Displaying items by tag: Chicago

The Joffrey Ballet opens 2018-2019 season with the return of choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s modern re-telling of Swan Lake to the Auditorium Theatre four years after its first premiere in Chicago in 2014.

Composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875-77, it was originally a ballet in two acts, named The Lake of the Swans. Choreographed by Julius Reisinger, it premiered in Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater in 1877 but was poorly received by the critics. Nearly twenty years later, the music score undergone changes by Riccardo Drigo, who added various other Tchaikovsky’s pieces to the original score for the choreographers Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov's 1895 revival of the ballet, consequently re-named Swan Lake and performed in four acts.

Christopher Wheeldon’s masterful re-telling of Swan Lake is based on that latter version of the ballet, as well as Edgar Degas’ paintings circa 1870’s, of the Paris Opera backstage, where ballet rehearsals were often attended by the male patrons of the arts.

In Wheeldon’s version of Swan Lake, the story begins at the Paris Opera during the rehearsal for the opening night of Swan Lake. The Principal Dancer who portrays Prince Siegfried in the classical ballet gets so lost in the ballet fantasy, that his world becomes full of illusions. Fantasy is superimposed on reality until he can no longer distinguish between the two. In love with his beautiful dance partner, he’s painfully aware of the advances of the Patron who is always lurking around during the rehearsals, making unsavory proposals to ballerinas. In his mind, he turns into prince Siegfried, and finds himself at the lake, where he sees a beautiful maiden telling him that she had been cursed by an evil sorcerer to stay in swan form during the day until someone falls in love with her. He imagines that the maiden is his dance partner and the sorcerer is the patron.

The technical skills of Dylan Gutierrez as Siegfried are truly superb; his dancing is as beautiful as it is emotionally charged. Odette/Odlie’s role is danced by the magnificent Victoria Jaiani, who is floating on air, like she always does, effortlessly performing the most highly technically challenging pirouettes.

By the Second Act, the ballerinas so perfectly capture the essence of the swans, they seem to have lost their human form and become transformed into birds. This resemblance and the white costumes of ballerinas separate Siefried’s fantasy from reality in the ballet. In the Third Act, it’s back to reality: the stage comes alive with action; it’s a gala evening to celebrate the new production of Swan Lake. The fancy legwork of the cheerful Pas De Quatre (The Dance of Little Swans) does not disappoint; beautifully performed by Anne Gerberich, Jeraldine Mendoza, Edson Barbosa and Greig Matthews. Followed by the sexy Russian, Spanish, Czardas and Burlesque dances, the colorful costumes (by Jean-Marc Puissant) are in stark contrast to demure lakeside scene; this party is so much fun. Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra led by Scott Speck blends Tchaikovsky’s music with dance so perfectly that not a moment is out of sync; it’s divine.

Joffrey’s Corps de Ballet indisputably consists of world class dancers whose technical skills and ballet mastery make every performance exquisite; every one of their moves is executed with razor-like precision. Combined with brilliant Wheeldon’s choreography and gorgeous Tchaikovsky’s music, Swan Lake is a treat for the senses. In short, it is magnificent.

For more information on this beautifully executed production, visit www.joffrey.org.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Idomeneo at the Lyric Opera of Chicago is opera as it should be, transcending all expectations. Don’t miss it! Indeed, we wonder why this uncommonly extraordinary performance did not open the Lyric Opera of Chicago season. Happily, after going dark for more than a week, forcing the initial performance scheduled for October 13 to be cancelled, the unfortunate dispute between the Musicians’ Union representing the Orchestra of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and management was successfully resolved, and Idomeneo was presented Thursday evening. The entire cast, without exception, sang splendidly, deftly handling the technically demanding florid passages and challenging long phrases, while creating real and distinct characters that earned our sympathy (thank the gods). On all counts, it was a glorious occasion.

Mozart began writing operas at the age of eleven, and had completed a dozen, or so, before he began work on Idomeneo in 1780, at the ripe old age of twenty-five. Considered to be his first “mature” opera, it is written in the “Opera Seria” style, literally “Serious opera”, a musical drama with a series of recitatives and set pieces in the early 18th century Baroque manner based upon Classical Greek or Roman themes, a form he would not return to until his final opera La Clemenza di Tito ten years later. This exquisite music, if not as well-known as his later masterpieces, is the cornerstone upon which all opera coming after it has been built, leaving no doubt of Mozart’s greatness. For that reason alone, go!

The orchestra, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis, was enthusiastically cheered before and after each curtain with shouts of support for the union from the audience. They played with a full, luxurious sound that remained within the stately structure of the classical period, and brought out all the color, nuance and innovation that raises Mozart above his peers. For that reason alone, go!

