tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3554590441907565892024-03-15T21:12:28.268-04:00In The Spotlight, Inc.Supporting the arts in Western New England and BeyondUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1780125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-32145360361521701812024-03-14T13:20:00.011-04:002024-03-14T13:20:51.584-04:00REVIEW: Hartford Symphony Orchestra, "Copland & Bernstein"<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Bushnell, Hartford, CT</span></div><div><a href="http://www.hartfordsymphony.org"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">www.hartfordsymphony.org</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">March 8-10, 2024</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">by Michael J. Moran</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">With a program of two complete ballets and a waltz, the sixth “Masterworks” weekend of the HSO’s 80th anniversary season offered three contrasting perspectives on the art of dance.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The first selection was notable in three respects. The orchestra and its Music Director Carolyn Kuan presented Aaron Copland’s 1944 ballet “Appalachian Spring” not in the usual concert suite, but complete; they played its original version for 13 instruments; and their performance was accompanied by a 1958 film of the ballet choreographed by and featuring Martha Graham, for whom it was written.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">While the suite includes the most familiar music, the added visual dimension brought the missing numbers equally to life. And the 64-year-old Graham, in the leading role of the wife (the ballet depicts 19th-century newlyweds moving into a farmhouse) still danced with remarkable grace and agility. Kuan’s inspired leadership drew an intimate yet surprisingly full-bodied sound from the small HSO ensemble. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The next work on the program made perhaps the most visceral impact: a buoyant account by the full orchestra of Leonard Bernstein’s ballet “Fancy Free,” also dating from 1944. This, too, was the complete ballet, not the concert suite Bernstein extracted from it. It tells the story of three sailors on 24-hour leave in New York who meet three women in a bar (the same plot soon became the musical “On the Town,” with different music by Bernstein and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green). Highlights included: a jazzy “Scene at the Bar;” a sinuous “Enter Two Girls;” and a sultry, Latin-flavored “Danzon.”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The program closed on a glamorous note, with ballroom dancers Anastasia Barhatova, director of the Fred Astaire Dance Studios in Suffield, and Andrew Kerski sweeping elegantly across the front of the Belding stage while Kuan and the HSO played Johann Strauss, Jr’s “On the Beautiful Blue Danube” behind them. A flop when it debuted in Vienna as a choral piece in 1867, the “Waltz King” reworked it for orchestra later that year, when it quickly became the epitome of the Viennese waltz. The musicians made it sound just as stylish and sumptuous as the dancers looked in their sequined gown and tuxedo. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The HSO’s next Masterworks program (April 12-14) will feature guest conductor Jacomo Bairos and the Hartford Chorale.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-42634427825970027922024-03-11T10:33:00.001-04:002024-03-11T10:33:06.386-04:00Review: Springfield Chamber Players, "March Reveries"<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">First Church of Christ, Longmeadow, MA</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.springfieldsymphonymusicians.com">www.springfieldsymphonymusicians.com</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">March 10, 2024</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">by Lisa Covi</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh77pdh5HU07EznG85JtoQiU9KE1mQPLu7efFHWTvYfkAN1YOQbVUDVF8e1dXaFcmW9YerVsP29b1D4ldlnl5c5O91b0lfn1ydgjxPznSQhohwPZfqSTj3PCA-5hE0H6SNtBkBMn-tQx-iJCAO1YFNLeHaXZBEd6QhaVbqcETzF-ywd4RULdRNCPWi7svUG/s1610/unnamed.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1552" data-original-width="1610" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh77pdh5HU07EznG85JtoQiU9KE1mQPLu7efFHWTvYfkAN1YOQbVUDVF8e1dXaFcmW9YerVsP29b1D4ldlnl5c5O91b0lfn1ydgjxPznSQhohwPZfqSTj3PCA-5hE0H6SNtBkBMn-tQx-iJCAO1YFNLeHaXZBEd6QhaVbqcETzF-ywd4RULdRNCPWi7svUG/w200-h193/unnamed.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by Eagan Pictures</span></td></tr></tbody></table>New to many living in Western MA is Springfield Chamber Players, formerly known as MOSSO (Musicians of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra). Its mission is to provide small, primarily string, professional concerts in a variety of venues throughout Hampden County. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The troupe continued its journey for the 2023/24 season as part of the Longmeadow Chamber Series held at First Church of Christ: an ideal, comfortable, and acoustically pleasing performance venue. The world-class musicians played well in this intimate setting for about 40 audience members. The program's theme was "March Reveries," and the quintet delivered an exciting and harmonious performance.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Clarinetist Christopher Cullen kicked off the Ralph Vaughan Williams piece – "Six Studies in English Folk Song". One would never guess that the composer penned his piece originally for cello and piano. Patricia Edens, cellist; and three violinists, Springfield Symphony concertmaster Masako Yanagita, Miho Matsuno, and Yuko Naito-Gotay filled out the quintet and blended seamlessly with the alto-like tones of melodic wind.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Each movement was surprisingly short and distinctive. The next two works were performed without clarinet, but solely strings. Selections from Franz Joseph Hadyn's “The Dream” (Op.50, No.5) delivered the reliable elegance of his tonic harmonies punctuated by running passages, and “contrary motion” where two musicians play notes that move in opposite directions. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The two movements of Paul Chihara's "Ellington Fantasy: Mood Indigo" and "Sophisticated Lady" were recognizable as popular jazz tunes. However, the arrangement for string quartet transformed Ellington into an extraordinarily new feast for the ears. It echoed the music experience of Scott Joplin. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The final piece, Bernard Herrmann's "Souvenirs de Voyage," reunited the strings with the clarinet to evoke memories of emotion, turmoil, regret, and amusement. Herrmann's skill at scoring for film and television, such as Citizen Kane and Twilight Zone's “The Living Doll,” were evident in the different points of view heard as each musician played a contrasting line in particular passages.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">One advantage of the smaller venue is that each participant in the audience could hear the vibrations against the soundboards of the strings and the musicians' proficient bow techniques that usually blend into the background with larger performance groups. The chamber music series is not only highly entertaining, but a good way to access Springfield's elite performers.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Concerts continue as part of Westfield Athenaeum Chamber Music Series on Thursday, April 18 at 7pm, and once again at First Church of Christ, Longmeadow on May 12 at 3pm on the Town Green, weather-permitting.</span></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-20053867386519025082024-03-11T10:27:00.000-04:002024-03-11T10:27:16.202-04:00REVIEW: Springfield Symphony Orchestra, "Fantasias"<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Symphony Hall, Springfield, MA</span></div><div><a href="http://www.springfieldsymphony.org"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">www.springfieldsymphony.org</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">March 9, 2024</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">by Michael J. Moran</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In notes for this concert, dedicated to the memory of SSO principal pianist Nadine Shank, Michelle Pina defines a fantasia as “a musical composition whose improvisational nature casts aside traditional musical forms and in turn bows to the fancy of the composer.” Guest conductor Adam Kerry Boyles, Assistant Conductor of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and the SSO musicians found this spontaneous quality in all six pieces on this imaginative program. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The program opened with a glowing account of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Fantasia on Greensleeves,” a 1934 orchestral setting of the classic English folk song. A faster midsection, which quotes the traditional song “Lovely Joan,” offers a lively contrast. Lili Boulanger’s 1918 “D’un matin de printemps (Of a Spring Morning”)” takes the opposite approach, framing a soft, dreamy interlude with brisk, joyful outer sections. Boyles and the SSO made an exuberant case for this rarity. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSCWynYitC6oydwavS0rCZqt0x-FZTwZYgfNY112cz-9tQibyeE8nfFPJGsgEIgilimy1kpuRK9pqiOnL0InAI6jxazfU1pGRRZft-VLdBMVlDJnDd4TQOI0G-aWLjb3uBhQoRHauHgpPMBr3r63efPhwzsiXdQaM_OHdJanN-tLEg6JCPc6yt2JlkrwzK/s600/Quynh%20Nguyen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="600" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSCWynYitC6oydwavS0rCZqt0x-FZTwZYgfNY112cz-9tQibyeE8nfFPJGsgEIgilimy1kpuRK9pqiOnL0InAI6jxazfU1pGRRZft-VLdBMVlDJnDd4TQOI0G-aWLjb3uBhQoRHauHgpPMBr3r63efPhwzsiXdQaM_OHdJanN-tLEg6JCPc6yt2JlkrwzK/s320/Quynh%20Nguyen.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Quynh Nguyen</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Vietnamese-American pianist Quynh Nguyen next soloed in classical and film composer Paul Chihara’s 2021 “Piano Concerto-Fantasy,” written for and in collaboration with her. This colorful score draws on both Vietnamese folk music and modern jazz to depict Vietnam’s past and hopes for the future. Nguyen’s technical prowess and interpretive sensitivity captured all the music’s shifting moods. Boyles and the orchestra were enthusiastic partners.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The concert’s second half featured the Springfield Symphony Chorus and UMass Amherst Chorale, well prepared by their respective directors, Nikki Stoia and Reagan G. Paras. Gabriel Faure’s 1864 “Cantique de Jean Racine” set a sacred text by the French poet to music of gentle consolation for chorus, harp, and low strings. Randall Thompson’s poignant 1959 settings of Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” and “Choose Something Like a Star” are for chorus and full orchestra. Voices and instruments blended with seemingly effortless clarity under Boyles’ nuanced lead.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ludwig van Beethoven’s 1808 “Fantasia for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra,” last performed by the SSO with Shank in 2015, completed the program. Nguyen and the ensemble rendered the many tempo changes in this sometimes ungainly but always entertaining twenty-minute piece with forceful virtuosity. Though only heard for the last few minutes, the combined choruses sang with equal strength and fluidity, investing Christoph Kuffner’s text on the power of the arts with triumphant conviction.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The next SSO concert is “An American Celebration” on April 6, 2024</span></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-56759319590290896482024-02-27T10:19:00.009-05:002024-02-27T10:19:57.234-05:00REVIEW: South Windsor Cultural Arts, "Liana Paniyeva"<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Evergreen Crossings, South Windsor, CT</span></div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/SouthWindsorCulturalArts"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">www.facebook.com/SouthWindsorCulturalArts</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">February 25, 2024</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">by Michael J. Moran</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-t76ASm7f4OkcQKQmv0jDG2_7sFlUhLDwjQH_DGF1MzUeGaur6kOlOrLGxN1bRBIGQXrMGq0Jujkv4uJRJ4skbt6QD6VlRzq3fyjk10z3HckLDwIXOiJWr7ANHkVdWf3_4yWuZfxwUlea36rjdY000s_fJAAv5AdgRpn78q5HOCZvsY-Fp1x4khi8N39s/s220/Liana%20Paniyeva%202024.