Tag: la-opera

We’re in a society that is filled with school shootings and violence. We have leaders that disrespect their offices, and that never demonstrate leadership or high morals. We’re constantly at the throats of others due to partisan policies. The oceans are rising, weather is getting more extreme, and we’re mortgaging our future to pay for today. Can it be said that we live in the best of all possible worlds? Is there reason to maintain an optimistic outlook, or must we just concede the world has gone to hell in a handbasket, and we must just give up and accept our fate?

That’s the question at the heart of Candide, a philosophical treatise written by the philospher Voltaire in 1789. Per Wikipedia: It begins with a young man, Candide, who is living a sheltered life in an Edenic paradise and being indoctrinated with Leibnizian optimism (or simply “optimism”) by his mentor, Professor Pangloss. The work describes the abrupt cessation of this lifestyle, followed by Candide’s slow, painful disillusionment as he witnesses and experiences great hardships in the world. Voltaire concludes with Candide, if not rejecting optimism outright, advocating a deeply practical precept, “we must cultivate our garden”, in lieu of the Leibnizian mantra of Pangloss, “all is for the best” in the “best of all possible worlds“.

Candide has long been popular to adapt for the stage, and in 1956, it was musicalized by Leonard Bernstein. This original verson, with a book by Lillian Hellman, and lyrics by Richard Wilbur, Bernstein, Hellman, John La Touche, and Dorothy Parker, was a flop on Broadway, closing after 73 performances. But in 1973, it was revisited. Hellman refused to allow her work to be used, and a new book was developed by Hugh Wheeler, with some additional lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.  This version was more successful, running nearly two years and producing a well-received cast album (which I have). This was reworked again by John Caird for the Royal National Theatre. You can see the gory details of all the different versions here. This being part of the “Bernstein at 100” celebration, LA Opera (FB) opted to present this rework of a rework version to join in on the fun.

When I learned that LA Opera (FB) was presenting the show. One of my various quests is to actually see the shows that I’ve only heard. I’d long listened (and enjoyed) the music of Candide, and this provided the opportunity to put that music in context. Unfortunately, LA Opera tickets are expensive, and they weren’t yet on Goldstar. I found a Metro discount, and got some seats for a Thursday night in Balcony B. We grabbed our binoculars, and off we went. [I must remember, however, not to do these things on a school night — I was dragging the next day.]

For those unfamiliar with the story of Candide, it is basically the story of an illegitimate son (Candide) of a Westphalian (German) prince, said Prince’s real son (Maximilian), said Prince’s real daughter (Cunegonde), and their private tutor, Dr. Pangloss. Pangloss’s philosophy is that this it the best of all possible worlds, otherwise known as optimism, which focuses only on the good of the moment. When that world goes south after Candide and Cunegonde fall in love, there is a series of adventures as Candide goes around the globe: conscripted into the Bavarian army, saved by an Anabaptist, escaping to Lisbon and then to Spain … and the inquisition (which is something he didn’t expect, because no one expects…). Escaping the inquisition and ending up in the new world in Montevideo, only to have to escape again to El Dorado, and then escaping again to Venice. All the while, Candide keeps running into Cunegonde and Pangloss, and he keeps debating Pangloss’ philosophy.  Eventually, Candide abandons the philosophy, moving instead to one where work is its own reward — in the simple life of a farm, growing things, using one’s skills.  You can find the synopsis of the full original story here; a closer synopsis of the final operetta here.

Having now seen the show, just a few observations. First, the show was surprisingly engaging. Despite the more operatic style, and despite the length and how much story was crammed into the book, time just seemed to fly. There was no time that I felt the urge to look at the program to see when the act might end. There were no points where I felt the story was unnecessary. In fact, there were a few places where the story could have been lengthened to provide more information on what was happening to the characters.

Secondly, I was surprised at how witty the lyrics were. Unlike traditional musical theatre, opera often has “supertitles” — projected lyrics above the stage for the audience to read. This is vital when operas are in a foreign language, but it is also useful for operas in English. For Candide, both the Sondheim and Bernstein influences were clear by the internal and clever rhymes, and the messages and words conveyed. I was familiar with Bernstein’s music, but seeing it in use conveyed better the different styles of the music and how they related to the story.

