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Give Me a Sign
Beyond Silence + Sleeping Beauty Wakes at the Kirk Douglas Theatre
Beyond Silence is one of those rare movies that is beyond words -- quite literally. Lara is a hearing child of deaf parents who straddles two worlds: one of everyday childhood and one where she must interpret the world for her parents. Our kids were instantly attracted to a kid who has such an edge over her parents (who wouldn't want to explain what thunder sounds like to their father, or teach their mother to ride a bike), but soon realized the difficulties facing a girl who just wants to learn to read like other kids, but must leave school early to transact her parents' bank business. Lara achieves a delicate balance between both worlds, but is thrown off-kilter when her beautiful aunt Clarissa, a talented musician, gives her a clarinet. Inspired, music quickly becomes Laura's own language -- one her parents can not understand. Lara dedicates herself to music as she grows older, but as her talent develops so does her father's antipathy towards her choice of career. The story of a child learning to find her own voice is a universal one and our kids enjoyed the film, despite the subtitles and sign language.
Sleeping Beauty Wakes, a campy, new musical at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, breaks the mold. On one level it is a re-telling of the Sleeping Beauty myth, in which a fairy tale princess awakens in a sleep disorder clinic and must learn to navigate our modern world. On another level -- and one that fascinated out kids -- the play creates a new genre, "Sign Language Theatre Musical," that won over the hearts of its audience. As in the film Beyond Silence, both deaf and hearing actors perform together, using Sign Language and the spoken word to convey the story. Our kids, who are quite used to assimilating lots of messages at the same time (homework, multiple computer screens, cell phone and iPods), easily took in the play's different modalities: actors' voices, hands signing, lyrics projected above the stage and a wonderful pop/rock score. It sounds cacaphonous, but the kids left the theatre signing new words they had picked up and awarded the play a universally recognized sign: two thumbs up!
Directed By: Caroline Link
1998, Rated PG-13, 109 minutes
Our Buttery Bits of Wisdom about the film:
- Why This Film Is Worth It: Good films give viewers different eyes in which to view the world, but rarely does it give us different ears. Our kids empathized with Lara, and were transported to her world easily. Best for kids above 10 years old, as the film was made in Germany; nominated for Best Foreign Film Oscar in 1997.
- Tips for Watching Subtitles: Because Lara must communicate with her parents through sign language, much of the film is beyond language. It's a bit tricky to get used to reading while viewing, but encourage the kids to stick with it for a few moments. They'll catch on.
- Red Flags: The film contains brief sexuality and mild profanity. Towards the end of the film, when Lara is grown and falls in love, her boyfriend, a teacher in a school for deaf children, comes to say an intimate goodbye before he leaves for the U.S. Get ready with the fast forward button if this is inappropriate for your children. Lara's artist aunt is portrayed as a free spirit: an out-of-wedlock relationship is implied, and we see friends drinking together at a restaurant.
Our Buttery Bits of Wisdom for talking to your kids about this film:
- Cinema Savvy: Beyond Silence has a cast of both hearing and deaf actors. Lara is played by two actresses, one as a young girl and the other as a young adult. Ask your kids whether the jump from Lara as a child to an adult felt real to them. Is that how they envisioned Lara would grow up?
- Sign Language Savvy: Ask your kids how Lara got her parents' attention in the film (turning on/of lights, throwing papers at her Dad, tapping on their shoulders, stomping on the floor, light flashing when the baby cried). Ask them to figure out how they would wake up in the morning if they couldn't hear the alarm clock, or drive without hearing traffic sounds.
- Filmmaker Savvy: Director Caroline Link also made Nowhere in Africa, a lovely film (for adults) about a Jewish woman who flees Nazi Germany to live with her husband and child in Africa. It won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 2003.
Sleeping Beauty Wakes at Kirk Douglas Theatre
World Premiere - through May 20, 2007
9820 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
Time Commitment: Show runs about 2.5 hours, including intermission
Our Buttery Bits of Wisdom about this Popcorn Adventure:
- What Worked For Us: We did not tell our kids that some of the actors would be deaf and that the entire theatrical production would be in sign. The kids were mesmerized and told us that they were happy we had not told them ahead of time. As we walked out, they compared the sign language words they picked up during the production: king, sheep, awake, beautiful, castle, father and mother. One of the great things about the show were the many deaf patrons in the audience; our kids loved watching their communication across the theatre.
- Contact: 213-972-7513 or Click here for tickets and information (Ticket prices: $20 to $40 per seat).
- Kids 11 and older will appreciate this show: this production is not intended for young children (in fact, kids under six aren't allowed).
- Sign Language On Line: Click here to learn a few words, like basketball, book, heart, music and even koala bear from a cool site that animates each action. We also clicked on the fingerspelling tab to learn how to spell our names.
- Some Tidbits on Sleeping Beauty Wakes: This production is a collaboration between the Center Theatre Group and Deaf West Theatre, who previously collaborated on Big River, that eventually played on Broadway. It is based upon a book by Rachel Sheinkin, who also wrote The Putnam County Spelling Bee, which enjoyed a Broadway run as well.
Our Buttery Bits of Wisdom about this Popcorn Adventure:
- Culver City is chic these days, with art galleries, coffee houses, Thursday summer night concerts and a wonderful Wednesday Farmers' Market. Allow for some time before the play to wander around, and have dinner.
- The Kirk Douglas Theatre was once a golden-age movie house and now operates as part of the Center Theatre Group's trio of theatres, including the Ahmanson Theatre and the Mark Taper Forum. With just over 300 seats, every seat in the house is a good one.
