Word: singin
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Funk, from that FUNky B.O. growing in your pits, from the stink between the sheets, with the bass bustin' out and the grooves hangin', ever-e-thang 'cept opera & polka, the visible line from Zapp to Zappa, gee-tars 'n' horns 'n' cong-Os and voices voices singin 'n' screamin 'n' chanting 'n' shouting...
...toward extinction more than two decades ago. The genre's zenith came, not coincidentally, at the last moment of baby boomers' cultural powerlessness, during the 1950s, when a big Hollywood musical appeared every few months. It's incredible, in retrospect, that An American in Paris, Royal Wedding, Show Boat, Singin' in the Rain, April in Paris, Calamity Jane, The Band Wagon, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Kismet, Oklahoma!, Brigadoon, Guys and Dolls, High Society, Funny Face and The King and I all appeared in movie theaters in a single 2,000-day period...
...past the egregious humiliations of the Cultural Revolution. Because the main characters who reflect and endure these tumultuous times are performing artists -- two stars of the Peking Opera, stalwart Xiaolou (Zhang Fengyi) and comely Dieyi (Leslie Cheung) -- the movie conjures up dozens of American movies, like Singin' in the Rain and For the Boys, in which popular entertainers put aside their differences before they put on the greasepaint. There is, of course, a pretty woman to fight over, Xiaolou's girlfriend (Gong Li). There is the elegance of stage art compromised by the humility of life beyond the footlights. There...
Imagine ancient Athens with a dash of Mae West, ancient Sparta with a touch of Katherine Hepburn, the Pelopanesian War to the tune of "Singin' in the Rain." Director Amy Cabranes expertly blends these themes in a well-choreographed adaptation of Aristophanes' Lysistrata...
...spite of the message, the show remains lighthearted. Jeanne Simpson's phenomenal choreography, especially in the scene parodying "Singin' in the Rain," helps to sustain the playful tone. The male and female chorus members are delightful, as they spar, tango and symbolically sharpen knives at the dinner table. Although the phallic use of umbrellas is carried slightly too far, by the end of the show the audience does view the battle of the sexes as a timeless dance...