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="220" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-t76ASm7f4OkcQKQmv0jDG2_7sFlUhLDwjQH_DGF1MzUeGaur6kOlOrLGxN1bRBIGQXrMGq0Jujkv4uJRJ4skbt6QD6VlRzq3fyjk10z3HckLDwIXOiJWr7ANHkVdWf3_4yWuZfxwUlea36rjdY000s_fJAAv5AdgRpn78q5HOCZvsY-Fp1x4khi8N39s/s1600/Liana%20Paniyeva%202024.jpeg" width="220" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liana Paniyeva</td></tr></tbody></table>After a prior appearance here and two at Sevenars in Worthington, MA, all within the past two years, Ukrainian-born, Boston-based pianist Liana Paniyeva is now a beloved local visitor, as evidenced by the rapturous welcome of a capacity audience at her return engagement in South Windsor. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Her technically challenging and emotionally demanding program opened with a powerful rendition of Cesar Franck’s rarely heard 1884 “Prelude, Chorale, and Fugue.” Paniyeva’s tense, foreboding Prelude, solemn, probing “Chorale,” and fiercely dramatic “Fugue” captured both the piece’s mystical fervor and its virtuosic thrills. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This was followed by stirring accounts of Johannes Brahms’ two 1879 Rhapsodies, Op. 79. Paniyeva took a bold approach to the turbulent opening notes of the first rhapsody, in B minor, easing into the lyrical repose of the middle section. She invested the calmer second rhapsody, in G minor, with dark and brooding undertones.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Next came Boris Lyatoshynsky’s much less familiar five Preludes, Op. 44, written in his native Ukraine during World War II. Reflecting influences from later Scriabin to Ukrainian folk music, it was easy to hear echoes of her roots in eastern Ukraine and its current war with Russia in Paniyeva’s poignant readings of the tragic first prelude, the radiant second, the restless third, the melancholy fourth, and the hopeful fifth. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The program closed with an electrifying version of Frederic Chopin’s 1844 Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58, one of the Polish master’s most difficult yet rewarding scores. Paniyeva heightened the sharp contrasts among its four movements, with a mercurial “Allegro maestoso” leading into a fleet, headlong “Scherzo,” a ravishing “Largo,” in which time almost stood still, and an alternately tumultuous and triumphant “Presto non tanto” finale.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Paniyeva combines a modest stage presence with playing of absolute clarity, technical security, and interpretive maturity, which has made her a prizewinner in many international competitions and augurs a long career of musical substance and distinction. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">All concerts in this 42-year-old series take place on Sundays at 2:00 pm, and open seating in its acoustically first-rate auditorium begins a half-hour earlier. SWCA will next present cellist Michael Katz and pianist Spencer Myer on March 24, 2024.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-65844619180831058772024-02-19T17:59:00.002-05:002024-02-19T18:06:55.412-05:00Review: Majestic Theater, "The Ladyslipper"<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Majestic Theater, West Springfield, MA</span></div><div><a href="http://www.majestictheater.com"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">www.majestictheater.com</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">February 18 - March 24, 2024 </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">by Lisa Covi</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"The Ladyslipper" is a bar in a rural town in the Northeastern US where the owner has died and prospects for reopening are uncertain. The closeup venue and professional production values of this play draw the audience immediately into a warm familiarity. Daniel Rist's lighting and Dawn McKay's costume design blend to provide an evocative and workable space for the intimate action.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Mark Dean as Jebb and Jay Sefton's Hank feel authentic and recognizable as the cook and bartender, respectively, who know about all the goings-on except where their own lives are going. Enter the ladies. Like the glorious petals of the bar's mascot, they infuse life and romance into the play. Lana, played by Madeleine Maggio, is the British heiress apparent, having received this establishment from Rosie, her recently deceased birth mother. Chelsea Nectow's Trisha, the lawyer handling the transaction is the daughter of Rosie's best friend Estelle (played by Cate Damon). Despite the admiration of Jebb and Hank, Trisha is imminently to be wed to Jimmy Collins (Jay Torres), her childhood sweetheart. The actors inhabit these characters so completely that we immediately perceive the control Jimmy tries to exert on Trisha, the exotic air that Lana imports from her life in Spain, and the tenderness between mother Estelle and daughter Trisha.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This play by Danny Eaton, the long-time producing director of Majestic Theater, was first produced as a live reading in 2020.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9WunKgmU0cY8rtOaVfXRFX5jRTj6A_7fKCoPYBpmZOFIX7y8XCXGrG4KCTau-XT1BBSj77G_hxYMNCedkGpcJ2TAFyZdryQPeNOjjo8C7XOMFzjUQqsvSiAfTEpNY5WY3cNsBKcgmpB0lM57PC2ZVUYI0KM03jyhjSbhgX_r-NpB2GnUzKNTWA1gotCw/s1746/ladyslipper6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1342" data-original-width="1746" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9WunKgmU0cY8rtOaVfXRFX5jRTj6A_7fKCoPYBpmZOFIX7y8XCXGrG4KCTau-XT1BBSj77G_hxYMNCedkGpcJ2TAFyZdryQPeNOjjo8C7XOMFzjUQqsvSiAfTEpNY5WY3cNsBKcgmpB0lM57PC2ZVUYI0KM03jyhjSbhgX_r-NpB2GnUzKNTWA1gotCw/w320-h246/ladyslipper6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by Kait Rankins</span></td></tr></tbody></table>The responsive audience was clearly entertained with the laughter during the comical dialog between Jebb and Hank and audible gasps during the surprises post-intermission. However, the play does not yet feel fully edited because the plot is bogged down with exposition in the first six scenes. For example, the plethora of detail about each character could be better balanced by some struggle or foreshadowing to enhance the comedy or drama. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Without revealing the major plot twist, the compelling action happens primarily late in the play. When it does occur, the production hits a sweet spot of acting in a well-designed space with delicate moments between different subsets of players.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-79439563052764993082024-02-19T17:55:00.002-05:002024-02-19T17:55:50.416-05:00REVIEW: Barrington Stage Company, "10x10 New Play Festival"<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Barrington Stage Company, Pittsfield, MA</span></div><div><a href="http://www.barringtonstageco.org"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">www.barringtonstageco.org</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">through March 10, 2024</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">By Jarice Hanson</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2N_jMqRerA3n24tPMaRLTf6-vj_B8GRe1hXRcV-qNHwowODRzLNYjvPcaiVJ47s1pAygtNXUQYWga4tiv0-Vx2oywuf29C1VjNSYvYwP397dFafykgAZH4Y-k5Y3o3_bVlIYo6j8VMHkkj0-e_JeKeicGiGf1GMRuZTquVNRAOoZbFain5szRPl3uYf8A/s600/Maroon-and-Pink-Modern-Luxury-Business-Conference-Document-A4-600x600.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2N_jMqRerA3n24tPMaRLTf6-vj_B8GRe1hXRcV-qNHwowODRzLNYjvPcaiVJ47s1pAygtNXUQYWga4tiv0-Vx2oywuf29C1VjNSYvYwP397dFafykgAZH4Y-k5Y3o3_bVlIYo6j8VMHkkj0-e_JeKeicGiGf1GMRuZTquVNRAOoZbFain5szRPl3uYf8A/s320/Maroon-and-Pink-Modern-Luxury-Business-Conference-Document-A4-600x600.png" width="320" /></a></div>Kicking off Barrington Stage Co.’s 30th year, the 13th annual “10 X 10 New Play Festival” is <br />ceremonially the start of the theatre season in the Berkshires. The “10 X 10” is often bold, edgy, and frequently, very funny. It allows audiences to see some stalwart Barrington actors switch characters seamlessly as they leap into 10 different 10-minute plays. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The opening number is always a highlight of this festival and this year’s “Winter Nights,” sung to the tune of “Summer Nights” from “Grease,” is particularly witty and representative of cold New England and in particular, the Pittsfield location and the long theatrical legacy of BSC.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The very talented cast this year includes Ross Griffin, Gisela Chípe, Matt Neely, Peggy Pharr Wilson, Naire Poole, and Robert Zuckerman. These consummate pros know how to take the intimate stage and play to the audience. When they seemingly morph from one character to another, sometimes transforming their look, age, and ethnicity, their talents are on full display.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The plays chosen for this year’s collection range widely in scope and style. The playwrights include some veteran writers and some relative newcomers. Five of the plays are directed by Alan Paul, Artistic Director of BSC, and Matthew Penn, television and theatre director. One of the joys of the collection is that each play is presented as a unique vision of the authors’ work. Congratulations to the directors for finding the right balance and interpretation of these very different short plays.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Evaluating 10-minute plays is sometimes tricky. Often short plays lack any wrap up, or conclusion. But even more importantly, can the authors, directors, and actors tell a complete story? Among the most successful in this year’s lineup are “The Consultant” by Brent Askari, which pits a senior couple (Peggy Pfarr Wilson and Robert Zuckerman) who have won a session with a sex therapist in a raffle, against the methods of the therapist (Gisela Chípe). “Meeting Fingerman” by Mark Evan Chimsky prompts painful thoughts of life in a pogram where Zuckerman portrays an elderly Jewish man who recalls a shameful past when confronted by a younger writer, played by Ross Griffin. A note about this one—Zuckerman’s portrayal is so beautifully crafted; the price of admission is worth watching his master class in character interpretation. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“Snow Falling Faintly” by James McLindon tells the story of a mother and son, lovingly portrayed by Peggy Pharr Wilson and Ross Griffin in an existential treatise about snow shoveling, loss, and moving on. Finally, Glenn Alterman’s clever “A Doubt My Play” with the entire cast, is a very insightful examination of playwriting from inside the playwright’s head!</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-75695264693394238982024-02-13T10:45:00.003-05:002024-02-13T10:45:14.930-05:00Review: Springfield Symphony Orchestra “Havana Nights”<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Symphony Hall, Springfield, MA</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.springfieldsymphony.org">www.springfieldsymphony.org</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">February 10, 2024</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">by Lisa Covi</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Springfield Symphony Orchestra's presentation of “Havana Nights” was a fantastic performance that injected the Latino rhythms into the mild February night. Conductor Nick Palmer kicked off the program with lively dances and Spanish songs interpreted by featured soloist Camille Zamora. It seemed as though the castanets and cymbals amplified the enthusiasm of the crowd for the bright tones and snappy tempo. The hall was as full as I've seen it, and the audience's enthusiasm overflowed.