The eccentric Jeff Goldblum dazzled a packed Winspear Opera House with a mixture of stories, selfies and sonic Jazz waves. Here is my look back at an evening spent watching Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra take over our beloved Winspear.
This won’t be your typical review since it’s about a show that certainly isn’t your typical Winspear Opera House performance. There was no introduction, Goldblum’s fun antics wouldn’t allow for such nonsense. Though Chris Heinbaugh did try to at least give us a little intro prior to the musical portion of the Goldblum smorgasbord. How do I explain it. When I arrived at the Winspear I entered the lower bowl and I heard that familiar cadence of Goldblum and noticed a group of folks surrounding the actor. He was slowly moving up and down the first three rows of seats right in front of the Shannon and Ted Skokos Stage. Folks were getting to shake his hand and take many a picture. He seemed to revel in the attention. He purred and meowed at each selfie taken with him. I mean literally he vocalized each movement and moment he had that wasn’t him telling a story or answering a question. There was no control this was what many would say is utter chaos. Your talent in the crowd getting groped and taken advantaged of, but that wasn’t what this was at all. As I said Jeff seemed to revel in all the magical attention. His unique style fits so perfectly in this weird introduction.
After Heinbaugh did his best to corral Goldblum we finally met The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra. Talented Jazz musicians that mingle in a little Monk here and showcase their own mighty work there. They even laid a nice tribute to Dallas’ finest, Meatloaf. No for real! The way in which Goldblum interacts with his fine musician friends is a spectacle to be seen. He enjoys it as much as anyone in the room. He pops in and out of smacking the piano to sometimes just close his eyes and listen to the sonic mastery. But that isn’t all the show is about. Between songs and a for a 10 minute “halftime” Goldblum does his own form of work. He talks directly to the audience. He plays a few games with some happily selected audience members and plays his version of Six Degrees of Separation from Him. He does what he wants and that is what the evening is about. I can only imagine that every single show is completely unique and unforgettable for those whom lay witness to the golden Goldblum.
I’ll always look back on this weird evening spent watching a master artist convey his originality to a Dallas audience. Jeff Goldblum is one of a kind and so is his show. ATTPAC always does a fantastic job bringing musical guests like Bela Fleck or Joan Baez (She sounded GREAT!), but they one upped themselves by allowing us all to experience the trippy world of Jeff Goldblum and The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra.
How about I just leave you with this famous line from Goldblum himself.
“I, uh, don’t think I’m, y’know, so different than your average, y’know, average.”
Exactly.