Under the direction of Francesca Zambello (FB), the show was conceived as Voltaire narrating his story, and periodically dropping into character as Dr. Pangloss. The rest of the action was seemingly put on by an acting troupe or in Voltaire’s imagination (as they came out of a trunk), although that wasn’t made very clear. The story moves from location to location very fast, and the physical set to create those locations was more imagination than realism (i.e., scaffolds, planks, benches, trunks). Location cues were provided more by costumes, flags, and props. But it all ended up working.

In the name actor positions — I hesitate to say leads because it was not around them who the story focused — were Kelsey Grammer as Voltaire/Pangloss and Christine Ebersole (FB) as The Old Lady. Grammer had a large amount of stage time as the narrator, and provided the main philosophical push as Pangloss. It was no surprise that he handled the acting and the comedy well, although at times he seemed to be playing it up a bit much. I was less enamored of his singing — he has an odd style that didn’t work for me on the recording of La Cage, and didn’t work for me here. Luckily, Pangloss doesn’t have a large number of songs where he is the primary voice. I enjoyed Ebersole much more, and actually wished her role was larger. Good comedy, good presentation, and excellent singing — in particular, she handled “I Am Easily Assimilated” quite well.

In what I truly think are the lead positions were folks more familiar to the opera side of the equation: Jack Swanson (FB) as Candide and Erin Morley (FB) as Cunegonde. Both of these performers were excellent, with the right amount of playfulness and earnestness. Morley did a great job with her signature number in the show, “Glitter and Be Gay”, both in the vocal performance as well as the acting that goes along with it. Swanson’s Candide had a lovely voice and was enjoyable to watch.

The other more-major named positions were performed well and were fun to watch, although discerning the nuances of the performances were difficult from Balcony B. This group included Theo Hoffman (FB) [Maximilian]; Peabody Southwell [Paquette]; Matthew Scollin [James the Anabaptist / Martin]; Brian Michael Moore (FB) [Grand Inquisitor / Governor of Montevideo]; Joshua Wheeker (FB) [Cacambo]; and Taylor Raven [Venderdendur, Baroness, Lisbonite]. The ones that stick out in my mind were Southwell’s Paquette and Wheeker’s Cacambo.

Lastly, there where the members of the ensemble, who also had some minor named positions as noted: Eboni Adams (FB) [Dance Captain], Andrea Beasom, Tom Berklund (FB) [Lisbonite], Tucker Reed Breder, Abdiel Gonzalez (FB) [Bavarian Captain, 2nd Inquisition Agent, Señor, Surinam Slave], Katherine Henly (FB) [Bavarian Corporal, Sheep], Amber Liekhus (FB) [Lisbonite, Queen of Eldorado], Danny Lindgren (FB), Amanda Compton LoPresti (FB), Robert Norman (FB) [Holland Minister, Don Issachar, Señor, King of Eldorado], Steve Pence (FB) [Baron, 1st Inquisition Agent, Galley Captain], and Michelle Siemens (FB) [Minister’s Wife]. Of this group, the ones that stick in my head were the performances of the sheep (including Katherine Henly), and Amber Liekhus’s Queen of Eldorado.

Rounding out the LA Opera Chorus (who I believe were offstage) were: Nicole Fernandes, Ayana Haviv, Rebecca Tomlinson, Omar Crook, Francis Lucaric, Todd Strange, Aleta Braxton, Sara Campbell, Jennifer Wallace, Mark Beasom, and James Martin Schaefer. Abdiel Gonzalez (FB), who filled in for Tim Campbell, is normally part of the chorus as well.

The LA Opera Orchestra was excellent, but was way too large for me to list them all here. 49 pieces. You don’t see that in normal music theatre, where you’re lucky sometimes to have a working piano. You can find a summary of LA Opera’s Orchesta’s artists here.

