Orgy at the end

September 27, 2014 Ann Boland

DBH and I leave for Tucson in a week – so we decided to go out in a blaze of Chicago theatrical glory. Three very different experiences: Macbeth, All Our Tragic and The Whaleship Essex.

Macbeth, the opera version by Ernest Bloch, and staged by Chicago Opera Theater, is a rather lugubrious 1904 version of the Scots tragedy, totally saved by Sean T. Cawelti, the Video Designer. Not that there were not great moments of opera: Nmon Ford as Macbeth was both eye and ear candy. We will see more of him in larger opera venues. The few minutes of chorus time were splendid. 98% of the score was quasi-modern atonal, but the chorus was robust and alive with late 19th century tonality and lots of major and minor chords.

Sean T. Cawelti transformed the huge box of the Harris Theater into a stage framed with integrated video action. The three witches (here zaftig, young women) aimed video camera at their faces and bodies, producing huge close-up projected videos over the stage, which often featured other action. (The viewing challenge was not unlike attending an NBA game and finding yourself focusing on the video screens rather than the live action.) The only furnishings on the stage were a 25 x 6 table on which most of the action centered – and a few plain gray chairs. Video directly over the table doubled the action. Video at the corners transported the featured singer into swirls of mirror images, almost seeming to reveal the inner mind. How does Mr. Cawelti do it? Who knows, but he is magical. In our previous Chicago Opera Theater production, he designed the shadow puppets and video elements. Again, a significant enhancement to the theatrical experience. www.seancawelti.com

The Whaleship Essex, produced by Shattered Globe Theatre, and written by ensemble member, Joe Forbrich, is based on the book, The Wreck of the Whaleship Essex. This book was originally published in 1821 and written by First Mate Owen Chase just months after he returned home to Nantucket. It is the basis for Hermann Melville Moby Dick. The theater version includes 15 crew members that move from naïve land-lubbers to seasoned crew to dying survivors after a whale rams and sinks their ship. Survivors travel 2000 miles in three whalers. Most died and were eaten by the rest. No rainbows and unicorns in this story. Overall, well done, well-staged. I particularly enjoyed the sea chanties and spirituals that tied the story together.

Helen of Troy and her daughter, Hermione

Then there is All Our Tragic – 12 hours in the theater. Yes, you read right, 12 hours. We arrived about 10:30 A.M. to be there when the doors opened to obtain prime seats. And we really didn’t leave the theater until 11:15 in the evening. The event combines the 22 surviving Greek tragedies (Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides) into a single 12-hour epic. We loved it. This is “balls out”, “think no small thoughts” theater. What you expect in Chicago. 14 actors each played three roles and it seemed that many were in all the episodes, but that would be impossible. Still the pages of lines memorized and characters inhabited are staggering. Several things noted:
* 90% of the attendees were under 40 – Chicago is a young theater town.
* The producing company, The Hypocrites, gets it. Everything was perfectly handled from comfortable chairs, to restrooms cleaned, to lots of food, to a totally engaged and accommodating staff. We were left with nothing to complain about…
* We don’t know nearly enough about the Greek tragedies. Yes, we will reread them and enjoy them more than ever.

So we depart Chicago infused with the great cultural life and look forward to Tucson where the thoughts are not so large nor the productions so daring. But we anticipate fun at the local theater and frequent visits to the cinema for the Metropolitan Opera Live broadcasts.

Peru Diary - Day 23, Sept. 18, 2013 - Manu Wildlife Center Lodge

September 18, 2014 Ann Boland

Click here to read Day 23 Manu Wildlife Center Lodge.

