"Viva la operetta!"

Review

Director Guerrero, using only a small acting space and nothing more than a door, a chair and bed as set pieces, utilized beautiful and, in some cases, symbolic rear projections to underpin the production, which is as much about the heart-breaking issue of immigration as it is about the heart-felt music.

Candide: the Best of All Possible Productions?

Review

All of Candide’s disasters could translate into a disastrous evening, but thanks to the clear and sure hand of director Zambello, the humor is allowed to speak for itself without too many additional bits and gags that often make a funny show tiresome and unwatchable.

This week: two lunchtime treats in the RBA

Review

De Sévigné's voice made the same journey; she started from a young place, almost a timid sound, that finally bloomed (and perhaps wilted, appropriately). Her instrument has always had a bell-like ring to it, and lately she has proven that she is a layered artist, both in sound and in the thought she gives to her onstage work.

A well-executed mashup: Tap:Ex Forbidden

Review

Sky flitted around the scenes and acted almost as an echo of Hajek's Lucifer through the conscience of each character. That, coupled with a dramatic performance as a young child terrorist dreaming of the rewards he'll be given, made it chilling and powerful.

Album review: O Gladsome Light

Review

The songs by Edmund Rubbra (1901-1986) are the real find in this album. His songs have a unique sound, a style that's difficult to place, but eventually emerges as English - yet with an edge.

A Warhorse For Opera's New World?

Review

Mr. Hourie directed with a terse and foreboding air that dispelled any memories of the films. The sleek and minimal set, comprised of skeletal architectural elements and lace curtains facilitated the action. As scenographer Hourie filled picture frames suggesting decaying ancestral portraits with video of flames, ghosts and all manner of frightening imagery.

Never black & white: Abduction at the COC

Review

It was a decidedly more positive portrayal of the "Mohameddans" as they're called in a new prologue by Mouawad. However, we are sort of expected to gloss over the fact that Bassa Selim is involved in the slave trade (he hands Blonde off to Osmin as property) and reward him for being "kind" to Konstanze and Blonde - meaning he didn't imprison them or send them to the kitchens, but to the bedrooms.

Heavenly voice visits the City of Angels

Review

The night ended with a nod to Leonard Bernstein's 100th Birthday - "Somewhere" from West Side Story. The lyrics "There's a place for us - somewhere a place for us…" she dedicated to the DACA Dreamers, and the evening ended with many in tears and everyone on their feet for several standing ovations.

Androgyny is sexy: Carmen at ROH

Review

In Barrie Kosky's new production for the Royal Opera that had its premiere in 2016 at Oper Frankfurt, there is no time period, nor geographical location. The sultry voice of Claude de Demo narrates the story and sets the scene in between musical numbers, in lieu of spoken dialogue or recitative. All this being said, the entire evening was thrilling and unforgettable for all the right reasons.

Help wanted: Els Comediants bring Barber to Houston

Review

At any rate, the production focuses on the perennial problem of "finding good help these days;" do the servants really care about their employers' tribulations? Is it any wonder that Bartolo's (Peixin Chen) house is falling apart? Indeed, the Houston Grand Opera Chorus were skilled at portraying a motley group of musicians who just need to keep their voices down once in a while, lest they attract the attention of the bayonet-armed, plume-graced Seville gendarmes.