Last week Opera Omnia, a tiny company that is the brainchild of Baroque opera enthusiast Wesley Chinn, presented its third production in New York, Claudio Monteverdi’s “The Return of Ulysses,” at the Baryshnikov Arts Center. I attended the final performance on Thursday, September 12. I was particularly drawn to attend this because one of my favorite musicians, baritone Jesse Blumberg, was singing the role of Ulysses. But I was also intrigued to see what Opera … <Read More>
Theater
Glimmerglass Festival 2013 – My Annual Visit to Cooperstown
This was my fourth year attending the Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, NY, with my usual theater/opera-going companion. As we did last year, we signed up for all four presentations, although this time we spread it out over four days instead of trying to cram it all into three days with a Saturday matinee. One program a night proved an enjoyable, civilized pace, with plenty of variety, leaving us free for rest, relaxation and exploration during … <Read More>
Jonathan Tolins’ “Buyer & Cellar” with Michael Urie at Barrow Street Theatre
Last night I attended a performance of Jonathan Tolins’ play “Buyer & Cellar” starring Michael Urie at the Barrow Street Theatre in Greenwich Village, NYC. This was a total delight, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Of course, I was predisposed to like it, because I am a big fan of Michael Urie, who is one of the most adorable openly-gay leading men in theater, films and television. I remember seeing him in “The … <Read More>
Primary Stages’ Production of “Harbor” by Chad Beguelin
Warning: Plot Spoilers!
Primary Stages, an innovative off-Broadway Theater Company, is presenting “Harbor,” a two-act play by Chad Beguelin, directed by Mark Lamos, at 59E59 Theaters in Manhattan. I saw last night’s performance. A main draw to see this is the casting of Randy Harrison, a favorite from the “Queer As Folk” TV series, in the role of Kevin Adams-Weller, an aspiring writer recently married to his long-time boyfriend, architect Ted Adams-Weller, played by Paul … <Read More>
Lincoln Center Festival’s production of Toshio Hosokawa’s “Matsukaze”
Last night I attended the New York premiere of Toshio Hosokawa’s one-act opera, “Matsukaze,” presented as part of this summer’s Lincoln Center Festival at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, which is located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan a few blocks from Lincoln Center. To the best of my recollection, this is the first time I’ve been in this theater. It’s a bit out-of-the-way, several long blocks … <Read More>
A “Multicultural” Weekend in NYC: The Yankees, City Center Encores!, and “The Lone Ranger” Movie
I use the term “multicultural” in a special sense here, not referring to different ethnicities but rather to different forms of our modern entertainment culture – major league baseball, musical theater, and major Hollywood motion pictures! My Friday and Saturday this past weekend combined these three different cultural experiences.
First up: Major League Baseball. As a delayed birthday present, my usual theater and concert-going companion arranged to buy skybox tickets at Yankee Stadium for Friday’s … <Read More>
Greenberg Play “Assembled Parties” a Pointed Character Study
I attended a performance of Richard Greenberg’s “The Assembled Parties” a week ago, with my usual theater-going companion, who was the one who really wanted to see this one. The play presents us with the annual Christmas dinner gathering of a secular Jewish family on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in 1980 (Act I) and 2000 (Act II).
Of course, there must be dysfunction and tensions for a play like this to be interesting, … <Read More>
Theater Diary – Spring 2013
This is a “catch-up” post for my theatergoing this spring, covering ten shows attended between March and May.
First I’ll comment briefly on the two City Center Encores productions that I haven’t yet mentioned on this blog. They are Rodgers & Hart’s “On Your Toes” and Strouse and Adams’ “It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman.” I found both of the productions up to the high standards of Encores, definitely meeting the series’ goal … <Read More>
“Good Television” at Atlantic Theater Company
I have a big stack of theater and opera programs stretching back over the spring, waiting to be written up as a diary entry, but I want to jump the line because I just got home from seeing a terrific new play off-Broadway that deserves attention and, since in the nature of things such plays presented by repertory companies have limited runs, I want to do my part and get the word out. The play … <Read More>
Cultural Diary – March 23 through May 1, 2013 – A Busy Season in NYC
Between work, concerts and theater, I’ve been so busy that I’ve generally avoided blogging about the things I’ve been attending over the past five weeks or so. This is a catch-up posting, briefly mentioning that things I haven’t had time to write about in longer posts. This post details the musical events (including opera). In another, I’ll address the theatrical ones.
Beginning at the beginning, with Richard Goode, and – surprise – ending with him … <Read More>