, you are in for a treat.
I’ll confess: I was leery about the concept of a musical based on one of the largest maritime disasters in human history.
But at a rehearsal earlier this week, this deeply talented cast of more than three dozen students proved that this ensemble musical is an excellent venue for retelling a story known to most of us.
The Buchanan stage has simple sets with an unnamed co-star — a large screen suspended over the stage with projections of black and white newsreel footage and dramatic recreations of the Titanic’s final hours.
It’s a constant reminder that the characters on stage were real people, most of whom lost their lives in a very real disaster.
But fodder for a musical? Yes, it turns out that it is.
A New Yorker review of the original Broadway production of this show captures it well: “Astonishingly, ‘Titanic’ manages to be grave and entertaining, somber and joyful; little by little you realize that you are in the presence of a genuine addition to American musical theatre.”
Director Travis Sherwood said one reason he selected this ensemble-based show (there really are no leading roles in this version) is because of the number of solid performers in the music department.
“When we have this much talent, it gives many a chance to step onstage and shine,” he said.
Tuck a tissue or two in your pocket. Many in the cast and crew said they’ve been moved to tears more than once. So was I.
Finally, wrap up the weekend with the perennially delightful ENMU Symphonic Band and Wind Symphony. It’s scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday in Buchanan Hall in the Music Building, and it never disappoints. Admission is free.
Betty Williamson loves a good fine arts weekend. Reach her at:
