La Gazzetta: The Funny Papers

Review

All the antics amount to nothing more than a big helium balloon and to keep the whole enterprise on the ground, director and designer Josh Shaw has approached it as if it were a musical-comedy. Every "song" is a "number" filled with coordinated movements and choreography.

The TSO's joyful ode to Oundjian

Review

The symphony itself feels like an entire world, encompassing at once the life of one man - I always like it to be Beethoven's - and the lives of all people. It feels as though Beethoven offers up his story first, a conversation starter with humanity, letting us know of his hardships and his joys and his sense of humour, like an invitation for us to respond.

The Medium: opera as film noir

Review

The film deserves broader exposure. Seven decades after Menotti composed the score and wrote the libretto, both still sound ever so inventive and contemporary. As a film director Menotti nurtured a naturalistic atmosphere in which it appears inevitable that his characters sing and in the process he has created a finely honed example of operatic film noir.

A next-level Fledermaus in Des Moines

Review

Although Frosch is a relatively minor character in the operetta, Brian Frutiger quite frankly stole the entire last act in my opinion. His physical comedy and drunken slur had the audience in stitches during his first scene, and I think he could have kept ad libbing for an hour without any complaints from the crowd.

Rusalka: Opera at its most operatic

Review

The last act brought the curse to its deadly conclusion. I could sense the audience collectively grimacing as Rusalka wandered onstage, knife in hand and feet bloodied. The pristine white floors became stained with pools of red where she discarded her silvery heels. The imagery and music made it clear. There will be no happy ending for the poor nymph.

An Insightful, Relevant Look At Divas

Review

But of course, I would be remiss if I did not mention Arielle Rogers as Sisieretta Jones. Arielle Rogers had easily the most to do throughout the night: Sisieretta eventually became the emotional core of the evening, and that is no small task.

The Rose Elf: Hot Times In The Cool Catacombs

Review

Early in the opera the lovers share a moment in which they assume the role of rose petals and enfold the elf, quite literally, within themselves. It was a wildly passionate action, which, like the presence of a life-size elf, distorts our sense of reality, even within the confines of this dark fairy tale.

Shining a light: Toward Tomorrow

Review

Ko's rendition of Yentl's "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" and "A Piece of Sky" were both touching and fraught with emotion to open and close the show. Her aria "Elle a fui, la tourterelle" had wonderful moments of pathos, and her floated high notes were bright and brilliant.

Simulacrum: Futuristic angst and dance

Review

Broadly interpreted and playing to the opera's self styled emphasis on technology, Simulacrum is about the conflict between man and machine. More specifically, it is a story of futuristic angst told against a backdrop of techno-existentialism.

Opera 5's Barber: fab singing & Spanish flair

Review

One great concept is putting guitarist Andrew Cloutier into the action. He plays all the recitatives - a perfect sound that piques interest without pulling focus - and he plays a wordless role as the accompanist to Almaviva's serenades to Rosina, and to Rosina's singing lesson with "Don Alonso".