Even when the fat man sings, it’s not over for me

July 13, 2014 Ann Boland

Three hits in two weeks: La Rondine by Puccini, Othello by Verdi and Lucrezia Borgia by Donizetti. And we are not at the Santa Fe Opera. These are re-broadcasts of previously live performances at our local theater. I guarantee that if you like opera at all, you will love the whole new medium of broadcast opera. No, it is not the same as being in the opera hall; for me it is better. First of all the investment is $12 for the rebroadcasts. Live broadcasts during the season run around $30. Compare that to the $150 to $250 a ticket we pay for really good seats at the opera hall. We get to see operas we would never see, with first class performers. I get to eat an apple during the performance (if I want). One time, a friend and I brought a picnic for the interval and ate at the tables outside of the theater. To find where this is happening near you, Google Metropolitan Opera broadcasts, or Royal Opera broadcasts. They also broadcast ballet and theater from the National in London.

La Rondine was so wonderful that I purchased the disks to listen again and again. This is a “lost” Puccini, swallowed by the start of WWI. It is beautiful and a relatively easy opera to stage – it should be performed more often. Many don’t consider it “serious” enough as Puccini originally designed it to be an operetta, but changed his mind. I rather enjoyed the lighter nature of the plot. This production from 2009 starred the soprano Angela Gheorghiu and the tenor Roberto Alagna.

Othello starred Johan Botha and Renée Fleming. But the real star was the bass-baritone Falk Struckmann’s forceful yet subtle Iago. Solemn, malignant and unassuming, Struckmann conveyed chillingly how Iago manages to wreak such havoc while eluding suspicion. This 2013 production was panned by the NYT because there was no chemistry between Botha and Fleming. Ok, she’s about 5’5” and weighs about 150 and he’s over 6’ and weighs 400+. Give us a break. This Othello did not need to play the race card to account for his problems. Also Botha’s emotions range from A – B. His one facial expression is a scow - but who cares with his voice! We loved it. It’s Verdi - so lush, lyrical and grand. I’m a big fan of duets, trios, quartets, etc. Verdi uses these devices to show different thoughts going on inside the minds of the characters. So, even though they are involved in a duet, they are not really communicating. Lovely, but strange.

And then there is The San Francisco Opera's Lucrezia Borgia, starring Renée Fleming as Lucrezia and Michael Fabiano as her long-lost son. This is a Donizetti opera, so lots of bel canto vocal flourishes and ensemble singing. Fleming sort of “swanned” through the role, but Fabiano as Gennaro, breathed life into the role's improbable conflicts and sang with both graceful lyricism and full-throated ardor. The fact that he is rock star sexy only enhanced his appeal. As his boon companion, Maffio Orsini, mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong, in a trouser role, was excellent and their duets were spell-binding. The real star was bass-baritone Vitalij Kowaljow, who gave a thrillingly robust and commanding account of the all-too-brief role of Duke Alfonso, Lucrezia's jealous husband. However, it has hard not to laugh when the director toyed with the affections of Maffio and Fabiano, adding bits of feigned homo-erotic lust and nose-rubbing. Really? They saved the best till last when Renée appeared in a Barbarbella costume for the third act. With a butch haircut. Really? Based on my little review, you may think I did not like this production, but it was wonderful. The minor imperfections only made it more appealing.

The 2014 - 2015 Met season begins in October. Here's the link.

A Night at the Opera - in Chicago

June 10, 2014 Ann Boland

DBH and I love to see “new to us” operas. Chicago Opera Theater presented two German operas in English, Viktor Ullmann’s The Emperor of Atlantis and Carl Orff’s The Clever One. The location was DePaul University’s Merle Reskin Theater, formerly the Blackstone Theater.

I have two vivid memories of the Blackstone, which is located directly north of the huge Hilton Hotel on Michigan Avenue. The first is attending a play with my fiancé on August 28, 1968. Totally unbeknownst to us, the Chicago Democratic Convention riots started during the production and we walked out into a mob of police, bloody young men and women and news cameras. We hoofed our way out of there fast. The second is taking my two nieces, Megan and Tracy, to see Joseph and His Technicolor Dreamcoat. To this day, they can still sing the songs.