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Even the orchestra members appeared relaxed and primed for something special; some wore bright tops and most men left their neckties at home. One exception was the resplendent Zamora who was dressed to the nines in formal gowns appropriate to her operatic soprano. She conversed with the audience in both Spanish and English with aplomb. She described Gimenez's “Zapateada” as Verdi takes “La Traviata” to his favorite salsa bar. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Zamora’s soaring lyricism blended so well with the orchestra that it sounded like she was singing duets with the violins or wind section. Performing in front of a standing microphone did seem odd for concert rendition, but the music blended well. In some of the orchestral pieces, the sound was so striking, I searched the stage for a pianist or accordionist (perhaps because I was trained on the keyboard).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Composer Jeff Tyzik's “Tango” featured a solo oboist whose melodious part contrasted sharply with a staccato violin introduction where the strings seemed to scream and cheer the reed's dancing line. Ernesto Lecuona's “Andalucia” evoked the contours of a Spanish countryside with a bold arrangement. Tyzik's “Three Latin Dances” closed the first half with a modern Cuban feel that revealed the influence of his work with Chuck Mangione in unique chord changes and swinging transitions.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXUAXddA2vJEDyiLhksnPynyilGUYHuPouJLCBGuQzhEf2QVd-8-rrhad59RbYYuI7ijRQE7OegIxHEzgLTDuz4ErjwnEJ4exnGWAZWT3M42IbhCPf7d4OxXs0XCoMlT2C_CrDS8__XT90gUaI79PD89lEpe-b5My562-Vnxe0EdMyHM6ZkJKrlgKThp7h/s893/1237891_10151716326156985_1377343227_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXUAXddA2vJEDyiLhksnPynyilGUYHuPouJLCBGuQzhEf2QVd-8-rrhad59RbYYuI7ijRQE7OegIxHEzgLTDuz4ErjwnEJ4exnGWAZWT3M42IbhCPf7d4OxXs0XCoMlT2C_CrDS8__XT90gUaI79PD89lEpe-b5My562-Vnxe0EdMyHM6ZkJKrlgKThp7h/s320/1237891_10151716326156985_1377343227_n.jpg" width="229" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mambo Kings</td></tr></tbody></table>The concert's second half was even more dynamic. On stage were The Mambo Kings’ energetic and improvisational style, whether blending into orchestral arrangements or performing as a quintet. I could feel composer Dave Brubeck's infectious smile in pianist (and Peruvian) Richard Delaney's arrangement of “Blue Rondo a la Turk.” Percussionist Tony Padilla's congo beats alternated with the traditional jazz refrain creating an exciting showcase for each musician's solo. John Vivattini held court on flute and saxophone.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Camille Zamorra returned to perform “Besame Mucho,” “Como Fue,” and the encore piece “Sabor A Mi” matching style and pitch with the ensemble. The showstopper was composer Tito Puente's “Oye, Como Va” featuring an extended solos by bassist Hector Diaz and percussionist Wilfredo Colon. The latter substituted a new drumstick after dropping one without missing a beat. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Although only one couple took up the conductor's invitation to dance in the aisle, many heads were bobbing and the appearance of phones taking video gave the concert a rock-concert vibe. The standing ovation felt sincere and well-deserved for both guests and orchestra musicians. Bravo and Ole for this season's most memorable and enjoyable concert yet.</span></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-33460243360865482242024-02-13T10:26:00.003-05:002024-02-13T10:26:44.862-05:00REVIEW: Hartford Symphony Orchestra, "Enduring Love Stories"<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Bushnell, Hartford, CT</span></div><div><a href="http://www.hartfordsymphony.org"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">www.hartfordsymphony.org</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">February 9-11, 2024</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">by Michael J. Moran</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">With five musical selections about love stories and a married couple as featured performers, <br />the fifth “Masterworks” weekend of the HSO’s 80th anniversary season offered an early celebration of Valentine’s Day.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What better way to open the program than with Tchaikovsky’s popular 1869 “Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture"? Music Director Carolyn Kuan led the orchestra in an incandescent account, which captured the foreboding tension of the quiet opening, the drama of the family feud between the Montagues and the Capulets, and the youthful passion of Shakespeare’s famous lovers. </span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3JfPgT5gmseZ0t4OAILJFhkzRf2UMnvzEtiCzx7o0Ux1p2bDTWv67pAKyGVcyx8a0eSBqhejO-mUGJ25em__t_xzoEo3UfTNVnz7UvM6sQNtfkC4q-A5zHmSA5oTySe5cl-KTRKSc6UJZ6LqLnbK2KgRfJsXToU_Udv6hwYNPDp_hqAuIxFLofQ-rrW6/s150/Boyd%20Meets%20Girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="150" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3JfPgT5gmseZ0t4OAILJFhkzRf2UMnvzEtiCzx7o0Ux1p2bDTWv67pAKyGVcyx8a0eSBqhejO-mUGJ25em__t_xzoEo3UfTNVnz7UvM6sQNtfkC4q-A5zHmSA5oTySe5cl-KTRKSc6UJZ6LqLnbK2KgRfJsXToU_Udv6hwYNPDp_hqAuIxFLofQ-rrW6/s1600/Boyd%20Meets%20Girl.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boyd Meets Girl</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Next came the world premiere of Clarice Assad’s concerto for guitar, cello, and orchestra, "Anahata,” commissioned by the HSO for, and played here by, the duo “Boyd Meets Girl” – Australian-born guitarist Rupert Boyd and his wife, cellist Laura Metcalf. The composer notes, “Anahata," “unhurt”…in Sanskrit, refers to the heart,” and “its three movements explore…love’s wounds [and] its most precious dreams.”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">From a stirring “The Color Green” to a haunting “Desert Roses” and a lively “Full Circle Reel,” the elegant solos and duets by Boyd and Metcalf blended sensitively with Assad’s brilliant orchestration (including water bowls), which reflected the Latin rhythms of her native Brazil.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The duo’s encore was a jazzy yet poignant setting of the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby,” evoking America’s love affair with the Fab Four on the 60th anniversary weekend of their first appearance on the "Ed Sullivan Show". </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tchaikovsky’s love for and regular visits to Italy inspired some of his finest music, like his 1880 “Capriccio Italien,” which quotes local tunes he heard in Rome. The HSO reveled in its solemn opening fanfare, sprightly folk dances, giddy tarantella, and closing blaze of orchestral color.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This was followed by a radiant performance of the sublime “Adagietto” movement from Mahler’s 1901-1902 fifth symphony, a musical love letter to his wife-to-be, Alma, which Kuan and the orchestra dedicated to beloved recently deceased 57-year HSO violinist Frank Kulig.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The overture to Offenbach’s 1858 opera “Orpheus in the Underworld” proved a surprisingly apt concert closer in these musicians’ exuberant reading. Its cheerful “Can Can” tune suggested a happier ending to the love story of Orpheus and Eurydice than his failure to bring her back from dead. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The HSO’s next Masterworks program (March 8-10) will feature music of Copland and Bernstein.</span></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-39877486402809908342024-02-10T19:07:00.005-05:002024-02-10T19:07:42.015-05:00REVIEW: TheaterWorks Hartford, “The Garbologists” <div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">TheaterWorks Hartford, Hartford CT</span></div><div><a href="http://www.twhartford.org"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">www.twhartford.org</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">through February 25, 2024</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">by Jarice Hanson</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cgVGRDJOxx6FWwvP6VA14eH5XQnS98YnVJekurLYYBbdS58bvizbDdMF6zWFE8IXT_wEl6Z86a7Enfw7YMAAY1ATS0IgWOnM8_6AlyZ02A6HtPS4HR-SRzdDWBTtyr9J-pmfOL5PU7oDbO1LdAQWW-5_TOYKHEunt-ez1nAspEFwK8bIzO1Pu-5i9jBt/s975/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="975" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cgVGRDJOxx6FWwvP6VA14eH5XQnS98YnVJekurLYYBbdS58bvizbDdMF6zWFE8IXT_wEl6Z86a7Enfw7YMAAY1ATS0IgWOnM8_6AlyZ02A6HtPS4HR-SRzdDWBTtyr9J-pmfOL5PU7oDbO1LdAQWW-5_TOYKHEunt-ez1nAspEFwK8bIzO1Pu-5i9jBt/s320/image.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by Mike Marques</span></td></tr></tbody></table>With a title like “The Garbologists” you have to be ready for just about anything. TheaterWorks Hartford’s newest show has a promising premise. Two sanitation workers, an old hand, and a newbie, are assigned to work together. The one with experience, Danny, played by Jeff Brooks, is a White career sanitation worker with no pretense about what he does, and a wealth of knowledge about how to do the job right. For him, being a sanitation worker is an art form, and he subtly instructs us about the dangers of doing this type of essential work. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Marlowe, played by Bebe Nicole Simpson, is Black and has an Ivy League degree. There’s something in her past that she doesn’t want to talk about, and why she has become a sanitation worker is part of the unfolding of this story.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The comedy begins with both starting their day in the sanitation truck. Danny cracks Dad jokes, and Marlowe scrolls on her phone while sipping coffee. They are clearly mismatched, so where might this plot go? Will it be a love story? A buddy adventure? A race/class theme? </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There’s a lot to like in this 90-minute production, including Director Rob Ruggiero’s clever use of the stage crew dressed as sanitation workers themselves. The amazing set design by Marcelo Martínez Garcia, with authentic costumes by Joseph Shrope and lighting design by John Lasiter present a unified vision of the garbage-laden streets of New York City.The pacing is brisk and there is something very appealing about a story focusing on people who are often overlooked.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Lindsay Joelle’s script is effective in giving the characters backstories and focusing on the idea of a civilization’s record being comprised of what we throw away, but the writing is somewhat uneven and at times the dialog seems a bit manipulative. What seems to be lacking between the characters is chemistry that raises the possibility of an outcome that propels the action toward the conclusion. At the same time, what emerges is a heart-felt twist that is realistic, and at the same time contrived.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Theatre depends on the characters changing as the plot develops, and Brooks infuses his performance with an energy that is consistent and totally believable. Simpson’s authenticity is charming, and she is most effective when warning Danny to curb his exuberance in a heated family confrontation, but the tension between the two seems uneven. At the same time, the show its audience sees on opening night is not the same show that emerges throughout the show’s run, and as these two talented performers become more connected over time, “The Garbologists” may become the type of play that has a long life on many stages. </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-42738401110256039012024-02-10T19:05:00.002-05:002024-02-10T19:12:22.210-05:00Review: The Bushnell, "Disney's Frozen"<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Bushnell, Hartford, CT</span></div><div><a href="http://www.bushnell.org"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">www.bushnell.org</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">February 9 - 18, 2024</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">by Suzanne Wells</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Magic of Disney comes alive in the musical production of "Frozen" directed by Andrew Flatt, Thomas Schumacher, and Anne Quart. The story of two sisters who face their greatest fears and discover, that despite their differences, their love for each other will (surprise!) save everyone.