Dusty Springfield | The Sleepless Critic

REVIEW: The Mark Morris Dance Group, presented by Global Arts Live, displayed a mostly fetching ‘Look of Love’

Posted on February 2, 2025 by The Sleepless Critic

You may be familiar with far more Burt Bacharach songs than you realize.

That was certainly my experience watching The Mark Morris Dance Group’s pre-Valentine’s Day and retro- inspired music dedication to Burt Bacharach, The Look of Love.

Named after Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s Academy Award-nominated song for the 1967 James Bond film, Casino Royale originally sung by Dusty Springfield, Global Arts Live presented The Mark Morris Dance Group’s The Look of Love for a limited engagement from January 23 to 25 at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts. Click here for more information, here for more on Global Arts Live and here for Mark Morris Dance Group’s next tour destination.

The Look of Love Jacobs Pillow 2023 Christopher Duggan

Burt Bacharach was an Oscar, Golden Globe, Grammy, and Emmy-winning composer and songwriter boasting an array of hits including songs from various movie soundtracks such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Arthur, Alfie, Promises Promises, My Best Friend’s Wedding, and interestingly enough, the strangely comical and catchy novelty tune to B horror flick, The Blob.

His songs are so memorable that they slip into contemporary culture in amazing ways as he continued releasing new songs into 2020. Who could forget the iconic, comedic and uplifting moment in My Best Friend’s Wedding when Rupert Everett started crooning I Say a Little Prayer before the whole table started singing along or when Kristen Wiig awkwardly started singing That’s What Friends are For at her best friend’s engagement party in Bridesmaids?

The Look Of Love Santa Monica 2022 Skye Schmidt

Burt Bacharach passed away in February 2023 so it was more than fitting to perform this dedication at the almost two-year anniversary of his passing. Kicking off with the Grammy award-winning and what Bacharach said was his favorite composition Alfie, The Mark Morris Dance Group embarks on a vivid journey in song and dance through an array of Bacharach’s popular hits.

Blaire Reinhard and Clinton Curtis create mellifluous harmony from the orchestra pit as dancers inhabit the stage for What the World Needs Now amid Nicole Pearce’s multicolored lighting which is at times luminous against Isaac Mizrahi’s multicolored assortment of flowing costumes and other times, overwhelming which can be a suitable description of love itself, striking a barrage of color before coming into luminous focus. The dancers are what coming into focus as brightly colored metal chairs and matching pillows complete this minimal set.

Bacharach has an array of peppy and sophisticated songs such as Do You Know the Way to San Jose, but Reinhard and Perry are at their best articulating heartache. Reinhard has an amazing belt and throws herself into Don’t Make Me Over and delivers charged vocals for Walk on By as dancers stride in rows concluding on a poignant moment of a woman looking on in the distance. Her expressive vocals for Are You There (With Another Girl) and Anyone Who Had a Heart in bold red lighting emphasize the pain of lost love, rejection and heartache while Curtis’s smooth vocals rise for The Look of Love in a dizzying display as dancers drift and sway in a green and purple backdrop punctuated by a tender embrace.

Ethan Iverson’s unique music arrangements deliver a fresh and exciting use of Bacharach’s work exemplified in the tapping and gradually athletic and urgent pace as light flashes overhead for Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head.

This performance boasts mini situational love scenes depicted in Mark Morris’s storytelling choreography which includes a lip syncing karaoke singer for Message to Michael and other times dancer spin, leaping and soar at times quite literally depicting the lyrics in spreading wings or miming making a call.

The foreboding, kooky and funky vibe for The Blob reveals shadows of dancers possessed by a catchy beat. It is oddly comical in its red hued essence with the group in on the camp not to be taken too seriously.

UCSB Arts & Lectures – Mark Morris Dance Group “The Look of Love” 5/6/23 The Granada Theatre

The full company unites on a high note for I Say a Little Prayer with a joyful, fluttering, and sweet display amid a vibrant purple backdrop and a warm embrace much like the show began with a message of love, hope and support amid life’s suffering and struggles.

Though at times it can be visually overwhelming, The Mark Morris Dance Group provides an uplifting tribute to the genius that is Burt Bacharach and why his universal appeal and lasting impact will be celebrated for many generations to come.

Global Arts Live presented The Mark Morris Dance Group’s The Look of Love for a limited engagement from January 23 to 25 at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts. Click here for more information, here for more on Global Arts Live and here for Mark Morris Dance Group’s next tour destination.

REVIEW: Seeped in silvery, eclectic rhythms, Celebrity Series of Boston presented a joyous, sold out Sergio Mendes and Bebel Gilberto concert for Bossa Nova’s 60th anniversary

Posted on October 31, 2019 by The Sleepless Critic

Catchy, invigorating rhythms have never had a better reception than at Grammy award-winning Brazilian great Sergio Mendes and popular Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto’s sold out concert to celebrate 60 years of Bossa Nova on Friday, October 18 at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston. Presented by Celebrity Series of Boston, an enthusiastic crowd rejoiced in the exhilarating, eclectic rhythms that surely left them humming a tune or two long after the show was over.

