FEATURES
By Stephen Wigler | March 1, 1999
Performances of Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" -- a great and profound work that changed the course of art, literature and philosophy, as well as music in the 19th century -- are rare.One is, therefore, grateful for a production as intelligent and beautifully mounted as the Washington Opera's which opened Saturday at the Kennedy Center. The last production I can remember at the Metropolitan Opera was almost 10 years ago. So infrequent are "Tristans" appearances, that a production in Seattle last summer, with Ben Heppner and Jane Eaglen in the title roles, drew an audience from all over the world.
FEATURES
By J. Wynn Rousuck | February 25, 1997
There's a scene in the second act of "The Lisbon Traviata" when an opera aficionado tries to explain the appeal of the genre to a skeptic. "Opera is about us, our life-and-death passions -- we all love, we're all going to die," he says.That, in a nutshell, is what this Terrence McNally play -- receiving its Baltimore premiere at Everyman Theatre -- is all about.Actually the play is more like two operas. Act One is comic opera; Act Two, tragic. But both are savage, and although the humorous first act is the one for which the play is better known, at Everyman it is the serious second act that succeeds best.
NEWS
By Mary Johnson | May 15, 1997
The Annapolis Opera Company presented a sorrowful version of Franz Lehar's "The Merry Widow" last weekend at Maryland Hall.The sets were spare, some of the costumes ridiculous, and the singing and acting uneven.Two sopranos alternated in the title role of Hanna Glawari, the Eastern European widow whose $20 million fortune is coveted by the tiny, mythical, impoverished country of Pontevedria.Phyllis Burg, who sang Friday, was slow to warm, with her top notes a bit strident through part of the first act. In the second act, however, she delivered a hauntingly lovely ballad, "Vilya."
FEATURES
By J. Wynn Rousuck | November 1, 1995
The expression "singing to wake the dead" applies almost literally to the production of "Your Arms Too Short to Box with God" at the Lyric Opera House.That's because 1) this gospel revue depicts the resurrection, as related in the Gospel of Matthew, and, 2) the show is amplified so loudly, it could raise the dead at area cemeteries as well.But singing is only part of this still-rousing 20-year-old show, conceived and directed by Vinnette Carroll. Dance plays an equally important role and, as choreographed by the late Talley Beatty and re-created and augmented by Phaze Farrington, the dancing provides some of the most stirring moments.
FEATURES
By J. L. Conklin | December 2, 1993
The Moscow Ballet opened its six-day run of "The Nutcracker" Tuesday evening at the Morris A. Mechanic Theatre to an audience primed to see a truly Russian performance. While the audience was not disappointed with the flourish of talent (both Russian and local), the production values were less than glorious and at several points were almost ludicrous.Although newly choreographed by one-time Bolshoi star Stanislav Vlasov, this production felt well-worn. Mr. Vlasov's inspiration was the 1934 Kirov's "Nutcracker," and the costumes and wigs looked as if they had been left in a closet since that production.
FEATURES
By Stephen Wigler | March 14, 1992
One of the bad things about Henry Mollicone's new opera "Hotel Eden" is that most of it is bad. The worst thing about it, however, is that the good parts come last. This violates one of the most important rules of writing, musical or otherwise: You put your best stuff (or at least some of it) first."Hotel Eden," which received its East Coast premiere Thursday night in Friedberg Hall in a Peabody Opera Theatre production directed by Roger Brunyate, updates three biblical stories: Adam and Eve; Noah and Mrs. Noah; and Abraham and Sarah.
FEATURES
By Winifred Walsh | May 21, 1992
The trials and tribulations of petty thieves are the basis of David Mamet's black comedy-drama, "American Buffalo," currently playing at the Towsontowne Arena Theatre through May 27.Strong language and violence characterize Mamet's piece. The play won the 1977 New York Drama Critics Best Play award and earned the author a prestigious place on the list of contemporary American playwrights.Performed on the stage of the Towsontowne Dinner Theater Mondays through Wednesdays ("Can Can" is playing Thursdays through Sundays)
FEATURES
By Winifred Walsh | July 30, 1992
The colorful life and times of French novelist and playwright George Sand (1804-1876) are recounted in a new one-woman play, "The Lioness of Berry," in the Studio Theatre at Towson State University through Sunday.Part of the college's Maryland Arts Festival series, this engrossing work was written by Patricia R. Plante, former provost of Towson State University. Maravene Loeschke, who chairs the theater arts department at Towson State, is featured in the title role.The show, well staged by C. Richard Gillespie, runs one hour and 45 minutes with a 15-minute intermission.
FEATURES
By Winifred Walsh | June 25, 1992
The nostalgic days of radio's golden era are amusingly depicted in Walton Jones' swinging musical, "The 1940's Radio Hour," currently being staged in Cockpit in Court's Upstairs Cabaret through Sunday.The show, full of golden oldies -- "Ain't She Sweet," "Blues in the Night," "I'll Never Smile Again," "Five O'Clock Whistle" -- features a lively full orchestra under the direction of Doug Bull.As directed by Joseph A. Senatore II, the production is pleasantly entertaining. But Senatore's present interpretation does not live up to his smash hit version which he first staged at Cockpit in 1984.
FEATURES
By Lou Cedrone | October 24, 1991
ONE OF THE most interesting things about the Center Stage production of Ugo Betti's ''The Queen and the Rebels'' is the set.Staged in the Head Theater of the Center Stage complex, the production makes use of the entire east end of the room, the players walking or running to get to their assigned locations and deliver their lines.To the rear, sandbags line the wall below boarded windows.One person, who attended the last preview performance, said it was disconcerting, that watching the play in this much playing area was a little like watching a tennis match, but that is about all the excitement this production has.It is very well acted.