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Set in a Nordic kingdom, the combination of scenery and an interactive light display magically transform a warm, inviting palace with a lilac filled garden to a sparkling, solitary, ice castle on top of a mountain.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Anna, played by Lauren Nicole Chapman, gives an energetic, occasionally salacious, performance. Everyone will fall in love with Anna’s ever hopeful, sometimes challenging, awkward youthfulness and her warm, loving heart. Chapman‘s talented acting, singing and dancing abilities make her a joy to see live onstage.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Elsa, played by Caroline Bowman, is a solitary, young woman fearful of her own abilities, but devoted to her family. Bowman does an excellent job of conveying the conflict between duty and desire, although at times, it is difficult to perceive her as a young woman coming of age. However, all disbelief is suspended when she sings. Her voice enchantingly transports you into the storyline so that her inner struggles become your own.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Hans, played by Preston Perez, is an actor to keep an eye on. His transformation from loving prospective husband to calculating, manipulative usurper shocks the audience so much so they booed him during the end of the night accolades. It is said, if you can play the villain well, you can play anything. This reviewer looks forward to seeing Perez, perform anything in the future. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Special mention and kudos go to Jeremy Davis as Olaf, and Dan Plehal as Sven. Admittedly it was a little distracting to see the puppet master, Davis appear with Olaf, but within seconds of his?/heir? entrance, the two merge into one lovable snowman. Plehal‘s mimicry of a reindeer is so realistic that one questions if Sven is animatronic or human. In addition, comic relief is provided by Evan Duff as Lord Weselton, and Jack Brewer as Oaken is “Hygge”.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There is so much more to say and even more to personally enjoy in this production of "Frozen". It is a must-see experience for the whole family. </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-36912063760346892922024-02-10T18:55:00.000-05:002024-02-10T18:55:52.285-05:00REVIEW: Opera House Players, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder”<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Opera House Players, Enfield, CT</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="http://www.operahouseplayers.org">www.operahouseplayers.org</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">February 8 – 18, 2024</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">by Shera Cohen</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-V_56N9Rch6wMb4YduCKvjb2oUCE2f47130qRmMHhXgYUSjtB8f1vTQz4ZVDMVvz6CpB6Dm2gRxwWszpGI4f-Hjf0LiMIe2kTCWbM8qrUCWgcCxBO_yS6yHOHynf7-HufxYvg9CmDRjBsjCbX4-jKqadlywHRvoFNZMmBaIH9hYbS4fB-QTK93e-10rnz/s2700/Z62_4863%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1797" data-original-width="2700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-V_56N9Rch6wMb4YduCKvjb2oUCE2f47130qRmMHhXgYUSjtB8f1vTQz4ZVDMVvz6CpB6Dm2gRxwWszpGI4f-Hjf0LiMIe2kTCWbM8qrUCWgcCxBO_yS6yHOHynf7-HufxYvg9CmDRjBsjCbX4-jKqadlywHRvoFNZMmBaIH9hYbS4fB-QTK93e-10rnz/s320/Z62_4863%20copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>When I first read that Opera House Players (OHP) had chosen “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder” for its 2023/24 season my thought was that this community theatre troupe was taking on a huge task. Having attended OHP productions for 30+ years, I set my expectation level high. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Current trends for plays in particular, as well as some musicals, are smaller and shorter. This is not the case with “Gentleman” which comes in at two and a half hours + intermission. The plotline of Act I is divided into seven sections with never a lull in dialog or music.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“Gentleman” is based on the 1940’s Alec Guinness movie, “Kind Hearts & Coronets”. Not one of my favorite 4-star movies and not as funny as I hoped, but that’s only my take. In his pre-Obi Wan days, Guinness was quite the actor! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The play’s narrator, reading his diary aloud to himself and to the audience, breaks the fourth wall from the get-go; a nice method to bring the audience into the story so that we care about our hero (Monty) even more than we would possibly like any other baby-faced, naïve, destitute serial killer.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">No worries, that’s not a spoiler. The director’s notes in the playbook tell us about Monty’s climb on the social ladder and search for overdue respect from his uppity relatives in the musty D’Ysquith family.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">With the D’Ysquith patriarch meeting his maker, eight heirs stand in line for the inheritance. Kudos to Zach Bakken, who plays all of the D’Ysquith family members: men and women, young and old. Each caricature seems funnier than the last as Bakken quickly changes costumes, accents, volume, demeanor, and voice. Bakken is a hoot, extremely versatile, and undoubtedly can do anything. Let’s see more of him!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The much-mentioned Monty Navarro is portrayed by Christopher Marcus. This attractive young man can be compared to Bakken as Laurel to Hardy, Abbott to Costello. The two play-off each other with ease. Marcus is thin and sinewy, using physical humor to its optimum. Since this musical’s key factor is to be funny, you wouldn’t expect Marcus to be an excellent singer. He is! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Monty’s love interests are Sibella, played by Caroline Darr; and Phoebe, played by Nicole Marie Newell. Darr’s mistress-role is more hysterical than lusty. Newell’s fiancé-role, again, is exceptionally funny. Each woman’s voice could easily be heard on a Broadway stage.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The orchestra, led by Graham Christian, even played funny, if that makes sense; a lot of schtick from the pit.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So much more to say. “Excellent” will have to be the single adjective to those on sound, lights, costumes, and sets with painted backdrops.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">None of what I saw onstage, and surmise happened backstage would have been superb without the deft hand of Director Marla Ladd. Her bio is extensive. New to New England, any group who manages to swoop up Ladd in the future, will have an amazing piece of theatre on their stage. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-70336931557382842002024-02-06T10:05:00.001-05:002024-02-06T10:05:20.452-05:00REVIEW: Valley Classical Concerts, "Merz Trio"<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Smith College, Northampton, MA</span></div><div><a href="http://www.valleyclassicalconcerts.org/concerts"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">www.valleyclassicalconcerts.org/concerts</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">February 4, 2024</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">by Michael J. Moran</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUaGOaY9iCxDhexiS5LyWphKyE82-R2Om_j8dUGd2AjVgll1ffLvxolYRgKrRXprFdsSbyR3dngKO_XLKU5jrcC0yFHyGZKvTbloKtqakiG35TtqWZc3AFLfbKPFbGl4XnWlwk-qGpZA0gb-DsU5rIS6b4JeLHNuaKDksAS-UtNR2XkBcJGvaqv33JHWzZ/s275/Merz%20Trio.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUaGOaY9iCxDhexiS5LyWphKyE82-R2Om_j8dUGd2AjVgll1ffLvxolYRgKrRXprFdsSbyR3dngKO_XLKU5jrcC0yFHyGZKvTbloKtqakiG35TtqWZc3AFLfbKPFbGl4XnWlwk-qGpZA0gb-DsU5rIS6b4JeLHNuaKDksAS-UtNR2XkBcJGvaqv33JHWzZ/s1600/Merz%20Trio.jpeg" width="275" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Merz Trio</td></tr></tbody></table>Founded in 2017 and named after a German collage artist, this Boston-based ensemble “juxtaposes classical standards, new music, and their own arrangements of familiar and forgotten works,” according to their program note. This concert, with a “Night Songs” theme (said cellist Julia Yang in opening remarks), was a textbook example of that eclectic philosophy.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It began with a suite of six short meditative pieces, mostly arranged by the Trio and played without pause. A haunting account of German mystic Hildegard von Bingen’s 11th-century hymn “O Fiery Spirit” was followed by: a rhapsodic “Andantino” solo by pianist Amy Yang from Robert Schumann’s 1845 “Six Studies in Canonic Form;” a mesmerizing “Hush No More,” from Henry Purcell’s 1692 opera “The Fairy Queen;” a lush take on Alma Mahler’s 1911 song “Mild Summer Night”; a soulful “Round Midnight,” Thelonius Monk’s 1943 masterpiece; and a luxurious version of Alexander Zemlinsky’s 1897 song “Conception." The Trio’s singing in several selections deepened the suite’s nocturnal spell. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Next came a vibrant interpretation of Schumann’s 1847 Piano Trio No. 2 in F Major, which featured: an expansive opening movement, briefly quoting his song “Intermezzo,” Op. 39/#2; a radiant slow movement, which came across as a lullaby; a mercurial waltz-like third movement “in moderate tempo;” and a lively, almost explosive finale.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The program closed with an impassioned reading of Johannes Brahms’ Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major, written in 1853-54 after the 20-year-old Brahms first met Robert and his composer-pianist wife Clara Schumann, but substantially revised in 1889. The Merz Trio offered: a vigorous opening “Allegro con brio;” a supercharged “Scherzo,” with a delicately nuanced interlude; a hushed, nocturne-like “Adagio;” and a turbulent “Allegro” finale.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Noting that “we can’t leave you in B minor” (the key on which Brahms’ finale ended), violinist Brigid Coleridge introduced as an encore the Trio’s luminous arrangement of Richard Strauss’s ravishing 1894 song “Morgen” (“Tomorrow”).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Along with their inventive programming, this threesome is notable for the rare mix of intensity and balance in their performances, with every instrument always clearly heard in this storied venue’s flattering acoustic. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The next concert in Valley Classical’s 45th season will take place on February 24, 2024.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-23800488661128887612024-02-02T16:58:00.003-05:002024-02-02T16:58:52.513-05:00REVIEW: Hartford Stage “Simona’s Search”<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Hartford Stage, Hartford CT.</span></div><div><a href="http://www.hartfordstage.org"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">www.hartfordstage.org</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">January 18-February 11, 2024<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">by Jarice Hanson</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“Simona’s Search” at Hartford Stage is intelligent, touching, brilliantly crafted, and so thoroughly engrossing, it gives an audience member something to think about for days. It is a masterpiece from the pen of the highly original playwright, Martín Zimmerman. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HzuNa0JM-6S9Zjy_gg3G4ijcD4fU7PfVJm6lZaLap7q6CCfBSc4hvhoOPm2NJnRcVC07T5dx3pFNFzptXGbldWX-C9SQTtc3dboQa6M_VBeI3MMqvfmLSkftPG3nMV6JoO82Ln9QUqmQ02lAnL1YQ61_xyKDESFuGjkVq8tFl6CECNnZ_b6VcHR6dEal/s3000/Simonas-Search-HSC-01-24-054.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="3000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HzuNa0JM-6S9Zjy_gg3G4ijcD4fU7PfVJm6lZaLap7q6CCfBSc4hvhoOPm2NJnRcVC07T5dx3pFNFzptXGbldWX-C9SQTtc3dboQa6M_VBeI3MMqvfmLSkftPG3nMV6JoO82Ln9QUqmQ02lAnL1YQ61_xyKDESFuGjkVq8tFl6CECNnZ_b6VcHR6dEal/s320/Simonas-Search-HSC-01-24-054.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by T. Charles Erickson</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is a complicated story, told in part, through monologs by Simona, the daughter of a father who we learn, experienced trauma in his homeland before coming to the United States. Simona, a precocious child, relays the story of being ten-years-old and noticing her father’s unusual traits as well as his reticence to talk about his past. She begins her search to understand how and why Papi acts and behaves as he does. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The investigation takes her through graduate school where she looks for answers in the literature of neuroscience and behavior, and she questions whether trauma is actually passed from one generation to another. In a mere 90-minutes, this show gives us a full plate upon which to feast. Pacing is perfection and every word is crystal clear.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The collaboration between director Melia Bensussen and Zimmerman is highly successful. The show is part immigrant story, and part a detective story in which the audience becomes captivated by the “what if’s.” What if this is all in Simona’s head? What if Simona’s theories about post-generational trauma are right? What if the body and mind are repositories of collected trauma and grief?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">To make these complicated ideas more visual and universal, Bensussen and Zimmerman use the magical realism endemic to Latin American literature and storytelling to show the relationship of body and mind. A simple set designed by Yu Shibagaki, projections by Yana Biryukova, lighting design by Aja M. Jackson, and sound design by Aubrey Dube enhance the multi-dimensional experience that enhance the visual and auditory experience for the audience.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Simona is played by Alejandra Escalante, an actress with an resume that suggests she is more experienced than the clean-faced actress we see who successfully expresses the feeling of growing from 10-years old to an adult. She is a winsome actress with grace that makes her a sympathetic protagonist.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Papi is played with charm and intelligence by Al Rodrigo, who, as a committed single father, clearly loves and wants the best for his daughter. In brief cameos as other characters he demonstrates an uncanny ability to shift accents and range. The third member of the acting trio is Christopher Bannow as Jake, Simona’s boyfriend as well as other characters in which his physicality brings both comedy and fear.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Zimmerman raises two important questions in his script: Do parents have a right to privacy, and do children have a right to know everything about their parents? “Simona’s Search” may well ask audience-goers those questions of your own families.</span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-10719016617300261122024-01-29T11:24:00.001-05:002024-01-29T11:24:58.007-05:00 Review: Playhouse on Park, “Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson – Apt. 2B”<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Playhouse on Park, West Hartford, CT<br /><a href="http://www.playhousetheatregroup.org">www.playhousetheatregroup.org</a> <br />January 24 – February 18, 2024<br />by Shera Cohen</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5kxvx6_-MF9taLUNh_qs4eMWnE2d9M7HBBXAln_TVT8B3i4scV7VYQwZz31B0KEalGkbHNb0mndJv85OJeX2nsR8NSfea7zuYME207n4wWoqAO6QmrB4-b5kpEC-7VnHAgImGxFxgXJq660JsNKVpkD1_ZXnsfvtqu-u7ZLcIQpKrmi62sIpaOqEjRIeA/s1600/6C3E0933-4597-4C4F-8EBB-65CAC4D5EC5A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1174" data-original-width="1600" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5kxvx6_-MF9taLUNh_qs4eMWnE2d9M7HBBXAln_TVT8B3i4scV7VYQwZz31B0KEalGkbHNb0mndJv85OJeX2nsR8NSfea7zuYME207n4wWoqAO6QmrB4-b5kpEC-7VnHAgImGxFxgXJq660JsNKVpkD1_ZXnsfvtqu-u7ZLcIQpKrmi62sIpaOqEjRIeA/s320/6C3E0933-4597-4C4F-8EBB-65CAC4D5EC5A.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Needless to say, the title prepares the audience; this play will have two important elements – comedy and espionage. Written by Kate Hamill, whose genre is primarily revisits of classic novels, “Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson – Apt. 2B” brings these sleuths into the 21st century.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />The erstwhile duo solves three mini-mysteries before the ultimate cat and mouse game to apprehend Holmes’ arch enemy Moriarty. The unlikely duo does the best they can, even though they are girls. Hamill often pokes fun at male egos.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />Hamill spins and twists, all the while tossing in puns, TV theme music, and malaprops.<br />The cast of four work well together; the two women as well as two other actors in multiple roles, totaling an approximate 12 characters populating the stage, but never all at once. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />Holmes and Watson, acted by Kirsten Peacock and Kelly Letourneau, respectively, create completely opposite characters in stance, voice, and appearance. Each are obviously fine actors, having their fingers on what makes audiences laugh.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />Director Kelly O’Donnell moves her characters at a clip in what is a long play that easily could have been boring. However, the Holmes and Watson of Arthur Conan Doyle’s novels boasted humorous repartee with a twinkle in their eyes. O’Donnell and the actresses definitely bring out the fun, but one dimensionally. I don’t know if in the script and/or the director’s vision, but the two lead characters don’t like each other for most of the play.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />Nick Nudler, as every male, introduces the play directly to the audience as a macabre soothsayer. Breaking the fourth wall immediately brings us onto the stage. This schtick repeats a few times, adding an unexpected comic touch. It is a pleasure when Nudler enters, literally opening the door to add more humor to what is already onstage.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />In four separate roles is Megan McDermott. Her primary skill is physical humor, which along with her effective English accent, make her quite a hoot. Never upstaging, McDermott is given her moments to shine, and she grabs them.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />Playhouse on Park (POP, to me) has 14 years under its belt. It’s a small theatre, employs talented actors, and the presenters and crew hold nothing back in creating the best that theatre can be.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-49699739940856553322024-01-16T20:04:00.001-05:002024-01-16T20:04:30.023-05:00Commentary: SSO, "MLK, Jr. Celebration"<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Springfield Symphany Hall, Springfield, MA</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">www.springfieldsymphony.org</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">January 14, 2024</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">by Julia Hoffman</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>We appreciate when art lovers read "In the Spotlight." On occasion, individuals write to us directly. Because this patron's praise of SSO's January concert was so exuberant and honest, "In the Spotlight" presents it along with that of our music reviewer Lisa Covi, <a href="https://www.inthespotlightinc.org/2024/01/review-springfield-symphony-orchestra.html">here</a>.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">On January 13, 2024, The City of Firsts, Springfield, MA, experienced a Night of Firsts with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. Damien Sneed, guest conductor for this evening, presented the world premiere “A Symphonic Homage to the Duke”. A beautiful arrangement commissioned by Springfield Symphony and composed by Sneed featured three Duke Ellington songs. Sneed is multi-talented as a pianist, vocalist, organist, composer, conductor, arranger, producer, and arts educator whose work spans multiple genres. Growing up with Gospel music in Augusta, GA, he refused to be defined by one genre alone and successfully branched out to Classical and Jazz. Springfield reaped the benefit of his leap outside the lines. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the Symphony pre-talk, [I urge symphony audiences to attend these free, short lectures] we were introduced to our featured artists; two young men of immense talent. Jason Flowers II from St Paul, MN studied Master of Music in Piano Performance at Manhattan School of Music and Master of Education at Columbia University. He is now a music teacher employed by NYC Department of Education. Teaching science and math in the Bronx, as well as music, is awe-inspiring enough, but his talent at the keyboard is undoubtably where his future lies. Flowers' featured piece, "Yamekra," written by the great jazz pianist James P. Johnson in 1927, pays homage to the Negro settlement on the outskirts of Savannah.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The second featured artist of the night, Mebrakh Haughton-Johnson, The SSO program booklet states, he studied in his hometown of London at the Royal College of Music and now studies for his Master of Music in Clarinet at the Juilliard School, NYC. His piece was a jazz suite for clarinet composed in 1993 by David Baker. Three Ethnic Dances featured as many varied styles; jitterbug, slow drag, and calypso.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Women were not left off the program. In this case, African-American female composers were highlighted. Presented were Florence Price's "Colonial Dance and Concert Overture No.1" based on the spiritual “Sinner Please Don’t Let This Harvest Pass.” Additionally, Margaret Bond’s Montgomery's "Variations" was dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">To hear a 74-piece symphony play jazz with such talented featured artists will long be remembered. Congratulations to SSO for inspired programming, for giving showcase to voices less heard, and for providing another level of talent that we’ve not heard before from our beloved Symphony. This was a very special evening. As Damien Sneed said when introducing the two young talents, "Jason Flowers II and Mebrakh Haughton-Johnson are going to be famous, and very soon. But you heard it here First." </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-40642280420460488112024-01-15T21:00:00.001-05:002024-01-15T21:02:07.554-05:00REVIEW: Springfield Symphony Orchestra, "Martin Luther King, Jr. Program"<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Symphony Hall, Springfield, MA</span></div><div><a href="http://www.springfieldsymphony.org"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">www.springfieldsymphony.org</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">January 13, 2024</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">by Lisa Covi</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It was a cold dark night on January 13 in Springfield's Court Square when Symphony Hall welcomed a large crowd into its warm musical celebration. Guest conductor Damien Sneed and soloists Jason Flowers and Mebrakh Haughton-Johnson played as one with the orchestra to fill our ears and hearts with the pastoral harmonies and dissonances evoking scenes of the American South.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The occasion afforded the opportunity to showcase the talents of current and past Black artists who demonstrated to the diverse audience the contributions, richness, and skill of our African-American orchestral heritage.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The program, dedicated to Martin Luther King, Jr., featured works by African-American composers. Two symphonic works by Florence Price, originally performed in the 1920’s, opened each half of the program. Her “Colonial Dance” and the “Concert Overture No.1” alternated plaintive melodies with broad pastoral harmonies. Price was the first African American woman to have a composition played by a major orchestra. Price's gift for arousing drama and emotion also led to her success in silent films accompaniments.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5kwIgbKEKr_lmzq8LU-hFpWovEt_sC0gl0LzBl14oJKksNt3sdSsd_mL10OYEshJ4CyjjF7KGvMphkCWe5VJvNaji8KRfmqHHu9V8-hVfrwNp19si5jYZj0eQ9UP5ORAo4vUp9DApuBA9X15tydLVKh2-xIrKTT54J8p29wxu-hSHH2nQXlzPMR2VOKD/s182/FP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="182" data-original-width="182" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5kwIgbKEKr_lmzq8LU-hFpWovEt_sC0gl0LzBl14oJKksNt3sdSsd_mL10OYEshJ4CyjjF7KGvMphkCWe5VJvNaji8KRfmqHHu9V8-hVfrwNp19si5jYZj0eQ9UP5ORAo4vUp9DApuBA9X15tydLVKh2-xIrKTT54J8p29wxu-hSHH2nQXlzPMR2VOKD/s1600/FP.jpg" width="182" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Florence Price<br />Los Angeles Sentinel</td></tr></tbody></table>Price’s student and friend Margaret Bonds provided the second orchestral work of the evening, “The Montgomery Variations in 6 parts,” also produced a movie-soundtrack quality. The lyricism of each part depicted percussive undertones of suspense, hopeful voices of the horns, and the regal dignity of nonviolent response. This work captured Montgomery, Alabama's response to the mid-1950 bus boycott and the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Jason Flowers, an exciting young pianist, performed a remarkable interpretation of James R. Johnson's “Yamekraw,” a musical poem portraying the Savannah Harlem Renaissance artistic community. Inspired by Gershwin's “Rhapsody in Blue,” critics have assessed this piece as capturing a more authentic sound than Gershwin's work. Sneed impressively coordinated the solo passages with the orchestral syncopation, vividly illustrating the productive creative community.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">During intermission, the young man from Amherst Regional High School who won the Senator Edward W. Brooke Young Oratorical Competition spoke eloquently on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. He reminded us of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s words, “Of all forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhumane.” </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A British musician, Mebrakh Haughton-Johnson played a lively jazz clarinet solo in “Three Ethnic Dances” by David Baker. His ebullient sound soared between and above the orchestra's, manifesting the jitterbug, slow drag, and calypso. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Duke Ellington performed in Springfield several times. His spirit returned to Symphony Hall when guest conductor, Damien Sneed, composed and conducted the world premiere of his “Symphonic Homage to the Duke”. This performance capped the evening with the full measure of joyful expression to send the audience out to bravely face the challenges of 2024.</span></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-24482764601230948682024-01-12T11:41:00.000-05:002024-01-12T11:41:10.678-05:00REVIEW: Majestic Theater, "The Importance of Being Earnest"<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Majestic Theater, West Springfield, MA</span></div><div><a href="http://www.majestictheater.com"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">www.majestictheater.com</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">through February 4, 2024</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">by Shera Cohen</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFSnqWutFxe1q39poxHvjql-4KBNnlmOc1XkFgCVLecXkOfE2Fs76u6nxme3_dF2of5sFJEph7FPxgmXbMp18ITsskiBIQfubOz_dtOZE8RwonA5SCWRN_ZvstgE7440Z_jtRsVexMWWVCcc0As6C0HqldN1nWGSsWKBEAH2Y-3hEPvFc9Pi0q3LrMCFga/s1179/0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="1179" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFSnqWutFxe1q39poxHvjql-4KBNnlmOc1XkFgCVLecXkOfE2Fs76u6nxme3_dF2of5sFJEph7FPxgmXbMp18ITsskiBIQfubOz_dtOZE8RwonA5SCWRN_ZvstgE7440Z_jtRsVexMWWVCcc0As6C0HqldN1nWGSsWKBEAH2Y-3hEPvFc9Pi0q3LrMCFga/s320/0.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Katie Rankin</td></tr></tbody></table>Oscar Wilde subtitled his best-known play, “The Importance of Being Earnest,” as “a trivial <br />comedy for serious people”. Those words were certainly a pro pos in 1890’s England. It is likely that none, but the upper crust of London attended theatre. If those patrons of 120+ years-ago could laugh at themselves and their ilk, then Wilde’s work was a success.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Apparently, “Earnest’s” climb to the near-top of the “old chestnut” history of plays is the reason that thousands of productions are performed by hundreds of theatre troupes each year.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Majestic’s 2023/24 season, as well as several in recent years, focuses a good deal on new plays and/or contemporary writers. Bravo! If no one had given Shakespeare, Moliere, and Wilde, et al, opportunities and stages, where would the importance of theatre be now?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Quickly into Act I, of the three-act play, “Earnest’s” plot is clear. In the stylized format of many theatre pieces, included are mistaken identities, foundlings finding families, servants far more knowing than their employers, and instant coupling (usually 3 = 6 people).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">With Rand Foerster, the director at the helm, and a cast of primarily Equity actors, “Earnest” successfully brings out the humor of the turn of the last century and interprets it to modern-day Majestic patrons.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Rylan Morsbach and Peter Evangelista (characters Jack and Algernon, respectively) are at the crux of the shenanigans. Both, at one time or another, are named Earnest, making for funny confusion. Morsbach, as the serious Earnest, often performs at Berkshire Theatre Group, will undoubtedly go far in his career. Evangelista portrays the more frivolous Earnest. This is essentially a “buddy play”.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Caelie Scott Flanagan and Alexandra O’Halloran (Cecily and Gwendolyn) portray the fiancés. True love at first sight accentuates the farce. Flanagan matches Cecily with frivolity and naivete. O’Halloran is far more severe in language and stance; equal to serious Earnest.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The final of the three duos are Miss Prism (Krista Lucas) and Reverend Chasuble (Peter Hicks) in supporting roles. Yet, it is this match that steals the stage. Lucas, especially, depicts Miss Prism as dour but with hidden sparks of passion and humor.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In a key role moving the play forward is Lisa Abend (Lady Bracknell). Representing the top of London’s caste system, Bracknell’s all-business sets every important of the play into place.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">No role is too small. Tom Dahl, as the butler, takes every advantage to deliver vocal and physical humor. He is a natural.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“Earnest” is costumed and coiffed well, from polished spats to feather hats.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The show date was only the third, yet every audience member deserves the best that the company and venue can offer each night. Yes, the 3-act play moved quickly, but oftentimes with lines thrown away as asides; the audience waits for punchlines. Many moments were neglected when opportunities for laughs could have easily occurred simply by a pause. Perhaps as the play’s run continues, the director, cast, or audience will notice that “Earnest” has more potential in an otherwise excellent production.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-46113304334061981502024-01-06T19:44:00.008-05:002024-01-06T19:44:59.822-05:00REVIEW: Berkshire Bach Society, "Bach at New Year’s"<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Academy of Music, Northampton, MA</span></div><div><a href="https://berkshirebach.org"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">https://berkshirebach.org</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">December 30, 2023</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">by Michael J. Moran</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOCICtR2dP_y-M_JYKxbGaYI2S8g0hf0yP9D6yPpbT_1SU6aJcUQg6QhSj7kqhm-IxleSLfrbZBgj8PmbxLhD5eMYeuvT-aFaBeKpHkFIlnv0l7t0ljLrseTT8uV4FM84I8S2ULHfoUxU-Run_DJiEIkXjYt9SF-ylUn1Ucw3a82RtMNi4M3ublpZWij3/s264/Berkshire%20Bach.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="264" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOCICtR2dP_y-M_JYKxbGaYI2S8g0hf0yP9D6yPpbT_1SU6aJcUQg6QhSj7kqhm-IxleSLfrbZBgj8PmbxLhD5eMYeuvT-aFaBeKpHkFIlnv0l7t0ljLrseTT8uV4FM84I8S2ULHfoUxU-Run_DJiEIkXjYt9SF-ylUn1Ucw3a82RtMNi4M3ublpZWij3/s1600/Berkshire%20Bach.jpeg" width="264" /></a></div>This annual concert presented every New Year’s weekend in three Berkshire-area venues by <br />professional musicians from the region and beyond can always be counted on to send the old year out and welcome the new year in on a high note.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This year’s program, led by Eugene Drucker, Music Director of the seasoned sixteen-member Berkshire Bach Ensemble (and a founding violinist of the recently retired Emerson String Quartet), opened with a sprightly reading of Corelli’s so-called “Christmas” Concerto, inscribed “for the night of Christmas,” likely in 1690. The unusual closing pastorale was especially tender.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Kenneth Weiss then soloed in a lively account of Bach’s 1734 first concerto for harpsichord and orchestra, with a notably solemn central “Adagio” movement. Drucker (otherwise leading from the concertmaster’s chair) was next an expressive soloist in the same master’s 1730 violin concerto in A minor, where again the slow movement, this time marked “Andante,” made the deepest emotional impression.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Intermission featured an entertaining rarity, the five-movement 1728 “Gulliver Suite” for two violins by Bach’s friend Telemann, depicting episodes from Jonathan Swift’s then recent (1726) novel “Gulliver’s Travels.” Violists Ronald Gorevic and Liuh-Wen Ting played a transcription for two violas with humor and verve, including a stately “Lilliputian Chaconne” and a brisk “Brobdingnagian Gigue.”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Telemann’s concerto for two oboes and bassoon, “Concerto alla francese,” next showcased oboists Margaret Owens and Jessica Warren and bassoonist Stephen Walt as elegant soloists. Flutist Judith Mendenhall and violinist Michael Roth then soloed virtuosically in Handel’s 1734 Concerto Grosso, Op. 3/3, which offers, in Drucker’s words, “fugal writing that almost rivals Bach’s command of counterpoint.”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Next up was Biber’s wild-sounding, war-inspired 1673 suite “Battalia a 10,” whose “March” asks the double bass player to imitate the sound of a snare drum by placing a sheet of paper between the strings and the fingerboard, a move skillfully executed by Rick Ostrovsky. The concert closed with an exuberant performance of Bach’s second “Brandenburg” Concerto, which highlighted the clarion trumpet sound of Maximilian Morel.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This two-hour plus festival of Baroque music was further enhanced by the Academy’s warm yet clear acoustics. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Berkshire Bach Society next presents organist Renee Anne Louprette on February 10, 2024 at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House in Housatonic, MA.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-76171913167818610892023-12-11T21:34:00.002-05:002023-12-11T21:34:14.861-05:00REVIEW: Hartford Symphony Orchestra, "Beethoven 5+5"<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Bushnell, Hartford, CT</span></div><div><a href="http://www.hartfordsymphony.org"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">www.hartfordsymphony.org</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">December 8-10, 2023</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">by Michael J. Moran</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For the fourth “Masterworks” weekend of their 80th anniversary season, guest conductor Gerard Schwarz led the HSO in two classic Beethoven fifths from 1808/09– his last concerto for piano and orchestra, nicknamed the “Emperor;” and perhaps the most famous symphony ever written.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">HSO opened its program with the 2022 “Four Hymns Without Words” for trumpet and orchestra by African-American composer Adolphus Hailstork. He notes that “each begins with melody and harmony that sound like a hymn tune” and calls his music “tonal, lyrical, and very rhythmic.” The clarion tone of soloist John Charles Thomas, HSO assistant principal trumpet, and lively support from his colleagues and Schwarz revealed many colors in this stirring 10-minute suite.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ksdKd4wsZHcGa1Q5wfMeBtswPd9sr0i3YVvYwBKACIisJ6OSSlxv8DQ8aOqo9xtypDPjKGq0-YWVMk6QbeOqHakSdRoJsRGuMd46xMY71NsocawuSfN9R0doP6Mal2KkEP39TeiFrOBFNQX3vJHXwtEif_s_x3nQGQdvy1x0ax0d1ex5wsnivhwTiMOR/s259/Orion%20Weiss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ksdKd4wsZHcGa1Q5wfMeBtswPd9sr0i3YVvYwBKACIisJ6OSSlxv8DQ8aOqo9xtypDPjKGq0-YWVMk6QbeOqHakSdRoJsRGuMd46xMY71NsocawuSfN9R0doP6Mal2KkEP39TeiFrOBFNQX3vJHXwtEif_s_x3nQGQdvy1x0ax0d1ex5wsnivhwTiMOR/s1600/Orion%20Weiss.jpg" width="259" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orion Weiss</td></tr></tbody></table>Hailstork’s conservative modernism actually highlighted Beethoven’s radicalism two centuries earlier. At 40-minutes, his “Emperor” concerto was the longest written to date, and it started the now standard composer practice of writing all the notes formerly improvised in solo passages. Nationally acclaimed Ohio-born pianist Orion Weiss was a powerful and eloquent soloist, easily meeting Beethoven’s every technical challenge and the shifting emotional demands of a majestic opening “Allegro” movement, a sublime “Adagio un poco mosso,” and a rollicking “Rondo: Allegro” finale. Schwarz and the HSO were robust partners.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In complete contrast, Weiss responded to a rousing ovation with a ravishing encore of the hushed “Nocturne” from Grieg’s “Lyric Suite” that held the audience’s rapt attention for nearly five minutes.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The concert closed with an electrifying account of Beethoven’s fifth symphony that made this musical warhorse sound new again. From the familiar opening four-note motif of a tempestuous “Allegro con brio,” a flowing “Andante con moto,” and a stormy “Allegro” transition to a triumphant grandest of all grand “Allegro” finales, Schwarz had the HSO playing with white-hot intensity. Now Music Director of the Palm Beach Symphony, with previous experience leading the Seattle Symphony, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival, his professional skill and engaging stage presence were much appreciated in Hartford.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The HSO’s next Masterworks program (February 9-11), “Enduring Love Stories,” will feature Music Director Carolyn Kuan and guest husband-and-wife duo Rupert Boyd on guitar and Laura Metcalf on cello in a world premiere titled "Girl Meets Boyd" by Clarice Assad, with music by Tchaikovsky, Wagner, and Offenbach.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-90207980521517018392023-12-09T12:30:00.006-05:002023-12-09T12:30:41.684-05:00REVIEW: TheaterWorks Hartford, "Christmas on the Rocks"<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">TheaterWorks Hartford, Hartford CT</span></div><div><a href="http://www.twhartford.org"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">www.twhartford.org</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">through December 23, 2023</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">by Jarice Hanson</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFnbSBjiqWCRwhPck2ys9hTn35Qa9xEGz6FnxZv9dpguxkRUx7zMZS02zUxiNUtunbC8HASmc32IAQKtd6jAg-5RORMJcc_ktHW4q9XdctKZ5EmwBGtrCUY_pngSRyxDDh5e7V-rEo9UYC-j3ktmKrsr06zSZyyGAWesDq1HLn3RlRkQxDGaY_2s6UEOW/s1800/Karen-1800x900-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1800" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFnbSBjiqWCRwhPck2ys9hTn35Qa9xEGz6FnxZv9dpguxkRUx7zMZS02zUxiNUtunbC8HASmc32IAQKtd6jAg-5RORMJcc_ktHW4q9XdctKZ5EmwBGtrCUY_pngSRyxDDh5e7V-rEo9UYC-j3ktmKrsr06zSZyyGAWesDq1HLn3RlRkQxDGaY_2s6UEOW/s320/Karen-1800x900-1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jen Cody as "Karen"</span></td></tr></tbody></table>From the moment you enter the theater and see the set flanked by two video screens running scenes from favorite childhood classic television shows and hear pre-show Christmas carols at bar-level volume, you know this show will be something a little different. The references to childhood icons and contemporary music trigger memories of Christmases past—the good—the bad—and the weird. For 95-minutes the audience becomes a family of strangers who are united by the collective popular culture that surrounds the Holiday Season.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“Christmas on the Rocks” was originally conceived of and directed by Rob Ruggiero in 2013, and Ruggiero has continued to direct all 11 iterations of the show since then. The concept is simple, but beautifully set up: the set is a seedy bar on Christmas Eve, with various characters from old TV programs popping in for a scene with the bartender. This year, the bartender, “Larry,” is played by the wonderful Richard Kline, known to many in the audience from the old television show, “Three’s Company” where he also played a character named “Larry." And the audience loves him.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Two actors, Harry Bouvy and Jen Cody have returned this year to alternate in the 8 scenes written by 7 different playwrights: John Cariani, Judy Gold, Jenn Harris, Jeffrey Hatcher, Jacques Lamarre, Edwin Sanchez, and Matthew Wilkas. One of this year’s new offerings, “A Smidge of Midge” by Edwin Sanchez and Jacques Lamarre, capitalizes on this year’s big hit, “Barbie,” but the show wraps up with an old favorite, “Merry Christmas, Blockhead” by Lamarre that is funny, poignant, and just the right note on which to tie the bow on this Holiday gift to the audience. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It's clear that this show has become a favorite for many families (those with older children because of the adult situations and language) and groups of friends, because some people in the audience couldn’t help but laugh out loud or mutter something like “I love this one” when they saw Bouvy or Cody enter as characters they loved. Familiarity, whether it is with the actors, the characters, or the situations, fits the intimate space of TheaterWorks Hartford and makes this a Holiday celebration even the most holiday-weary audience member can enjoy. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Kline, Cody, and Bouvy obviously love working together and their chemistry on stage is palpable. They seem to be having a wonderful time, and the audience apparently agrees. “Christmas on the Rocks” is a marker of our culture—especially for those of us who grew up with television as a part of our holiday, and a celebration of our collective past. It’s nice to see characters we recognize, even though they’ve grown up and have grown-up problems. And yes, as the program professes, it is a little bit naughty.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-58368054409691298962023-12-09T12:24:00.001-05:002023-12-09T12:24:26.336-05:00Review: Goodspeed Musicals, “Dreamgirls”<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Goodspeed Opera House, Haddem, CT</span></div><div><a href="http://www.goodspeed.org"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">www.goodspeed.org</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">through December 30, 2023</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">by R. Smith</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYuIrJykM0XU0f3aEEPdTRSsUwwr_E3OJpFK2h1qEuzuriUwlsjUH9SwNHNtskgtDtU0hGoZvA6ASuYV6HqAGAzlpXAcodx7jLRQbBH6UW3HF4Msq0VTk2T61JU1ZgqXKBLh325SF8XFwkmM-JWdRPJQp51FXJPtIxJ08zhNkvDJJOoYe0FG057hDQQkBb/s700/gallery_l_4.%20Trejah%20Bostic,%20Ta-Tynisa%20Wilson%20and%20Keirsten%20Hodgens%20with%20the%20cast%20of%20Goodspeeds%20Dreamgirls.%20Photo%20by%20Diane%20Sobolewski.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="700" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYuIrJykM0XU0f3aEEPdTRSsUwwr_E3OJpFK2h1qEuzuriUwlsjUH9SwNHNtskgtDtU0hGoZvA6ASuYV6HqAGAzlpXAcodx7jLRQbBH6UW3HF4Msq0VTk2T61JU1ZgqXKBLh325SF8XFwkmM-JWdRPJQp51FXJPtIxJ08zhNkvDJJOoYe0FG057hDQQkBb/s320/gallery_l_4.%20Trejah%20Bostic,%20Ta-Tynisa%20Wilson%20and%20Keirsten%20Hodgens%20with%20the%20cast%20of%20Goodspeeds%20Dreamgirls.%20Photo%20by%20Diane%20Sobolewski.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Diane Sobolewski</td></tr></tbody></table>“Dreamgirls” is a veiled variation on the turbulent story of Diana Ross and the Supremes, Berry Gordy and Motown Records. Perceived as a more “recent” show (it premiered in 1981) it is probably one that newer theatergoers have heard of but never seen. Even the Hollywood adaptation came out 17 years ago. Although having a large cast, and being ostensibly about group dynamics and family, it is individual elements that stand out in Goodspeed’s latest revival. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When the ensemble works, it is in the group musical numbers that lovingly recreate the Motown sound, especially in the first part of the first act which is a rapid-fire musical journey through the mid/late 1960s. The title song, for instance, is spot-on “girl group.” There’s also some doo-wop, smooth R&B and even a little disco.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Then there’s the star making “(And I am Telling You) I’m Not Going” which belongs to the character of Effie. Even though the character is not immediately sympathetic, by the time this showstopper comes along, she’s earned the right to her pain. Director Lili-Anne Brown’s notes indicate that the first priority was to cast actors who happen to also sing and dance well and this Trejah Bostic, as Effie, certainly does. The powerhouse number succeeds because it is driven by emotion as much as vocal prowess and Bostic delivers both.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Mykal Kilgore’s character Jimmy (a James Brown surrogate) has just as many trials and tribulations as the title characters, and may actually have made for a pretty solid show just on his own. Jimmy is a lot of “id” and that requires comedy, pathos, manic energy and sheer personality to make the audience love him as they do. Kilgore’s facial expressions, line delivery and other-worldly singing voice exudes the force and depth of his talent. The energy level of the show is elevated each time he is on stage.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Much credit must be given to the performers and director for overcoming some inherent weakness in the book, which doesn’t give the characters much depth but rather relies on archetype. Ta-Tynisa Wilson, as Deena, especially, does all she can to give a very passive character some life, with her body language and presence. Never given her own true solo moment, Wilson still makes you take notice when she gets to step up and sing.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The show is full of visual excitement as well, evidenced by Samantha C. Jones costume design that spans almost 2 decades. Even the proscenium of the stage is bedecked in a shimmering fringe.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It is fitting that Goodpseed, with its mission of preserving and reviving American musicals, has staged this production and thoughtfully engaged an artistic team that brings a unique and appropriate authenticity to the production. While not an all-out, non-stop blockbuster, “Dreamgirls” has amazing moments of musical theatre greatness that should be seen by any devotee of the genre.</span></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-29902997836989447232023-11-24T17:14:00.001-05:002023-11-24T17:14:05.567-05:00REVIEW: The Bushnell, "Moulin Rouge! The Musical!"<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Bushnell, Hartford, CT</span></div><div><a href="http://www.Bushnell.org"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">www.Bushnell.org</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Through November 26, 2023</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">By Jarice Hanson</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64VoDHlxFgGj0SC0br2DcwmdI-zTnlfWBAdZCN4FqWGxVRcjygMG1x2jRHgWZkXDuZ65tGbZPpAn63f7aUUVutWfv-t8Dc3WhLqTJzZai-yqY9pXkoorqI_hS4UxvBBOZCwfzjz8Fo6ZIEM4JcNAwuyzqCUC1uK2rvS5KxRPX6OvcVnnx7aKiR1R8q62t/s2942/1695%20-%20The%20cast%20of%20the%20North%20American%20Tour%20of%20Moulin%20Rouge!%20The%20Musical%2050pct.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1961" data-original-width="2942" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64VoDHlxFgGj0SC0br2DcwmdI-zTnlfWBAdZCN4FqWGxVRcjygMG1x2jRHgWZkXDuZ65tGbZPpAn63f7aUUVutWfv-t8Dc3WhLqTJzZai-yqY9pXkoorqI_hS4UxvBBOZCwfzjz8Fo6ZIEM4JcNAwuyzqCUC1uK2rvS5KxRPX6OvcVnnx7aKiR1R8q62t/s320/1695%20-%20The%20cast%20of%20the%20North%20American%20Tour%20of%20Moulin%20Rouge!%20The%20Musical%2050pct.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by Matthew Murphy</span></td></tr></tbody></table>The Bushnell has stepped up its game this year with touring companies that are better than ever. In the current production, a cast of 38 talented singers and dancers accompanied by an exceptionally tight 10-piece band bring the Broadway spectacle "Moulin Rouge! The Musical!" to enthusiastic audiences in a sexy, suggestive treat for the eyes and ears.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The plot is thin, but the story is secondary to this experience for the senses. Scene designer Derek McLane has created a beautiful, appealing cavalcade of sets to simulate the original club, the Moulin Rouge, which opened in the Montmartre area of Paris in 1889 and where the cancan was born.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Seamlessly, the sets morph from the club to the streets of Paris, celebrating the bohemian life, and the elegance of the wealthy. McLane's work is complimented by Justin Townsend’s spectacular lighting design and Catherine Zuber’s risqué, gender-bending costumes. Choreographer Sonya Tayeh won a Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Award for her innovative dance and movement, and this cast delivers the intention of the choreography with energy and style.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">When Baz Luhrmann created the original movie, "Moulin Rouge!," he used popular music as the soundtrack. In this staged production of the film, some of the music has been updated to include musical artists like Lady Gaga, for example, but the songs are all tunes the audience would know from other musical artists. There are no original songs written for the stage production, but those songs seem to take on a different meaning when interwoven into the sketchy story.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Gabrielle McClinton is a lovely leading lady who is the titular star of the Moulin Rouge, and Christian Douglas is the young American suitor with whom she falls in love. Both have wonderful voices that express great range and ability to interpret the songs. Robert Petkoff as the MC of the club delivers the comedy and Parisian smarmy quality expected in this type of spectacle; and Andrew Brewer is the sexy, evil Duke. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The show is long – 2 hours and 45 minutes including intermission, and the two acts are somewhat uneven in action and pace, but that is not the point of "Moulin Rouge! The Musical!"</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Audiences desiring a memorable story may be disappointed, but anyone who is familiar with the Baz Luhrmann film with be thrilled with the experience of being drawn into the environment of Moulin Rouge! the place, the experience, and the spectacle. The show is pure fun and fantasy, and very well done.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-6787972950803995372023-11-14T21:20:00.004-05:002023-11-14T21:20:26.041-05:00REVIEW: South Windsor Cultural Arts, "Xiaohui Yang"<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Evergreen Crossings, South Windsor, CT</span></div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/SouthWindsorCulturalArts/"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">www.facebook.com/SouthWindsorCulturalArts/</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">November 12, 2023</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">by Michael J. Moran</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The third concert of SWCA’s 41st season featured Chinese pianist Xiaohui Yang – a winner of the 2017 Naumburg International Piano Competition, and a Curtis, Juilliard, and Peabody graduate - in a richly varied program of challenging repertoire, which she introduced with brief, informative, and touchingly personal comments.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">She opened with a supple account of Mozart’s 1782 “Twelve Variations on “Ah, vous dirai-je maman,” better known to Americans as “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” It must have delighted her seven-week-old daughter Maya, who she said was her rehearsal audience for this performance.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Next came sensitive readings of two Nocturnes by Faure. Placing the more “sorrowful” No. 7 in C-sharp minor (1898) before the sunnier No. 6 in D-sharp major (1894), Yang faithfully captured the full emotional turmoil of both pieces. To illustrate their “contrast” with the contemporary “Four Pieces for Piano,” Op. 119 (1893) by Brahms, she played these three Intermezzos and closing Rhapsody with a more classical restraint. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Introducing the “Six Little Piano Pieces,” Op. 19 by Schoenberg, Yang was almost apologetic for the music’s atonal style. But her prediction that it would be surprisingly listenable proved accurate, as her crystalline keyboard touch teased out hints of melody in these sparkling miniatures.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Commissioned by the Naumburg Foundation for Yang’s Carnegie Hall premiere, Israeli American composer Shulamit Ran’s 2019 “Ballade” alternates declamatory with reflective passages. Yang said Ran told her to “have fun and run with it;” her exuberant approach to the work in South Windsor exuded that spirit. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Crediting her husband for suggesting that she end the concert, as she began it, with a set of variations, she closed the afternoon with an electrifying rendition of Chopin’s 1827 “Variations on La ci darem la mano,” a flirtatious duet in Mozart’s 1787 opera “Don Giovanni.” In this showpiece Yang demonstrated the combination of technical finesse and interpretive depth that suggest a long and brilliant career ahead for this engaging young artist.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">All concerts in this free series take place on Sundays at 2:00 pm, and seating on a first-come, first-served basis begins a half-hour prior. Next up SWCA will present violinist Irina Muresanu and pianist Daniel Del Pino on January 21, 2024.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-5519245938746821382023-11-14T21:18:00.001-05:002023-11-14T21:18:16.593-05:00REVIEW: Hartford Symphony Orchestra, "Ravel & Debussy"<div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Bushnell, Hartford, CT</span></div><div><a href="http://www.hartfordsymphony.org"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">www.hartfordsymphony.org</span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">November 10-12, 2023</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">by Michael J. Moran</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As she did on the first two “Masterworks” weekends of their 80th anniversary season, HSO Music Director Carolyn Kuan surrounded two HSO premieres of recent rarities on the third program with two popular masterpieces from the standard repertory.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The concert opened with Claude Debussy’s 1894 Prelude to “The Afternoon of a Faun,” based on a poem of that name by Debussy’s friend Stephane Mallarme. In a spoken introduction, Kuan called it “the birth of modern music” and “full of ambiguity,” and the vibrant performance she led by the HSO captured both qualities, with special kudos to principal flutist Dominique Kim and harpists Susan Knapp Thomas and Mae Cooke. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This was followed by fiery renditions of Chinese-born Huang Ruo’s colorfully scored four 2012 “Folk Songs for Orchestra,” which the composer hoped “to preserve and…transform…into new pieces of art.” Outstanding HSO soloists were concertmaster Leonid Sigal in “Little Blue Flower” and hyperactive percussionists Doug Perry and David West throughout.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Next came a real novelty: British-American musical polymath Michael Spivakovsky’s 1951 <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2iKVJwqU7bF-j-pdbmPGpsBaV-NoJNGWcFr6nS-1-jJX-GxeXn2OATEjZCqG8xJB7gnKwE2wyJG3tuT592AwP317fq3EsLPvv91TSoXR7hVluejMLT_w9oc2YWJvFiQwtyQ3VK0OYRc-C_8-pi02vw3qPXWYzKFaK2dajINfjD8j4UMXZ3OxLl2-hDaw/s225/Cy%20Leo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2iKVJwqU7bF-j-pdbmPGpsBaV-NoJNGWcFr6nS-1-jJX-GxeXn2OATEjZCqG8xJB7gnKwE2wyJG3tuT592AwP317fq3EsLPvv91TSoXR7hVluejMLT_w9oc2YWJvFiQwtyQ3VK0OYRc-C_8-pi02vw3qPXWYzKFaK2dajINfjD8j4UMXZ3OxLl2-hDaw/s16000/Cy%20Leo.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cy Leo</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Harmonica Concerto. Written in the light classical style of Leroy Anderson, its three tuneful movements demand the utmost virtuosity from the soloist. Hong Kong-born Cy Leo didn’t disappoint, tossing off its many challenges with kinetic and crowd-pleasing flair. Kuan and the HSO were committed accompanists.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But Leo’s encore - a jazz-inflected romp through the traditional Irish chestnut “Danny Boy” – was even more astonishing, from soulful interludes to audience handclapping, foot-stomping, and singalong. No more persuasive advocate for the harmonica in classical music can be imagined than this charismatic rising star. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">While the 15-minute suite is relatively familiar, the concert ended with Maurice Ravel’s seldom heard complete half-hour ballet “Mother Goose.” This 1911 score depicts four tales – Sleeping Beauty, Tom Thumb, Beauty and the Beast, and the Empress of the Pagodas – in music of great delicacy and charm. Kuan drew a dazzling account from all sections of the orchestra, and the lush “Fairy Garden” epilogue brought the full ensemble together for an exhilarating happily-ever-after ending. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">At the HSO’s next program (December 8-10), “Beethoven 5+5,” guest conductor Gerard Schwarz will precede that composer’s fifth piano concerto (the “Emperor”), featuring pianist Orion Weiss, and fifth symphony with a new piece by African American Adolphus Hailstork.</span></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355459044190756589.post-39641428262359074962023-11-08T21:08:00.000-05:002023-11-08T21:08:03.243-05:00Preview: Indian Orchard Citizens Council, "Frances Perkins: A Woman’s Work"<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5wt69BC18no-RXV0hL3o9c1GQiWVz__SGVpzEEjlOENn77szBJFkqrr-bW1ujVTsZxtpcKfg8nzCCece8KTYdM6TbHc5FtO08guPzaTBkCdomO-Um9FCOo1t3x1nN_OuECEfyerL2HIhVV8HSZhF9fqNt3jCpNi-_POfeF5Na_Tfz_lwaXhnjmnS9wiNB/s792/Frances%20Perkins%20flyer%20IOCC%202%20(5).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="612" height="602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5wt69BC18no-RXV0hL3o9c1GQiWVz__SGVpzEEjlOENn77szBJFkqrr-bW1ujVTsZxtpcKfg8nzCCece8KTYdM6TbHc5FtO08guPzaTBkCdomO-Um9FCOo1t3x1nN_OuECEfyerL2HIhVV8HSZhF9fqNt3jCpNi-_POfeF5Na_Tfz_lwaXhnjmnS9wiNB/w466-h602/Frances%20Perkins%20flyer%20IOCC%202%20(5).jpg" width="466" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com