“It was a privilege to read for a packed house at the Artists Without Walls’ Showcase at The Cell Theatre. It feels like home to be in the midst of such talent and support. Artists Without Walls is a family that I’m extremely grateful to be a part of.” Author Colin Broderick spoke those words before he read from the opening of his memoir That’s That, which, beginning May 7th, will be on sale everywhere books are sold. Colin’s reading opened a small window into the life of a Northern Irish family in the1970’s, a time of great strife. A great work by an extraordinary talent.
The crowd was called to order on Tuesday night in a slightly different way. Niamh Hyland walked to center staged and began the evening with a stirring rendition of the opening to Brendan Connellan’s play Pompa Pompa. “It was a fun experiment to open our ‘Showcase’ in a different way,” Niamh said. “Having another opportunity to relive moments from Pompa Pompa and being accompanied by Moley ‘O Suilleabhain and Anthony Minto on beatbox was a treat.”
Brothers from Ireland, Owen and Moley Ó Súilleabháin teamed up once again with the dynamic spoken word poet from Nigeria, Koro Koroye. They performed a new work that brings together sacred song from ancient Ireland, Latin Gregorian chant and rap, with poems in Koro’s ancient tribal language and her contemporary themes of identity and individual expression. Ideas of family, home, migration, self-discovery and transformation were seamlessly presented in a dynamic performance that honors tradition and rejoices in innovation.
Jim Rodgers read his short story, “The Green Hills of Jamaica,” a sailor’s tale of Sam Brown, who, in the embraces of a loving Jamaican woman and the warmth of the “ska” music, finds a home–one he never had growing up–in the rugged highlands of Scotland. Later, as his ship founders in a storm and the rushing sea envelops him, his thoughts return to the green hills, the loving woman, and the ska music of Jamaica. A compelling work and beautifully read.
Kate McLeod’s monologue, “End of Times” was given a brilliant reading by Hannah Dahm, a vocal major at New York’s LaGuardia High School for the Visual Arts. The world has just ended and fifteen-year old Kate hates the dress she bought yesterday and is looking for the mall so she can return it. But she can’t find the mall where she’s to meet her friends. Where are her friends? Her iPod is running down. Where is her mom? She would keep the dress if only she could find her Mom. Sheri Bauer Mayorga composed and sang music for Kate’s spellbinding monologue.
Violinist Annette Homann began the second half of the program with a choreographed version of Adele’s “Skyfall.” Annette mesmerized the audience with her dance movements while mixing improvisational sections into the popular tune. Annette employed her athletic skills as well, impressing the audience with a far back bend at the end of the performance. One of the members of the audience commented,
“You know you have a great performer when you get the feeling that he or she is looking only at you and then you realize that everybody in the room feels that way.” Annette has that rare quality.
Cherie Ann Turpin’s essay “The Naked Self” captured the audience with her real-life story of her inner battle to dismantle internalized perceptions of the gendered and racialized body while struggling with body weight issues. Her story encourages women of all colors and body types to embrace their sensuality and to refute sexist and racist practices of body size shaming, all too common in popular media.
Honor Finnegan sang three new songs: Movie Star, Roses and Victory, and Sweet Something, while accompanying herself on ukulele. Her newer material is poetic and more serious thematically, while retaining the word play and strong melodic sensibility of her songs from her CD, The Tiny Life. Plus, the girl can sing. Might there be a possible collaboration between Koro Koroye and Honor in the future? Stay tuned…
Writer and poet, Vinnie Nauheimer, made his debut reading two poems from opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. The first, “Morning Glory”, a tribute to a glorious sunrise, of which an audience member commented, “I’ve seen a thousand sunrises, but never one as beautiful as that!” The second reading was the debut of his poem “Marathon Day”, which was an emotionally charged encapsulation of the tragedy at the Boston Marathon.
Closing out the evening and in celebration of International Jazz Day, singer/songwriter Tara O’Grady spoke of spending the day at Louis Armstrong’s house in Queens, and shared stories of the jazz legend. Tara ended with “What a Wonderful World,” a song Armstrong said reminded him of the kids in Corona who used to sit on his
front steps while he played his trumpet. Tara’s CD launch party for her new release, A Celt in the Cotton Club, is Thursday, May 23 at 7:00pm at Mary O’s, 32 Avenue A. If you haven’t heard her with a live band, this is the night.
And this from Jim Rodgers, “I’m always amazed at the talent AWoW gathers, and I’m honored to share the same stage with such talented artists. Once again AWoW proved they are the United Nations of the NYC cultural scene. The performers and audience included folks from Germany, Israel, Egypt, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Ireland and the United States. Great night!“
All photos except Colin Broderick’s are by Cat Dwyer