The production designed and directed by the late great Jean-Pierre Ponnelle (which by now, is probably older than the singers on the stage, yet still looks as fresh as it did when it was premiered in Köln in 1971) is in and of itself a timeless work of art. Visually pleasing, and beautifully lit by lighting designer Chris Maravich (thank the gods), Ponnelle’s setting evokes the time and place of the opera, while still allowing the audience to extend the themes in their imaginations to encompass all time and place. Ancient Grecian columns frame the stage and the mighty upstage center mask of Neptune, the real antagonist of the drama. Neptune, representing the unpredictable oceans of which he is king, is always present, either as a specter behind painted scrims, fully visible in his terrifying aspect, or even hidden from view. Above all, as it should, this stage set brilliantly serves the drama. For that reason alone, go!

The action takes place on the island of Crete after the decade long Trojan War. On his long way home, Idomeneo, King of Crete, has been caught in a raging storm at sea. He begs Neptune to spare him and in return, promises to sacrifice the first person he encounters upon shore. As operatic luck would have it, it turns out to be his own son, Idamante. Of course, father and son haven’t seen each other in years and don’t instantly recognize each other. Nevertheless, Neptune is going to expect the sacrifice Idomeneo promised.

For a story based in mythology and ancient history, it’s not hard to follow, even by opera standards. A father, who happens to be a king, loves his son and doesn’t want to lose him. We get that. That son, Idamante, has fallen in love with the Trojan Princess Ilia, being held prisoner in Crete. That happens. Princess Elettra, daughter of the Greek King, with whom Crete is allied, thinks Idamante should marry her, not the daughter of the enemy. Nothing out of the ordinary going on here. The excellent supertitles by Francis Rizzo are not at all stuffy, but explain the action and feelings understandably without dumbing it down (thank the gods). For fuller enjoyment you may want to check your crib notes from Greek mythology and the history of the Trojan War, but it’s not necessary. As in so many great stories, the large scale events provide the context for the more intimate human emotions.

Mr. Ponnelle’s original stage direction was faithfully re-set by David Knuess, who assisted Ponnelle when the production was mounted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1982 and Salzburg in 1983. Ponnelle’s consummate stagecraft subtly ensures that our attention is always drawn to the heart of the drama. Contrary to the habits of those who think they are following in the footsteps of the visionary director, absolutely nothing ever moves without a reason. No meaningless business or distracting bits. We were granted the luxury of having the singers just stand still and sing, allowing their voices to be most expressive (thank the gods)! It was one of the most moving performances seen and heard in years. For that reason alone, go!

The title role could have been written for Matthew Polanzani, who hails from Evanston and enjoys a deservedly respected career on the international stage. A true Mozartian, this role is perfect for him, his voice being better suited to this repertoire than Bel Canto or Romantic styles. His singing was superb and he gave a completely satisfying dramatic reading of the tormented father and king. For that reason alone, go!

With striking stage presence and a voice with the palette of a Monet painting, Angela Brower, reminiscent of the incomparable Frederica Von Stade, is a tremendous artist. In the role of Idamante, created for a castrato, re-worked for a tenor, but now most successfully performed by a mezzo-soprano, she gave us several of the evening’s most memorable vocal moments. Even when not uttering a sound she was riveting: Idamante’s shock and horrific pain at being rejected by his father was heartbreaking and later, during Ilia’s aria “Zeffiretti lusinghieri”, a scene that could be corny if not played just right, Idamante is visible at extreme upstage center receiving the unseen caresses carried from afar by the breezes. It took the breath away from even the most jaded of opera goers. His acceptance of his fate, and his willingness to give his life for the well-being of the community made a profound impact. For that reason alone, go!

As Ilia, Chicago native and former Chicago Opera Theater, Merola Opera, and LA Opera Young Artist, Janai Brugger was exquisite. The warm glow and golden tones of her shimmering lyric soprano lent itself to an ingenuous portrayal of the princess torn between love for her family and country and her love for Idamante. Whenever she graced the stage, she infused it with the power of hope. Ultimately, when the happiness she deserved was bestowed upon her, we shed tears of joy! After the season opener of the unfortunate La Bohème, we feared that we had become incapable of crying. For that reason alone, go!

The remarkable Erin Wall, marathon runner and soprano with a voice like diamonds set in platinum, was a sympathetic and vulnerable Elettra. She portrayed not an un-hinged shrew, but a high-strung princess used to getting her own way. In spite of Wall’s ongoing battle against cancer, her voice was never more beautiful (thank the gods!). In her rage arias her voice was spectacular and provided a perfect dramatic foil to her rival, Ilia, difficult even for someone with 100% perfect health. Wall’s Elettra was not motivated by mere jealousy of a romantic rival, but was driven to despair by the unthinkable and perhaps racist idea that Idamante would fall for an inferior Trojan woman. This assault on her sense of the proper order of things was so powerful that it resulted in a believably frenzied spontaneous death, a feat most singers are not capable of pulling off with dramatic success. To top it off, she looked fabulous in a stunning, if somewhat unwieldy, 18th Century gown with panniers which on the freeway would require red flags and a “WIDE LOAD” sign. For that reason alone, go!

David Portillo provided a solid and stable presence as Arbace, Idomeneo’s confidante. Arbace’s aria is unforgiving and demanding, yet Portillo sang superbly with musicianship, virtuosity and an urgent pathos reflecting his patriotism and loyalty to his king.

In addition to the Ryan Center alumni: Mr. Polenzani, Ms. Wall and Mr. Portillo, the uniformly excellent cast included current members of the program including Josh Lovell and Alan Higgs as two Trojan Men, Whitney Morrison and Kayleigh Decker as two Women of Crete. Each made worthy contributions and showed promise for the future, most notably Ms. Morrison. The voice of Neptune was chillingly sung by David Weigel (no spoilers, but gasps were heard) and Noah Baetge was fully credible as the High Priest. In these roles, as well as the principle roles, opera cognoscenti will enjoy recognizing the nascent characters which will eventually populate Mozart’s later works. Credit must be given to the Ryan Center for their advocacy of young talent, and to the Lyric for giving them the opportunity on the stage of, on this night, a major international opera house. It should be noted that the employment of young artists may represent a significant cost saving to LOC, yet these young artists gave us greater satisfaction than many “world class” artists would have provided (thank the gods).

Under the direction of Michael Black, the Lyric Opera Chorus sang magnificently in the big moralizing choruses that ended each act, and most impressively in the delicate “Placido è il mar” in Act II. They played their part well representing the people of Crete as a traditional Greek Chorus, reacting as one with stylized movements that were both emotionally affecting and that effectively served both the music and drama.

With respect to the recent contract dispute, it should be said that over past seasons we have had issues with a few programming decisions, issues with some singers’ performances, and issues with too many of the productions. However, we have never, ever had an issue with this orchestra. It is, especially under the baton of Sir Andrew, of the highest caliber, truly world-class, an over-worked phrase we try not to use. Their excellence stands as testimony to the unquestionable necessity of a top rank orchestra to the existence of a top rank opera house. They deserve a contract commensurate with their standing.

Bottom line: Idomeneo should not be missed. A young couple attending their first opera ever said they were enthralled, and that they were definitely coming back for more (thank the gods). Did we say you should go? Indeed, Go! Go! Go to Idomeneo.

Performances continue October 21, 24, and 28 and November 2. You might be able to get tickets at the door, but that would be a shame, because these performances should be sold out. Nevertheless, tickets are available on line at www.lyricopera.org or call 312-827-5600.

You may be wondering why four of the city’s most formidable houses are each mounting productions of ‘Frankenstein’ this season. You may be also asking yourself which, if any, to see. It appears that Lifeline, Remy Bumppo, Court Theatre and Lookingglass have all included unique adaptations of the sci-fi classic. More than likely it is because 2018 marks 200 years since a young Mary Shelley published her seminal work. Of course, October is a pretty great time to stage any sort of Halloween theatre, but there’s something about the production running at Remy Bummpo that doesn’t quite feel like a horror story.

From an adaptation by Nick Dear and directed by Ian Frank, Remy Bummpo brings a great deal of humanity to this stage production. Dear’s adaptation was a success when it premiered at the Royal National Theatre in London back in 2011. It went on to be live broadcast in American movie theaters in 2012. This particular script comes with fanfare. The RNT production was directed by Danny Boyle and starred a then fledgling Benedict Cumberbatch. Something interesting Ian Frank borrowed from the London staging was the interchangeable casting of the Creature and Victor, played here by Nick Sandys and Greg Matthew Anderson. The two switch roles every other night. Sandys portrayed the Creature in Tuesday night’s opening.

Dear’s swift moving script begins at the creation scene, arguably the most dynamic moment of Shelley’s source material. Not too many frills here but the device saves quite a bit of exposition, because honestly who doesn’t already know the basics of the story? For those unfamiliar with Shelley’s original text, this is where the plot might diverge from popular memory. Dear’s script maintains a great faithfulness to the novel rather than the Boris Karloff monster movie.

Sandys performance as the Creature is more tragic than scary. Though, Kristy Leigh Hall’s special effect makeup makes Sandys unrecognizable and very menacing. The Creature, like a baby, begins naked and ignorant of the world around. Over the course of the 90-minute play, we watch a cruel world educate the outcast Creature into becoming a monster bent on revenge. Sandys eventual monologues about the desire for love are as haunting as the murder scenes. The script intellectualizes the Creature in a way that makes the audience pity him instead of fear him.

Ian Frank’s production is intimate and minimal. A sleek stage design by Joe Schermoly gives this production a disorienting effect. It’s almost to say, forget what you think you know about ‘Frankenstein’. In fact, this ‘Frankenstein’ may not even be a true horror story. Unlike Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ or Gaston Leroux’s ‘Phantom of the Opera’ – ‘Frankenstein’ sets itself aside as a story of scientific failure and the condition of humans to fear what we do not understand. It’s a story about the human need for love and this production tugs at the heart more often than it curdles the blood. Mary Shelley would appreciate the depth this adaptation gives to her most important contribution to literature.

