![]() ![]() It features a grand piano centerstage on a turntable, flanked by a wall of movable screens and vertical slats. When theatergoers first enter the ornate Paramount Theatre, Scott Pask’s scenic design has captured the look of a grand recital hall. Young New York actor Jack McCarthy and Minneapolis actor Huxley Westemeier share the title role, as well. Also included in the accompaniment are George Abud, as Lewis, Sydney Shepherd, as Lyla, Leenya Rideout, as Hope and John Hickok as the sinister Wizard, who also plays Lyla’s father. The score is played by the versatile, ten-member onstage ensemble, most of whom are adept with a variety of instruments. With no intermission, the 80-minute piece feels more like a concert or a performance piece, with its almost continuous music and its sparse dialogue. This original new musical features a slim book and lyrics by Glen Berger and a gorgeous musical score by Mark Mancina. The evening that the boy is scheduled to debut his musical composition, entitled “August’s Rhapsody,” he’s finally reunited with his parents. The Wizard gives Evan the new name of August Rush, and encourages him to write his own music. He’s noticed by a man called the Wizard, a Fagin-like character, who brings the young man into his Collective of street musicians. Once in the Big Apple, Evan becomes acutely aware of the sights and sounds of the city. Lyla and Lewis, his mom and dad, happened to be gifted musicians, in their own right. “Following the music,” the boy runs away to New York City in order to find his parents. Screenwriters: Nick Castle, James V.The plot concerns an 11-year-old orphan named Evan Taylor, who’s a musical prodigy. Pictures presents a Southpaw Entertainment production in association with CJ Entertainment ![]() And nearly stealing the film is young Jamia Simone Nash with her sassy line readings and astonishing voice. John Mathieson’s inspired cinematography turn contemporary Manhattan into a Dickensian world where an orphan might triumph and people feel the sound of healing music. From gospel and rock to classical and symphonic, music carries its characters and story ever forward to their destiny. It will be played in Central Park, where Lyla is a featured cellist and Louis is nearby, reunited with his old band.Ĭlearly, the film does not work on any realistic level. When August wanders into a church, the pastor (Mykelti Williamson) is so impressed with the boy’s organ composition that he brings the youngster to the Juilliard School of Music. Its sounds resonate in his head: In the whoosh of subway trains, noise from cars, thumps of a basketball and the clatter, hum and buzz of everyday life, he feels music flow through him. His musical gifts explode when he comes to New York. He believes he can reach out to them through music, that they can “hear” each other. Louis, too, gives up music, opting for a business career in San Francisco.Ī kind social worker (Terrence Howard) urges Evan into family placement, but the boy never gives up hope of finding his parents. Shattered, she loses interest in playing and relocates to Chicago, where she teaches music. ![]() ![]() When the pregnant Lyla is hit by a car and gives birth prematurely, her father (William Sadler), mindful of her career, gives the infant up for adoption but tells his daughter that her baby died. The two spend the night only to be torn apart by circumstances. In flashback, a young Irish guitarist-singer, Louis (Rhys Meyers), encounters a shy, young cellist, Lyla (Russell), on a rooftop overlooking the square. It is in Washington Square 11 years ago where Evan was conceived. Evan (Highmore), whom he renames August Rush, is a child prodigy whose skills reward him with a prime spot in Washington Square. Instead of a gang of young thieves, the “Wizard” (Robin Williams, doing his best with a poorly written role) operates a team of young musicians who live in an abandoned theater and play for money on street corners. “August” adopts the structure of “Oliver Twist” whereby an orphan runs away to New York and falls in with a Fagin-like character. The film should attract a loyal following, but critics will be mixed. Freddie Highmore again demonstrates he is one of the industry’s top child actors, while Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers continue to climb to stardom in roles that demand the utmost sensitivity. will rely on the cast to help sell this movie. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |