An evening of light entertainment
Luma: Theater of Light
Review by Ross Anthony

Music, lights and motion. That's what you can expect. This evening, Creator/Director Michael Marlin opened the show with 10 minutes of jokes and juggling. He later used some of that juggling in the dark with balls lit from inside. This was a show highlight. The four ball stuff looked great, the glowing globes floating effortlessly, a hint of fingers under them intermittently, all else dark. And there were other gorgeous displays. The luman being was always welcome on stage whether as a lit stick-man or a well-dressed light-suited gentleman with a bright-brimmed hat. Also stirring where the glowing balls on a string, they cajoled applause during the performance. It made me curious as to why our eyes see the smear of light as a series of spheres instead of one solid streak.

Other than these "brilliant" moments, the wows were usually at the beginning of each routine, waning as the 3-minute music-backed piece hits midpoint. This backward emotional build needs to be reversed. Efforts were made to build on the movement, but the fact is, Luma is a spectacle, and as such has a harder job per 3 minutes than other types of stage drama. There's also an underwater segment that may appeal to little kids, but did almost nothing for me.

That said, curiosity got the better of me and I purchased Mr. Marlin's paperback book "The Contemplative Navel: Part 1 The Silliest Prophesies" after the show. An author myself, I wanted to see what words of "enlightenment" the creator of Luma might have to offer. Appropriately, the book is a light read. A sentence-long profound pun on each page accompanied by a line drawing by Marlin. They're all mildly amusing and a handful are gems. The drawings are a bit sketchy though. Great Bathroom reading.

This review based on the October 28th, 2007 show at Caltech, Beckman Auditorium. www.events.caltech.edu

-- Book Contest --


  • Luma: Theater of Light. Copyright © 2007.


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Copyright © 1998-2023 Ross Anthony, Author - Speaker - Solo World Circumnavigator In addition to reviewing films and interviewing celebs at HollywoodReportCard.com, traveling the world, composing great music, motivational speaking, Mr. Anthony also runs his own publishing company in the Los Angeles area. While traversing the circumference of the planet writing books and shooting documentaries, Mr. Anthony has taught, presented for, worked &/or played with locals in over 30 countries & 100 cities (Nairobi to Nagasaki). He's bungee-jumped from a bridge near Victoria Falls, wrestled with lions in Zimbabwe, crashed a Vespa off a high mountain road in Taiwan, and ridden a dirt bike across the States (Washington State to Washington DC). To get signed books ("Rodney Appleseed" to "Jinshirou") or schedule Ross to speak check out: www.RossAnthony.com or call 1-800-767-7186. Go into the world and inspire the people you meet with your love, kindness, and whatever it is you're really good at. Check out books by Ross Anthony. Rand() functions, Pho chicken soup, rollerblading, and frozen yogurt (w/ blueberries) also rock! (Btw, rand is short for random. It can also stand for "Really Awkward Nutty Dinosaurs" -- which is quite rand, isn't it?) Being alive is the miracle. Special thanks to Ken Kocanda, HAL, Jodie Keszek, Don Haderlein, Mom and Pops, my family, R. Foss, and many others by Ross Anthony. Galati-FE also deserves a shout out. And thanks to all of you for your interest and optimism. Enjoy great films, read stirring novels, grow.


Last Modified: Tuesday, 13-Nov-2007 15:02:16 PST