The Harlequin and Death in The Emperor of Atlantis

The operas we saw were homage to German composers working during WWII. Ullmann is best remembered for his copious output while confined by the Nazis to the Theresienstadt ghetto. He later died at Auschwitz. The Emperor of Atlantis is written in the modern, atonal manner; you don’t go home humming the tunes. It’s a about death going on strike, much to the Emperor’s chagrin. He’s fighting a war and wants the enemies to die. In true politician fashion, the Emperor then declares that he has freed the country from death…and so it goes. Interesting, but not enjoyable. Notable was the center stage set which consisted of two bunk beds that imitated those seen in the horrible photos inside the concentration camp barracks.

The King, the Clever One and the shadow puppets behind paper panels.

Carl Orff’s survival during WWII may have resulted from collaboration with the Nazis. It’s the old tale of “he said, she said”, but he lived rather well under the Third Reich. Orff is best remembered for Carmina Burana, written in 1937. The Clever One reflects the primitive rhythm expressed by voices and percussion, combined with lyrical voices and orchestra, that characterizes Carmina. It’s the story of a clever woman who outwits the king in a most kind and loving way. It was the hit of the evening for us – because we love Carl Orff and because it was a fun and charming production.

Featured in both productions were outstanding singers; notably Emily Birsan, Soprano, David Govertsen, Bass-baritone, and Bernard Holcomb, Tenor. These are young talents that we will hear more from as they mature.

But for me, the greatest talent was the Video and Puppet Designer, Sean Cawelti. The Clever One was staged with three paper rolling screens behind the singers. These were used for drawing, video projection, cutting apart for entrances and exits, and for shadow puppets. The interaction of the set with the singers was dynamic and engaging. Hard to describe, but so effective.

Emotional void…

May 25, 2014 Ann Boland

DBH and I saw three plays recently – and none of them resonated with us. Yet most received sterling reviews. What’s wrong with us - especially after our delight with How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying?

First, we saw The White Snake, produced and directed by Mary Zimmerman. This woman can create. She’s a former MacArthur Fellow and now creative director at both The Goodman and Lookingglass Theaters in Chicago. She usually provides a thrill ride for her audience. Several years ago, her production of Metamorphosis at Lookingglass brought me to tears as I stood to applaud at the end, it was so stunning. But White Snake, produced at Goodman (where I feel the stage was too large for such a small production) was flat. There isn’t much of a story – a Chinese tale about a demon white snake who longs to be human and experience love, and the man who loves her. Same old, same old. Lots of Zimmerman stagecraft and panache, but no real heart.

Then onto to Cabaret, produced by The Citadel Theater Group in Lake Forest. We love Cabaret, and this is the fourth time we have seen it in two years. Are we Cabaret-ed out? No, this play always grabs my heartstrings. And per usual, the romance between Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz, who have the most lyrical songs and the best voices, did play beautifully. But Sally Bowles? Cassie Johnson played her with such an affected accent and no singing voice at all. Granted Sally is supposed to be a hard case cabaret floozy, but she does have a lot of great song and dance numbers and Cassie didn’t hit the mark with us. Dominic Rescigno’s Emcee was nuanced, but small. The Kit Kat girls and boys were suitably sleazy and Citadel did a good job of staging a large production in a very small space.

I wanted the Cabaret production to be mind-blowing. My two nieces, ages 16 and 13 were with us - their first really adult musical theater. They both had just studied the Holocaust, so it was appropriate that they see how theater can treat such a tragic subject with music, laughter, respect and awe.

Lastly, we raced to see Exit Strategy, a new play by Ike Holter produced by Jackalope Theater in the depths of the old Armory on North Broadway. The reviews were stunning. Focusing on the closing of a Chicago public high school, the characters are five teachers, a vice-principal and a student. The audience was studded with teachers who laughed and cried throughout the performance. Maybe you had to be a teacher to love it. But, neither DBH nor I felt emotionally involved. That’s the fault of the playwright, who actually used the ghost of a character who kills herself in the first scene to pull the plot development along 2/3 of the way through. A ghost? Does this author think he is Shakespeare? On the other hand, the actors were wonderful. Unlike a lot of newer plays, Exit Strategy actually makes the actors sustain long scenes of intense emotion and they nailed it. But the play did not come together into a cohesive emotional build. In fact the ending (when the bulldozers come) was flat as a pancake for us.

On a higher note, we discovered a great new restaurant, Broadway Cellars, directly across from the Armory. DBH had the biggest plate of meatloaf and mashed potatoes ever (BP claims to be a comfort food restaurant) and I enjoyed Salad Nicoise with excellent rare tuna. I snitched a few bites of the mashed potatoes with gravy and they were yummy. We will return.

Mad Men - the musical...

April 30, 2014 Ann Boland

DBH and I caught the preview of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at the Porchlight Music Theater in Chicago. We'd both seen the original production in the early '60s with Robert Morse, Rudy Vallee and Charles Nelson Riley. And we still enjoy rewatching the movie with Robert Morse and Rudy Vallee.

Porchlight's production was fun, exuberant and malicious. Just as you would expect if Mad Men was made into a musical comedy. Everything is played over the top, with songs that had the audience standing and singing along as The Brotherhood of Man wrapped up the performance. If you follow this blog, you know that musical theater, especially produced in small venues is a favorite of mine. How to Succeed was produced in a theater seating at most 150, with a thrust stage, so we were wrapped around the actors.

My only nagging comment concerns miking the performers. The horns and woodwinds, which were also miked, were consistently above the singers. And to fix the problem, it appeared that the sound designed just made both louder...This is a very small theater. I would love to hear the production with no mikes, or with sound designed by a technician who understands that louder is usually not better.

Yummmmmm, this fall Porchlight is mounting Sweeney Todd. Can't wait to see the bodies fall into the basement and the pies go into the oven while Mrs. Lovett and Toby sing God, That's Good.

A good read for everyone: "The Horse Lover: A Cowboy's Quest to Save the Wild Mustangs" by H. Alan Day

April 9, 2014 Ann Boland

I wasn't prepared to love this book. OK, horses are beautiful, even the nags that run at Rillito Park here in Tucson. And, I was raised with a horse (that delighted in biting me) at my grandparents' home in the Ozarks. But, anyone who loves animals will fall in love with Alan Day and his horses.

After a few chapters, I thought the book was incorrectly titled. It should have been "The Mustang Lover", but no, this book is about every horse that Alan Day loved, most of whom he lost. Day was a big time, successful rancher in Arizona, Nebraska and South Dakota. Think Sandra Day O'Connor, but she figures not at all in this tale.

Woven into the horse tales are words of wisdom, strength, endurance and optimism and a more than a few curse words for the Bureau of Land Management. The ranch hands say, "Cowboy up!" when they face hardship in life and on the trail. Alan epitomizes that. His attitudes and actions will be uniquely meaningful to each reader. Treat yourself to a good read. Oh, and the book is just the right length, 243 pages. I could not put it down, so finished it in three sessions.

A Little Gypsy in My Soul

February 16, 2014 Ann Boland

It’s December, 1961. I’m with my friends, $5 standing room at the back of the American Theater in St. Louis, waiting to see Gypsy. Right on the aisle and as I glance to my immediate left and there is Ethel Merman waiting for her cue to enter down the aisle. It doesn’t get much better than this.

I have delicious early memories of the theater: Rapunzel at a children’s theater in Kirkwood; then One Touch of Venus with my Mobile aunties to see Ethel Merman and then the next year Call Me Madam with Ethel Merman – both at the magnificent St. Louis Muny Opera. The aunties were great Ethel fans. Nothing subtle about their taste in theater.

We were not a musical family. Daddy sang, always off key. Mommy sang, but never more than along with the hymns or the radio. As the youngest with two brothers, I was raised with America’s Top 40, then Johnny Mathis, the Kingston Trio. But somewhere along the line, I grew to love musical theater, opera and classical music. And, through my DBH, to enjoy blues, Portuguese fado, reggae, and lots of great Brazilian music.