Through November 11 at Remy Bummpo. Theatre Wit 1229 W Belmont Ave. 773-975-8150

Forget about the lofty plans you had for the day, the goals you had set.  Grab your girls, all your friends, your snacks, your drinks, and head over to Miss Cook’s Women’s Gym!

WaistWatchers the Musical will have you and your friends laughing hysterically and cheering along with MC, Cheryl, Cindy, Carla and Connie.  Up close and personal within the alcoves of the Royal George Theatre, inspiring you through sweat, tears, song and their supportive friendships, we go through the struggles of these strong women trying to reach their gym goals. Their reasons vary. For some it is for love, others for acceptance of themselves, and some for those who just want to control their cravings for the decadence of delicious life.

                                                                                                                With the terrific cast of WaistWatchers the Musial

The cast is finely tuned and features fantastic performers like Martha Wash, a two-time Grammy nominee (Connie) who we all know as one of the The Weather Girls that brought us “It’s Raining Men” and "Everybody Dance Now".  Along with the powerhouse voices of Katherine S. Barnes (MC), Krissy Johnson (Cheryl), Sarah Godwin (Cindy) and Kiley L. McDonald (Carla). This 90-minute musical, which allows audience members to refill their snacks and drinks throughout the non-stop performance, contains a plethora of musical styles from pop and soul to country. The sassy musical includes remakes of songs that we love, clever lyrics and plenty of cheeky commentary. After watching this fun and inspiring show you will probably wonder when the next open class is available near you. 

Created by Alan Jacobson (Book and Lyrics) with Vince DiMura (Music) and directed by Matt Silva get your tickets to WaistWatchers the Musical now. Show times are: Wed. 7:30PM, Thu. 2PM & 7:30PM, Fri. 8PM, Sat. 2PM & 8PM, Sun. 2PM. For more information on this highly humorous musical, visit http://waistwatchersthemusical.com.

The excitement begins as you walk up to the Mayslake Peabody Estate. It screams Poe, despite the fact that it was built around 1920, some 70 years after the great American writer’s death. Upon entering we are given a dance card. Two colors are distributed – blue and yellow. The card one receives determines the path they will take in experiencing an intimate peek inside the head of Edgar Allan Poe. Though the two paths start off in different directions, ultimately the audience is told the same story, though through a changed order of events. Essentially, two plays take place at one time.

First Folio’s “The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe: A Love Story” was a favorite of mine when I came across it in 2015. I felt it was one of the best, if not the best, play I had seen that year. This year, as we begin to wrap up 2018, I feel the exact same way. Christian Gray, who reprises the role of Poe, is an extraordinary actor and is allowed to cut loose in this play to give us the performance of a lifetime. The intensity and passion Gray gives to the role is authentic and would be tough to match by any other actor. Almost seemingly born for this role, Gray is a pleasure to behold in each and every scene, the audience getting their first taste of his command in the play’s opening act that revolves around Poe’s “The Bells”, just prior to splitting up on different paths. "Bells! Bells! Bells! Bells! Bells!"

The play moves from room to room throughout the Tudor Revival styled mansion as scenes break out in several rooms, the staircase and hallways. The interior of the mansion perfectly provides such a sincere set it would be easy to imagine we are lost in time with Poe and the characters he created. Each location holds setting for a different story, though the overall theme clearly revolves around the love between Poe and his much younger wife (and cousin), Virginia. After all, this is a love story and a remarkable one at that as we see - and feel - Edgar and Virginia's undying love for each other throughout the play.

Executive Director David Rice’s masterful piece is nothing short of brilliant as every nuance and touch are considered to make the journey all the more unforgettable. Favorite stories by Poe are acted out with the rich flavor they so much deserve. Sam Pearson’s energy-filled performance as The Madman in Poe’s “Tell-Tale Heart” is as intense as it is memorable while Mbali Guliwe take on The Prisoner in “The Pit and the Pendulum” penetrates through the crowd in the intimate setting of the once pitch-black room.

Poe’s wife, Virginia, is well-played by Erica Bittner, her best as she beautifully delivers the poem she had written for her husband. The love between the two is real and eternal. This is aided by Skyler Schrempp’s great direction and executed by Gray and Bittner’s exceptional performances.

The entire audience reunites for the play’s final act, “The Masque of the Red Death”. It is a triumphant finale to an incredible journey. The scene is elegant but foreboding. It is, the perfect ending to a nearly flawless production.

Christian Gray is a force. Gray’s performance alone is worth the price of admission - easily. But when you add several other dynamic acting performances, its truly unique one-of-a-kind setting along with the masterful writing and staging to support such an incredible story, this play is one of the biggest theatre bargains of the year – and it should be experienced by everyone.

With Halloween just around the corner, the air is right and the mood inviting for First Folio’s classic take on Edgar Allan Poe.

Highly recommended.

“The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe: A Love Story” is being performed at Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oakbrook through November 4th. For tickets and/or more information, please visit www.firstfolio.org.

Having been close with many people with disabilities over the course of my life, I’m often hesitant when it comes to media about such individuals. Too often, books or films or plays dealing with disabilities end up being either demeaning to the folks who have them or cloying and saccharine to the audience. Earlier in this young millennium, I was thrilled to find and read Mark Haddon’s novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a rare tale that falls into neither of these traps. Haddon’s novel became a favorite of mine, its important-sounding title (taken from a line in a Sherlock Holmes story) hinting at the very big steps taken by its protagonist and narrator, a British teen afflicted with autism. And now I can say that the Steppenwolf Theatre’s current stage production based on the novel has become one of the best shows I’ve seen — this year or any other, in Chicago or elsewhere.

In the role of Christopher, said protagonist, is Terry Bell in his first Steppenwolf production. The key to Bell inhabiting the role of Christopher isn’t that he makes the boy’s Britishness real any more than that he realistically portrays autism. No, Bell’s performance is stunning in that he makes Christopher human. While tics and traits are given to the lad, it’s the vulnerability, intellect, and emotion that Bell gives Christopher that made him so real, so human. This was an actual person I saw up there, not a type or a trope or a character. Whether Christopher is doing math, navigating London, fighting with his father, or reading long-lost letters, he is a real boy, not just someone up on a stage.

The rest of the Steppenwolf cast take their duty of realism just as seriously. Cedric Mays plays Christopher’s father as a loving but over-extended parent doing his best to raise his boy. Rebecca Spence, as Christopher’s mother, is heartbreaking as the broken woman who finally felt she couldn’t.

One of my biggest concerns coming into the play was how the first-person narration of the novel would translate to the stage. Would the audience be submitted to one character’s constant exposition? How would Christopher’s story work? Well, thanks to the shining performance of Caroline Neff as Siobhan, Christopher’s schoolteacher, I needn’t have worried. Neff acts as narrator for much of the play, while also acting the part of a nurturing and knowledgeable caregiver for Christopher. If only all children, regardless of their disabilities or lack thereof, could have as loving and caring a teacher as the one Neff has created.

And, as the production has been tailored not just to standard audiences, but to those who share Christopher’s disabilities (and abilities!), with information on the novel and play’s background provided, with discussions led by the cast, and even with accommodating and accessible performances for anyone to enjoy, I can tell you that not only is this a caring play onstage, but beyond the stage, as well.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is being performed at Steppenwolf Theatre through October 27th. For more information, please visit www.steppenwolf.org.

Before the curtain rose for the start of the Oriental Theatre’s current traveling production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the sole image onstage was a giant silhouette of the character most associated with the beloved tale — a tale told in Roald Dahl’s original novel, in two Hollywood films, and of course now as a Broadway musical — Willy Wonka. Said character, having been famously portrayed by famous folks Johnny Depp and Gene Wilder, has not only long coopted this story of a young boy and a visit to a confectionary facility, but even its title in the Wilder movie. That being said, this tendency to focus on Willy Wonka detracts from what is Wonka’s magical Chocolate Factory and the oddballs and delights within.

So, when the curtain did rise and this particular production began, I was happy to see that it lovingly focuses on Wonka’s whole world. Don’t get me wrong — Noah Weisberg is just fine as Willy Wonka. I told my daughter at intermission that I thought he was perhaps too understated, as I’ve come to expect an overbearing Wonka. That changed a bit in the second act, as Weisberg reminded me a bit of some of Groucho Marx’s Rufus T. Firefly or Captain Spaulding, with his witty asides and exaggerated pacing and prancing. But overall Weisberg stayed out of the way and let the set and his castmates shine.

Henry Boshart is charming as the titular Charlie, providing that rare but happy balance in a child actor that is neither too precocious and polished, nor too amateur. I’d be curious to see how the other two Charlies in this traveling show do, but Boshart does a fine job. His chemistry with James Young’s cuddly yet curmudgeonly Grandpa Joe seems real, as does his connection with Weisberg’s Wonka.

The rest of the cast, however, are allotted the real fun. Jessica Cohen is a Russian Veruca Salt (her father a timely oligarch played by Nathaniel Hackmann), and puts her background as a ballerina to use as she pirouettes and pouts all over the stage. Also timely is Brynn Williams’ social media star, Violet Beauregarde, who’s afforded a dance number of her own. Daniel Quadrino’s Mike Teavee is a modern take on Dahl’s character — an ADHD kid fed a steady diet of screentime and pills from his harried mother. My favorite golden ticket winner was Matt Wood as gluttonous German youngster Augustus Gloop.

But it’s this production’s ensemble that push Augustus and the rest over the top, whether accompanying his polka in leiderhosen and beerhall maid outfits, breaking it down as Violet’s flygirls, or putting on a ballet clinic clad in furry squirrel outfits as bad nut Veruca meets her fate in the Wonka factory’s nut-sorting room. These unsung singers and dancers bring Wonka’s world to life, making it a shiny magical place just as much as the production’s set designers do.