Click here to find out where Sergio Mendes and Bebel Gilberto will perform next on their tour. Click here for more about Celebrity Series of Boston and all of their upcoming events.

Dressed in a floral, black trimmed dress that delivered a certain sparkle with silver, sky high heels, Bebel Gilberto, who descends from a long line of Brazilian and jazz greats including her late father, Joao Gilberto, who wrote the Grammy award-winning tune, The Girl from Ipanena, kicked off the celebration. Accompanied by renowned guitarist Guilherme Monteiro and drummer Leo Costa, Bebel swept onto the stage with catchy, low key rhythms. Her smooth, slinky vocals opened with Wave written by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Frank Sinatra recorded this popular song in English in 1969.

BebelGilberto-credit Vicente de Paulo(3)

Bebel Gilberto Photo credit: Vicente de Paulo/Celebrity Series of Boston

Most of Bebel’s songs were in Portuguese, but as she engaged the crowd through song and personal reflections, she said she is Brazilian-American. She dedicated a few songs to family members, stating family is everything. Her set was a mix of jazz and serene rhythms as she whistled and scatted onstage.

Even if Portuguese is not a familiar language, the beats and rhythms linger in Bebel’s crisp, clear, and captivating vocals. She invited the crowd to sing and clap along as she covered some of her father’s hit songs such as the humorous O Pato (The Duck), the upbeat rhythms of Saudade vem Correndo, and Udiu, a song that Bebel said mirrors how her father played guitar.

Warm and charismatic, Bebel delivered a lighthearted, invigorating version of her own hit, So Nice (Summer Samba) and performed a lighter, more upbeat version of Just One of those Things, dedicating the classic Cole Porter hit to her parents. After playfully applying lipstick onstage, she ended her set with Samba Da Bencao, dedicating the mystical, romantic rhythms to Boston.

The celebration heated up as Grammy award-winning Sergio Mendes appeared onstage, greeted with a rousing applause. Along with his vocalist wife Gracinha Leporace and Katie Hampton, Sergio promised the crowd a musical journey through 60 years of Bossa Nova music and he certainly delivered.

Referring to the renowned musicians onstage as “the best band he ever had” while simultaneously playing piano and conducting the band, Sergio was accompanied by drummer Leo Costa, guitarist Kleber Jorge Pimenta, bassist Andre De Santanna, keyboardist Scott Mayo, and percussionist Gibi.

Dressed in his signature white Cuban Hat and suit, Sergio delved into the history of Bossa Nova, opening with a rousing rendition of Magalenha as the crowd clapped wildly. He followed it with the lighthearted and colorful tune, Waters of March, composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim as Katie Hampton and Gracinha Leporace swayed and effervescently sang, “It’s the end of the strain/It’s the joy in your heart.”

Sergio Mendes Photo credit: Vincente De Paulo/Celebrity Series of Boston

Sergio kept the evening lively, sharing songs that ranged from romantic and stirring to breezy and joyous with drum-infused rhythms. In a flowing sea green dress and charcoal leggings, Gracinha passionately sang O Que Sera by Chico Buarque. Hip hop veteran and vocalist Harrell Harris (H2O) sang a lovely duet with Katie Hampton for Sergio’s 80s hit, Never Gonna Let You Go as guitarist Kleber Jorge Pimenta performed an amazing guitar solo.

One of the most thrilling parts of the evening was a freestyle jam session which included a berimbau and percussionist solo seeped in the rhythms of Rio de Janeiro. Many of the musicians are multi-instrumentalists and it was fascinating to watch the instruments seemingly “speak” to each other.

The concert featured unique spins on popular songs such as Gracinha and Katie’s spirited, piano-infused duet of the Beatles classic, Fool on the Hill. Gracinha also lends her powerful vocals to an eclectic version of Dusty Springfield’s James Bond theme song, The Look of Love.

Sergio Mendes capped off the evening on a high note with two of his most popular songs. H2O returned to the stage as the band performed Mas Que Nada, a 1966 hit song that became popular again when Sergio collaborated on the song with Will.i.am and The Black Eyed Peas. H2O is an incredible talent, adding a boost to an already electric lineup. Saving the best for last, Bebel returned to the stage with the entire ensemble for a sensational version of Sergio’s most popular song, Pais Tropical, enhanced with bright rhythms and Scott Mayo’s thrilling saxophone. After 60 years, Bossa Nova still puts joy in the heart.

Click here to find out where Sergio Mendes and Bebel Gilberto are performing next. Click here for Celebrity Series of Boston’s wonderful 2019-20 season and upcoming events. For updates and more, follow Celebrity Series of Boston on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.