So, even though Saturday morning was spent with stomach flu, I snagged a half-price ticket to the Chicago Shakespeare’s Gypsy, starring Louise Pitre as Rose. What a magnificent show. It’s a small theater, and I sat in the first row left, singers and dancers almost in my lap. Was it the flu or the catchy music of Jule Styne and the great lyrics of Sondheim that brought tears to my eyes? This musical just has one hit after another.

Moral of the story – take young people to the live theater. One of my joys is hearing my nieces enthuse about the plays we enjoyed when they were young: Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, Master Harold and the Boys – but no Ethel Merman…

If you read only two books in 2014…

February 11, 2014 Ann Boland

Rarely have two books had such an influence on my understanding of the New World prior to 1492 and my understanding of the world post 1492. OK, I’m a history geek, but these two books, 1491 and 1493, both written by Charles C. Mann, a journalist, not a historian, are readable, captivating and will expand the boundaries of how you think about many “assumed truths”.

Here are the complete titles:

1491: New Revelations of the America before Columbus

1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created

Don’t purchase or read these books on an electronic reader. They are heavily annotated, have maps and photos, none of which do well on an electronic reader. You need to be able to flip around in the books at will. 1491 has a revised paperback edition published by Vintage in 2006. This is the one to read as Mann was able to make corrections and add newer research to this edition.

Ed and I were fortunate to travel to Peru in 2013. I knew virtually nothing about Peru’s history except Incas, Pizarro, guano, pisco and rape of the jungle. Oh, does 1491 fill in the gaps of the Indian civilizations. Not just in Peru, but Cahokia, IL, the eastern seaboard of North America, and, most amazingly the many thriving civilization in MesoAmerica, the lower part of Mexico. The images that we have from our history books are of Indian cultures that were initially passive, static, easily enslaved or just pushed out of the way. By going back in archeological history, long before we were taught there were settlements in North and South America, Mann constructs portraits of highly civilized, vibrant cultures with huge cities (Teotihuacan, aka Mexico City, may have been the largest city in the world at its height of power.) He reconstructs the agriculture necessary to feed the citizens and the agricultural acumen necessary to develop maize, the most influential crop in the world. The skills needed to develop strains of potatoes and grain that would grow in high and low altitudes, etc. etc.

And what decimated the Indian cultures was a combination of wars among various groups, climate changes that led to drought and starvation and ultimately the diseases brought by the Europeans. But, the Indians as a whole were in a severe population decline before the advent of Columbus.

1493 illustrates the impact of Columbus’ landing and introduction of New World crops to Europe and beyond as the seminal event in the redevelopment of the Old World and the East. Moreover, the looting of Indian wealth brought to Europe untold riches that enabled them to prosper beyond their wildest imaginations – and with practically no investment of labor or capital. I could go on and on, but read for yourself and enjoy a much more comprehensive understanding of the impact of Christopher Columbus on the world.

Ooop, we did it again - back at the Kit Kat Klub

December 8, 2013 Ann Boland

Our new favorite Tucson theater group, Winding Road, mounted Cabaret - with 12 performers, 6 in the orchestra, on a 30 by 15 foot stage in a theater that seats 100. They did a great job. The only props on the stage were two chairs, a typewriter table and a typewriter. There wasn't room for anything else, and the chairs had to disappear during most of the musical numbers. This summer we saw The Chicago Light Opera Works do a bang up job of Cabaret in a medium sized theater with a splendid cast. But intimate theater is it's own reward - no mikes, no place to hide. As we felt with the Chicago production, the performers who carried the show were Fraulein Schneider, Susan Arnold and Herr Schultz, David Johnson. Not only are they superb actors, but their voices blended magically. The ensemble showed the only weaknesses, as two of the females just weren't slutty enough. The Kit Kat girls are decadent - that's where most of the fun comes from in the production. Christopher Johnson as the Master of Ceremonies was strong throughout and gave a seminal role his own interpretation. Please see this show if you are in Tucson.