Displaying items by tag: Harris Theater for Music and Dance

Touring illusion show of five ‘Champions of Magic’ is playing at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Chicago, and it is a spectacle to behold. A well-rounded performance, it includes a duo act of British grand illusionists Richard Young and Sam Strange, British mentalist Alex McAleer, American close up magician Kayla Drescher, and Mexican-born escape artist Fernando Velasco. 

Opening the first act is Alex McAleer, who is as charming as he is capable of effortlessly guess your deepest secrets (or at least the name of your childhood friend). Mindreading is one of the most fascinating kinds of magic, as it doesn’t require any props and relies solely on manipulation techniques such as psychics and hypnotists use. I haven’t a clue how he does it, but still spend some time watching him very closely, which, of course, proves a waste of time, because McAleer is a very gifted mentalist and a remarkable showman. 

Kayla Drescher is a cheerful close-up magic performer, who has won multiple awards, including the Society of American Magician’s Presidential Citation and being voted “Magician of the Year”. Her cards act is very intimate, perhaps too intimate for such a large Theater. Though well executed, the cameraman’s presence just a few feet away (in order to project her act on the big screen for the audience to see) feels just a bit distracting. Drescher really shines when engaging the audience members, volunteering someone up on stage with an unassuming charm and then wowing the audience with her brand of [card] magic.

The most spectacular act belongs to Young and Strange. The comedic duo has gotten many tricks up their sleeves: some new, some old. Watching their performance took me back to my childhood, to when circus came to town and everyone went to see a famous illusionist. I was delighted to watch some of my old favorites, like, an assistant being cut in half and then put back together again. I mean, common, it’s a classic and should never go away! But Young and Strange dazzle with many of their original acts as well; they’re highly entertaining performers. 

‘Champions of Magic’ would not be complete without an impressive young escape artist Fernando Velasco’s act; at just 21 years old he is already the world’s youngest to perform magic’s most dangerous illusion, the Houdini Water Torture Cell. Though it’s slightly less spectacular due to the fact that the glass water chamber had become covered with fabric slightly too long, it’s nevertheless very well done. Velasco is a fearless performer, and undoubtedly has a bright future.

Overall, ‘Champions of Magic’ is a wonderful magic show featuring all of the stage magic’s various fields – recommended!

Through December 29th at Harris Theater for Music and Dance.

Chicago Opera Theater presented the new opera, Moby Dick, by Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer, in a brave, intelligent, and strikingly beautiful performance last Thursday at the Harris Theater in Chicago. Usually, the old adage that “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts” seems well suited to most COT productions, but what can one say about a production in which all of the parts were truly excellent, yet the work itself did not quite live up to its disparate elements? Moby Dick is a well-crafted, entertaining and enjoyable opera, performed with a wealth of talent in an impeccable production, yet it never delivered the impact which could be expected from such an epic work of literature. Perhaps it is like Shakespeare’s “King Lear” in that respect, a work which is so epic, and which has a central character which is so complex that it defies transliteration. Even Verdi wouldn’t touch it. There are a few epic operas which have complex characters, Verdi’s Don Carlo and Samuel Barber’s Anthony and Cleopatra come immediately to mind, but there are many epic operas whose characters are not that complex, and there are many complex characters in operas which are not particularly epic in scope. It is really, really hard to do both.

Jake Heggie is an immensely popular, talented and accomplished composer. His canon of nearly 300 art songs has become a staple of the vocal repertoire, and his operas, such as Dead Man Walking, have achieved worldwide acclaim. However, with Moby Dick, while Heggie has mastered the musical language of opera, it seems as though he has not quite found his full operatic voice. Every scene is beautifully written, well suited to the human voice, gorgeously orchestrated and theatrically complete, much like an art song. However, they are more like individually luminescent pearls, rather than one magnificently encircling necklace. Heggie’s music is through-composed, yet the scenes feel as though the next one is of a different style, almost as though it was from a separate work, than the scene before. There is a jumble of styles which are reminiscent of Vaughan Willams, Britten, Stravinsky, Rutter and even the film score of “Lawrence of Arabia”, among a number of others. The result is that moments of tension are lost in transition between scenes, and the work as a whole never achieves the overall dramatic arch leading to the penultimate scene’s destruction of Ahab and his ship. This may be because it is never made clear what the opera is really about, or how any of the several relationships which are explored effect the others in driving the dramatic action to its tragic end. Is it about Starbuck’s struggle with morality and opposition to Godless authority? Is it about the friendship between Ishmael (here called Greenhorn) and Queequeg which bridges racial and religious chasms? Or is it really about Ahab’s self-absorbed and tragically maniacal obsession with exacting his revenge upon the great white whale? Whatever it is about, the audience should have walked out feeling as though they had just been kicked in the gut, not as if they had just seen a Broadway musical. It all seemed rather sanitized and prepackaged to please, rather than move or challenge the audience.

The tragic character in Moby Dick is without question Captain Ahab, with his unreasoning and implacable hatred of the “fish” which took his leg. Ahab’s manic-depressively single-minded focus upon finding the whale is the force which provides the dramatic tension in both the novel and the opera. Although he gave a splendidly well sung performance, Tenor Richard Cox seemed much too well adjusted and reasonable, portraying only a hint at the driving compulsion which takes Ahab and all the men of the Pequod to their watery graves. His aria, “I leave a white and turbid wake” eloquently explained his morbid fascination, but did not express its inherent dread.

Providing the foil to Ahab’s insane fixation, Aleksey Bogdanov as Starbuck was spectacular. Possessed of a booming, velvety smooth bass-baritone voice which easily soared through heavy orchestration, Bogdanov’s performance was powerful, committed, and nuanced. Bogdanov has the kind of voice usually associated with villains, such as Scarpia or Iago, yet his Starbuck was approachable and sympathetically touching.

As Greenhorn (Ishmael), the sweet-voiced tenor Andrew Bidlack was ideal. His thoughtful portrayal progressed from the naïve and unexperienced youth in search of knowledge of the world to the emotionally savaged sole survivor of the voyage with honest sincerity. Wallace’s Greenhorn was the mate every sailor wishes to have as his fellow oarsman.

Bass baritone Vince Wallace as Queequeg was exuberantly vigorous and entertaining, while never allowing the character to become a parody or stereotype. His straightforward humanity provided the structure for Queequeg and Greenhorn to bridge their cultural and religious divide and forge a deep friendship. However, Queequeg’s mysticism which foresees his death and the tragic confrontation with Moby Dick, is rather strangely portrayed as a heart attack, not as the ennui resulting in a spiritually broken heart. Perhaps the composer or director didn’t feel that having Queequeg simply waste away from a broken heart would be obvious enough to hold the audience’s interest.

A curtain speech announced that role of Stubb would be sung by cover Nick Ward. This is usually an ominous sign that the audience should be prepared for a somewhat under-rehearsed and tenuous performance. Not so, in the case of Mr. Ward. He sang impressively, and danced and cavorted around the stage with assurance and gusto, providing a great deal of comic relief with his sidekick Aaron Short as Flask. The physicality of the two was amusing and impressive.

The music for Pip requires the powerful adult voice of a pants role, and as the cabin boy, Summer Hassan sang with a luminous voice, soaring above the combined forces of the all-male chorus and orchestra. Equally impressive were the other male soloists and chorus. Each one was an outstanding singer and actor. They were supported by four male dancers who provided vigorous physicality to many scenes. Chicago Opera Theater does not have a full time professional chorus like the Lyric Opera of Chicago, so to be able to bring together an ensemble of such high quality speaks volumes concerning the commitment of the company to the highest performance standards. Kudos go to Chicago Opera Theater for its casting choices.

Those high standards are also demonstrated by the striking, and extremely functional set by Erhard Rom (whose remarkable whale’s eye at the end was a stroke of genius), the effective, yet atmospheric lighting by David Martin Jaques, and the clean and imaginative stage direction by Kristine McIntyre. McIntyre is a director who truly understands the unique needs of opera and opera singers, never pandering to the audience with unnecessary stage business or requiring the actors to go beyond the limits of good singing. Everything that happened on stage was both interesting and important. However a curious statement in the director’s note in the program may explain the seeming ambivalence of the opera. Ms. McIntyre states, “At its core, Moby Dick is a story about friendship.” While it is certainly true that the friendship is an important part of the story, and we want to find some form of redemption and growth of the human spirit in the story, it is not the driving force which impels the drama or precipitates the tragic end.

Moby Dick was masterfully conducted by Lidiya Yankovskaya. Under her baton the 60 piece orchestra played beautifully with a sumptuous sound. The one quibble is that with such dense orchestration at the beginning of the piece, the really loud playing might have been restrained so that the climax could have been more effective. By the end, the loud bits had become a bit tiresome. However, that is by no means entirely the conductor’s fault. The positive influence of Ms. Yankovskaya’s direction continues to impress in a business which is highly competitive for better orchestra players. Again the commitment to excellence from COT is to be commended.

Mozart’s Requiem

Music of the Baroque Chorus and Orchestra

Jane Glover, conductor

William Jon Gray, chorus director

Saturday, September 15, 2018, 7:30 PM at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Chicago, and Sunday, September 16, 3:00 PM at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Photo by Elliot Mandel

A Regal Beginning and a Divine Ending

By the OperaSwains

A capacity audience warmly welcomed the Music of the Baroque Chorus and Orchestra and A-List cast of soloists on the opening night of its 2018-19 season at the Harris Theater, led by Maestra Jane Glover, in an impeccably well-crafted performance of one of classical music’s crown jewels, Mozart’s glorious Requiem Mass in D minor, K 626.

The program began with three anthems by George Frederic Handel written in 1727, more than a dozen years before composing his great “Messiah”, as Handel was becoming established as the preeminent British composer of his time, for the Coronation of the Hanoverian King George II and Queen Caroline.

In a brief, inspiring podium speech, Ms. Glover sparked a human touch to the evening by inviting us to imagine ourselves in Westminster Abbey for that regal occasion among the soaring arches and stately long nave which has been the scene of countless Crown events, setting the scene for us to be part of something important.  As the music began quietly and swelled, she had us.

The pageantry of “Zadok the King” was followed by the more intimate “My Heat is Inditing” (from Middle English - not a typo), with “The King Shall Rejoice” concluding the set.

The talented ensemble played cleanly and with spirit; their understanding and love of the baroque style apparent throughout.  The chorus, ably prepared by William Jon Gray, sang with musical clarity, if not clarity of diction.  The stellar tenor section was especially impressive in astonishingly accurate coloratura passages – Bravi, gentlemen!  The sopranos were silvery, at times ethereal, while the altos provided soothing warmth.  However, we wished for substantially more weight from the basses, often swamped by the low strings.  Less emphasis on the modern obsession with “blending” and greater emphasis on pure vowels would not only improve diction, but also give the chorus a fuller, more complete adult sound.

Following intermission, the chorus and a full Mozart orchestra returned for the Requiem with soprano Amanda Majeski, mezzo soprano Daniela Mack, tenor Joan Hacker and Bass-Baritone Eric Owens.  A few more choristers would have been welcome, because at times they were overwhelmed by the orchestra.

If the term OMG! wasn’t already a part of our current lexicon, it would be necessary to invent it for Mr. Owens’ performance. OMG!! He possesses the gravitas and commitment of a truly great singer. Listening to Mr. Owens is like hearing the voice of humanity, or perhaps, tasting a 50 year old Scotch. The wondrous, trumpet-like sound of his “Tuba mirum spargens sonum” spreading through the hall was one of those rare heart-stopping moments in a live performance that will not be forgotten. To ice the cake, Mr. Owens is capable of a delicately tender pianissimo usually unavailable to other voices of his dramatic weight. We can’t wait for “Siegfried” at the Lyric!

Tenor Jonas Hacker’s burnished, clarion tenor brought much more to the role than what is generally expected from a “Mozart tenor”.  It may be that standing next to Mr. Owens, he was inspired to greater heights, as his engaged and direct singing just became better and better throughout his performance. We hope to hear much more from him in the future.

No such luck on the other side of the stage; Ms. Mack’s rich, clear voice met the demands of the alto role, but the part doesn’t give an opportunity for the singer to make much of a mark.  However, she did look fabulous in her red and gold brocade strapless gown, and one could easily imagine her as a spunky Rosina or a smokin’ hot Carmen.

Beautiful voices, as the great vocal coach Peyton Hibbitt used to say, are a dime a dozen, but an artist is someone who engages the audience and communicates something.  Anything.  At the very least, the intent of the composer and the librettist.  Ms. Majeski brought nothing but her beautiful instrument to the soprano soli. 

Ms. Glover has a great command of the dynamic possibilities of an orchestra, exquisitely rendered by the gifted musicians.  The performance was enthusiastically received, albeit with the perfunctory, up-trickling, standing ovation (Ladies and gentlemen, if you can’t help yourself from instantly jumping to your feet when the piece ends, don’t bother standing until you are ready to leave…).  Nevertheless, we all were grateful for an excellent performance by this gem of the Chicago musical scene.  Get your tickets now for the remaining performances of the season, which includes Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and Coffee Cantata, among many other treasures.

For tickets call (312) 551-1414

www.Baroque.org  

The renowned Israeli choreographer and director of Batsheva Dance Company, Ohad Naharin, is the spotlight of this year’s Hubbard’s Summer Series, 40th Season at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. The program features DecaDance, a reimagining of Naharin’s most celebrated pieces and recreated every 10 years. Deca Dance/ Chicago was created specifically for Hubbard Street’s current company.

DecaDance/Chicago features excerpts from Minus 16 (1999), KYR (1990), Mabul (1992), Anaphase (1993), Zachacha (1998), Naharin’s Virus (2001), Three (2005), George and Zalman (2006), Max (2007), Seder (2007) and Sadeh21 (2011).

Most pieces of the show, in both music and choreography, are very Avant-guard: decidedly not particularly pretty, occasionally disturbing, frequently puzzling. The program has a certain bi-polar quality; even playful pieces have some sadness, even despair woven throughout. Naharin’s analysis of modern society is evident in one of the First Act pieces: it features several female dancers dressed in black elegant dresses, moving with some redundancy; the soundtrack being somewhat more important than the dance itself. It starts layering verses, from the top: “Ignore all possible concepts and possibilities.” And again: “Ignore all possible concepts and possibilities, pay your taxes” …copulate”, etc. It goes on and on, ever so slightly past the point of being amusing.

But the show does get much better in the Second Act. The most entertaining piece, involving audience participation, has a group of dancers (both males and females) dressed in black suits and black hats (costume designer Rakefet Levy) leave the stage and venture out into the audience, looking for dance partners. It’s a fun, light-hearted piece, and a very well received one.

The evening’s most intense work is an excerpt from Minus 16. It premiered in 1999 in Israel, then made its US debut the following year. Set to Passover song “Echad Mi Yodea”, it has a super cool tribal drum beat and drama to spare. And again, though “Echad Mi Yodea” is a juvenile Hebrew song recited around Passover table and designed to teach children some foundations of Hebrew religion, the dance is turned into a display of anguish and despair. Dancers, dressed in black suits and hats, are seated in chairs arranged in a semi-circle. They stand up and bend backwards one by one; the last dancer to stand up violently falls forward from his chair, as if being shot. As the verses accumulate and build up, the dance is repeated over and over. The dancers eventually shed their clothes and throw them into the center of the circle. A pile of clothes and shoes in the center looks vaguely like the grim reminder of history’s events of the past. It’s theatrical and hypnotizing. Much like the rest of the show, it clearly has a message.

Let’s welcome in summer and enjoy the history of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago at the Harris Theater with a collection of eight dances of varying styles and intriguing music. Pieces old and new, reworked and original amazed one after another including Lucas Crandall’s (Imprint - Duet), William Forsythe’s (reproduction of One Flat Thing), Alejandro Cerrudo’s (One Thousand Pieces - Water Section), Jim Vincent’s (Palladio), Crystal Pite’s (A Picture of You Falling), Twyla Tharp’s (The Golden Section), and Lou Conte’s (Georgia and the 40’s).

This historical glance 40-year glance at the iconic dance company brings forth a walk through time and the growth of Hubbard Dance. Lou Conte’s romantic summer love of ‘Georgia’ was originally premiered in 1987 as part of “Rose from the Blues” and makes you ache for the loss of summer love. Even more history is bestowed upon the crowd with the happiness, creativity of the 40’s, also by Conte. Infusing big band music, 40’s style dance, jitterbug moves and the feeling of the celebrations of old Hollywood, the piece is truly a joy to watch.

“The Golden Section” choreographed by Twyla Tharp/Tharp Project, in its golden velour and unabashed 80’s energy that had originally been performed on Broadway in 1981, brought a liveliness and fun to the stage. The enthusiasm and vibrancy had audience members bobbing their heads and giggling along with the sheer fun of the dancer’s movement and energy.

Something for everyone, Hubbard Street’s Summer Series 39 will truly grab your attention with the loving duet of “Imprint” by Lucas Crandall and romantic “Palladio” by Jim Vincent. Theater goers will fall under the mesmerizing spell of the smokiness and ethereal beauty of ghostlike figures and sounds of water in “One Thousand Pieces” by Alejandro Cerrudo. Children and adults alike will be enthralled with the chaotic energy of “One Flat Thing”, in awe of the dancer’s abilities to move between, over, under and through the flat things with such speed, grace and fluidity.

Beautiful and graceful, “A Picture of You Falling” by Crystal Pite will capture the audiences’ attention from start to finish, leaving you out of breath, and wondering, if this is how it really will be in the end.

Through a night of innumerable feelings and experiences, this historical journey into the past of “Hubbard Street Dance at 40”, was a thrill for all families and fans of dance. So very few places can provide such a complete feeling of history and nostalgia while also inspiring all of us to see what the future will bring.

Hubbard Street’s Summer Series 39 was performed at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. For more information on this amazing dance company and to see future events, visit www.HubbardStreetDance.com.