And that set…my daughter, a bit of a set designer her own young self, was amazed at the ingenuity on display at the Oriental. The stacked bed and bedraggled shack where Charlie and the rest of the Bucket family lives. The gates to the chocolate factory. The TV world where Mike Teavee meets his fate. And the Oompa Loompas…

I won’t spoil it, but the portrayal of Wonka’s staff is modern, both in its consideration and its execution. Again, what a set and what an ensemble!

So, if you want a new take on an old favorite, a candy confection, a loving and overall satisfying take on the people and places who’ve done as much as chocolate bars to make Willy Wonka’s name, head to the Oriental Theatre for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, now through October 21.

Lyric Opera of Chicago opened its 2018-19 season with Puccini’s beloved “La Boheme” last Saturday evening. Essential to any Puccini production, more than most other composers, is a faithful rendition of the specific intentions of the composer, whose theatrical instincts were equal to if not better than his musical gifts. This production succeeded musically, but utterly failed dramatically to bring out the humanity in this work that makes it so well loved.

Thankfully, Conductor Domingo Hindoyan, in his Lyric Opera debut, understands how Puccini goes. In his comments in the program, he states clearly that, “The word ‘freedom’ is relative, because it should be a sensation within a rigorous respect for the score”. If only opera administrators would hold stage directors to the same standard as the conductors. This production, shared with the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and Teatro Real Madrid, directed by Richard Jones, designed by Stewart Laing, with lighting design by Mimi Jordan Sherin, disappointed over and over again in so many ways, large and small.

It was a shame, since there was much to appreciate. The Lyric Opera Orchestra sounded marvelous under the idiomatic and nuanced baton of Maestro Hindoyan. His sensitive support of the singers brought out the treasures in the score, revealing the joie de vivre of the Bohemians, supplying tight crispness to the opening of Act Two, poignant desperation in Act Three, and ephemeral orchestral textures underlying Mimi’s last moments.

Zachary Nelson’s full and velvety baritone was unfailingly well projected. As the painter Marcello, he came very close to a sense of who the character was, but never expressed the depth of pain caused by his obsessive love of Musetta, or the tenderness of his friendship with Rodolfo. As the poet Rodolfo, tenor Michael Fabbiano’s brilliant and warm voice was expressive and a joy to hear. However, perhaps due to opening night jitters, or a lack of meaningful stage direction, his highest notes were tentative and the softer passages were weak. Maria Agresta looked the part of the fragile seamstress. Her piano singing in the Act One aria bloomed as beautifully as the flowers she described. Yet, later in the opera, her voice was less attractive, her vowels lost color and sounded flat, not in pitch, but as if she came from Italy via Wisconsin. The talented and charismatic Danielle de Niese tossed off the role of Musetta with aplomb, despite the directorial excesses imposed upon her. De Niese is a tremendously gifted comic actress; with a lesser artist, Musetta’s staging would have been a travesty. Ryan Center Artist Riccardo Jose Rivera possesses a fine lyric baritone voice, but seemed uncomfortable with the physicality of the role of Schaunard. He was allowed to wander aimlessly and flail about. The monkeying around at the end of Act Two with the on-stage band was absurd. Blame should fall on the director though, not on this promising singer. Bass Adrien Sâmpetrean’s lower range lacked the depth and color expected for Colline. His interpretation of the cynical philosopher also seemed somewhat shallow and ordinary. By hanging his beloved overcoat on a nail to sing his touching farewell aria, he separated himself from it, and the tenderness of the moment was lost. Well known for his finely crafted characterizations, Jake Gardner was the class act of the evening, in fine voice, finding humor, but never resorting to buffoonery in the dual roles of the landlord Benoit, and Musetta’s sugar-daddy, Alcindoro. However, he was not done any favors as Benoit by being staged facing directly up stage, forcing him to turn around to face the audience every time he had to sing. Similarly, as Alcindoro, Mr. Gardner was buried by Mr. Jones’ staging in a melee of waiters and patrons in the Café Momus, obscuring the ironic humor of the moment.

The costumes by Stewart Laing were quirkily adequate. His set was horrible. Act One did not resemble a quaint Parisian garret apartment, but rather a newly constructed barn in Dixon, Illinois. The lighting in Acts One, Two and Four, was stark and bleakly colorless, evocative of neither the time of year, time of day, nor the congenial poverty in which the four Bohemians lived, laughed, and loved. In the relentless intensity of the lighting, the singers’ faces were either washed out or hidden in shadows created by the barn rafters. In Act Two, the supertitles were nearly unreadable due to the glaring lighting. However, in Act Three, the lighting was so gloomy that it had the same obscuring effect on the singers. It didn’t matter much, though. There really wasn’t anything to see.

Good translations are a blessing, and the accurately natural supertitles by Kenneth Chalmers were truly excellent. However, these titles also served to highlight the director’s many mistakes, too numerous to detail in full. After Mimi’s fake looking faint, and even more fake looking recovery (she popped up like a jack-in-the-box), when she drops her key, Rodolfo says, “Buio pesto” (“it’s pitch dark”) in the glaring light. The lost key is picked up by Rodolfo who, instead of hiding it, shows it to Mimi and plays keep-away, although he later says, “Al buio non si trova” (“In the dark we won’t find it”). Huh? Standing in brilliant white light, he inexplicably tells her that soon there will be moonlight, and then they will have enough light to look for the key again. This touching scene in which Mimi and Rodolfo fall in love was diminished by this directorial sloppiness, but is unfailingly right when it is done the way Puccini intended.

The set changes in the pauses between acts with the curtain up were extremely awkward. If you are going to change the set before our eyes, it should provide a magical transition from one setting to another which enhances the pace of the drama. These bumbling and ponderous changes felt more like a first walk-through rehearsal in a warehouse where the sets were still under construction and the technical demands haven’t been entirely resolved.

The Act Two set, with a suddenly faithful representation of the beautiful covered passages in Paris, was attractive and could have worked, but it was so far down stage, it cramped everyone, soloists and chorus, into a nineteenth century mosh pit. The jolly chaos of Christmas Eve never settled down enough to be able to find the main characters among the crowd, and since there was no room for the children to cavort, they formed a formal chorus line. Consequently, their mother’s anger at their unruliness made no sense. Typical of directors who don’t trust the material or understand the music, the stage was filled with frenetic and meaningless carrying-on. Oh sure, that may be more true to life, but it was distracting. It might be forgiven, but when things needed to be real, they usually weren’t.

Segue in another awkward transition from the street scene to the interior of the Café Momus, full of distracting and upstaging patrons and waiters. When the audience can’t find the principal singers in this scene, something is rotten in Paris.

Enter Musetta. She sees her former lover Marcello at the adjoining table and, being bored with her current old and stuffy patron, decides to win Marcello back. This can be played a lot of ways, but sloppy drunk isn’t one of them. The famous waltz song is already sexy and provocative. Musetta definitely does not become sexier by making her drunk, and the goofy-happy-dance when singing “Felice mi fa” was like a scene from a sit-com. Throw in a few cheap tricks for laughs and shock value and the reunion of the two lovers, which normally is so warmly welcomed that the music is covered up for a page or so by applause, was a messy let-down.

The snow which fell almost all night long was pretty, but other than that, the Third Act was ugly. The tavern looked more like the guard house at the Barrièr d’Enfer, which must have been off stage, as it could not be seen. But the back of the garret/barn apartment was strangely visible, as were overhead lights which shined in the audience’s eyes, again making the production look as though it was still in rehearsal. Every touching moment in this act was sabotaged by the stage direction, such as when Mimi and Rodolfo agree they must break-up, but that they will wait for spring. Mimi sings, “Vorrei che eterno durasse il verno” (“I wish winter would last forever”) in a moment which is often more heart-rending than Mimi’s death in Act Four. Inexplicably, Mimi aimlessly walked away from Rodolfo while singing this. No matter, they were upstaged anyway by Musetta, pondering her next move after having been thrown out by Marcello.

Back in the barn - err - garret for the final act, it is supposed to be a bright sunny day outside, so the blazing light didn’t seem quite so out of place. Rodolfo and Marcello’s duet reminiscing about their lost loves was almost touching. The two sounded good together, and taking places at opposite sides of the barn underscored their feelings of loss and loneliness. For once, by not imposing his “concept”, Mr. Jones managed not to ruin a beautifully sung moment.

However, Mr. Jones couldn’t resist keeping his hands off that which followed. Puccini specifies a spoof of classical dancing and a mock sword fight among the four Bohemians. It is almost always hilariously funny, but if you have a better idea than the always entertaining dancing and mock sword fight, bring it on! Doodling undecipherable graffiti on the walls was not one. Similarly, swinging around on the stove pipe of a wood burning stove is never a good idea. If you’ve ever seen one, you’d know that the pipe would be likely to fall into pieces, you would be covered in soot and it might even be dangerously hot, especially if it had just contained a fire, as in Act I. Propping a pillow against the sharp corner of the stove to serve as Mimi’s deathbed in Act IV was the limit. Maybe the director was making some sort of statement. Who cares? Get a bed or a chaise up there so that Mimi and Rodolfo don’t have to flop and flail about on the floor like a couple of fish out of water. The scene was just plain ugly.

The heart of any opera is when the music tells the story more plainly than the words. This must never be ignored. At the moment when Rodolfo and Mimi are finally left alone together and the tender reprise of “O soave funciulla” swells to the sweet cadence, “Ah! tu sol comandi amor”, this director had the lovers on opposite sides of the stage and absolutely nothing was going on between them. Yes, most directors do it very traditionally, but that’s because it works, and Mimi and Rodolfo hold each other again, just as they did the night they first met.

Similarly, the exact moment when Mimi dies is clearly expressed in the music. Mr. Jones decided that this was completely unnecessary and then chose to ignore Puccini’s following directions. Schaunard was nowhere near Mimi to notice that she was dead, so how could he tell Marcello? Yet Rodolfo was seated on the stove right next to her head and didn’t notice. It is possible that there are people in the world that can’t handle the death of a friend, or of a friend’s lover, but when Rodolfo discovered that Mimi is dead, it is beyond imagination why Schaunard and Colline bolted out the room in terror.

There wasn’t a moist eye in the house.

Performances continue through October 20, 2018, and again January 10 through 25, 2019. Call the Lyric at 312.827.5600 or visit www.lyricopera.org for tickets, if you are curious about this strange production. But please don’t bring your friends who have never seen an opera before.

Everybody has a favorite guitar player…well, almost everyone. We have those licks we learned from our favorites. That’s how we get a vocabulary of ideas. For me, I have gone through phases. I played along with recordings of people like Stevie Ray Vaughan and The Allman Brothers Band. That gave me a good foundation in lead guitar.

The only problem with this scenario is you only end up stealing ideas from other guitar players. Since we play with our fingers, we fall into convenient patterns that fall nicely on the fingerboard of the guitar neck. You end up playing via muscle memory a lot of the time. This becomes almost like a reflex to spew your favorite licks out again and again. You end up repeating yourself.

Lately, I have been listening to a lot of Jazz. However, I have not been listening to that much in the form of Jazz guitar. What or should I say who have I been listening to? Horn players for one. They play melodies. Guitar players do too, but again we fall into patterns. A lot of these are the same ideas recycled. The other issue is most guitar players have no formal music education.

Most guitar players don’t read a note. They learn from their friends, videos and magazines. Some take lessons but even that has limitations if the teacher is essentially uneducated. Horn players know how to read for the most part. They struggle through beginning clarinet books starting sometime in grade school. Those books are written by people who understand music. Horn players learn intelligent musical phrases, so they play intelligent musical phrases.

Another instrument to listen to is piano. The average piano player has a chord vocabulary that exceeds most really good guitar players. They understand harmony. Unless, you go past the basic chords on the guitar, there are limitations. Part of this also is due to the tuning of the guitar. Some voicings are extremely difficult on the fingerboard. Having said that, you can still learn how to play hipper chords than you find in the guitar books some of us started out with.

Drummers can point you in another direction regarding rhythm. Most us can’t even count bar lines, myself included sometimes. This is important! Where is one? If you don’t know, learn!!! All playing music actually requires is the right notes at the right time. That’s it! Rhythm is 50% of that equation, and at times even more. You can actually get a lot of cool rhythmic ideas from piano players too.

Now, this sounds like I am bashing my favorite instrument and its players. I am not! I am simply stating facts here. Listening to other instruments just might help you find your voice on the guitar. Another concept to explore is actually playing another instrument. Drop me a line if you like, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Until next month, ciao.  

Ask yourself, do you have hope that things can get better? The word itself certainly echoes back to a different political climate in America. Now it seems the very word has been replaced with fear. Jen Silverman’s new play ‘Witch’ is holding its world premiere at Writers Theatre in Glencoe. It’s an update on a seventeenth century tragicomedy but don’t let that fool you, this play has a lot to say about our modern world.

Directed by Marti Lyons, ‘Witch’ tells the tale of the devil coming to a small village. Like all plays concerning Satan, the devil is after souls in exchange for worldly goods or successes of some kind. Ryan Hallahan plays Scratch, one of the devil’s henchman. His wile body language and delivery make him a slick salesman for the master of dark desires. For the villagers already lacking good morals, his pitch is an easy sell. He quickly pits the son of the richest man in town, Cuddy Banks (Steve Haggard) against an ambitious interloper Frank Thorney (Jon Hudson Odom) in a battle for inheritance and land.

This arc serves as the main driver of plot in this 90-minute play but the real meat lies in the battle between Scratch and the town outcast, or witch, Elizabeth Sawyer (Audrey Francis). Elizabeth begins the play with a monologue that asks about hope and explains the mundane cruelties we commit against one another. Francis is captivating. The character is sarcastic and dry. Silverman’s dialogue flows perfectly through Francis’ performance and her emotional reckoning brings about one of the play’s most powerful moments.

Finally, a play about witches that isn’t ‘The Crucible’. Silverman’s script is a lot of fun. It gets to mingle in the 1600s but enjoy the freedom and accessibility of modern dialogue. The contrast is purposeful, asking the audience, has anything really changed? Whether the play is optimistic or pessimistic is really up to the viewers’ interpretation. Either way, there are a lot of laughs here that in the end build to a greater philosophical question. Is change possible or do we have to just start over again from scratch?

If it’s something spooky you’re after, ‘Witch’ will scratch your itch. Though not really a horror story, the intricate production design by Yu Shibagaki gets into the Halloween spirit. Even with the devil, and a supposed witch, this play isn’t really about the supernatural. Rather, it relies on human meanness as the haunting theme, and honestly what’s scarier than that?

Through December 16 at Writers Theatre 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. 847-242-6000