Lastly, turning to the creative and production team. The aforementioned orchestra was conducted by James Conlon (FB), who also gave a talk before the show. Movement and dance was under the choreographic eye of Eric Sean Fogel. Candide has a wide variety of dance styles, and all were handled quite well. The simple scenic design described above was developed by James Noone (FB); Jennifer Moeller did the costumes.  I mentioned my appreciation of the scenic design and supporting props earlier; Moeller’s costumes also provided great support to defining the time and especially place. The basic ensemble costumes were perhaps what I would call worn sexy chic, and survived under whatever outer garmets (red wool, Montevidean coats, uniform coats, etc.) were put on top of them. More elaborate costumes were provided to the major named characters, and Candide and Pangloss remained in essentially the same costumes throughout. You can see Moeller’s costumes and Noone’s scenic design in the show’s photo gallery.  Kai Harada (FB)’s sound design was reasonable clear even up in Balcony B, although perhaps a little more volume would have been good. Mark McCullough‘s lighting design worked well to establish time and mood (especially the use of red in places). The aforementioned chorus had good sound in the few choral numbers, under the direction of Grant Gershon. Rounding out the creative and production team were: E. Loren Meeker (FB) [Assoc. Director]; Chelsea Antrim [Stage Manager]; Christopher Allen [Assoc. Conductor]; Trevore Ross (FB) [Asst. Director]; Aurelia Andrews (FB), Jeremy Frank ⟦Assoc. Chorus Master⟧, Bryndon Hassman (FB), and Miah Im (FB) [Musical Preparation]; Barbara Donner (FB), Whitney McAnally (FB), and Melissa Tosto [Asst. State Managers].

The final performance of Candide was Sunday, February 18, 2017.

***

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts in Los Angeles since 1972; I’ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I’m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted. I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at 5 Star Theatricals (FB) [the company formerly known as Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB)], the Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), the Chromolume Theatre (FB) in the West Adams district, and a mini-subscription at the Saroya [the venue formerly known as the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)] (FB). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:

Upcoming as of when I saw this (but which we saw yesterday) was the first production of the Chromolume Theatre (FB) 2018 season, Dessa Rose. The month concludes with  James and the Giant Peach at the Chance Theatre (FB) in the Anaheim Hills, and tickets for Dublin Irish Dance Stepping Out at  the Saroya (the venue formerly known as the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)) (FB).

March was supposed to start with the MRJ Man of the Year dinner, but that shifted back a week. This enables us to see a remounting of Leslie Jones starring in Prez – The Lester Young Story that weekend. This is followed on the second weekend with the LA Premiere of the musical Allegiance at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (FB) and the MRJ Man of the Year Dinner. The next weekend brings Steel Pier at the UCLA School of Television, Film, and Theatre (FB). The penultimate Friday of March was to bring Billy Porter singing Richard Rodgers at the Saroya (the venue formerly known as the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)) (FB), but that has shifted to June and that weekend is currently open. The last weekend of March is open for theatre, but there will be the Men of TAS Seder.

April looks to be a busy month. It starts with Love Never Dies at the Hollywood Pantages (FB) [as an aside, there was just a great interview with Glen Slater, the lyricist of that show, on Broadway Bullet that is well worth listening to]. The second weekend brings A Man for All Seasons” at Actors Co-op (FB). The third weekend brings The Hunchback of Notre Dame at 5 Star Theatricals (FB) (nee Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB)), as well as our annual visit to the Original Renaissance Faire. The last weekend of April sees us travelling for a show, as we drive up to San Jose to see friends as well as Adrift in Macao at The Tabard Theatre Company (FB). Currently, we’re booking all the way out in mid to late 2018! We may also be adding an  Ahmanson Theatre (FB) subscription, given their recent announcements regarding the next season.

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Better-Lemons, Musicals in LA, @ This Stage, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Note: Lastly, want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget.

It only took 46½ years.

The first time that the musical Wonderful Town (music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolf Green) trod the boards of the Music Center‘s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, it was in July 1975 under the auspices of the Los Angeles City Light Opera, in a production starring Nanette Fabray. This weekend, Wonderful Town returned to the Chandler, this time in a staged concert production as part of LA Opera‘s celebration of the 100th Birthday of Leonard Bernstein. It was truly a delight to see a form of musical theatre return to the Chandler; it had been absent since the LACLO decamped to the Pantages in the early 1980s. Even more so with this particular show, which demonstrated that after 63 years, it could still sparkle with delight and penache.

As for me, the desire to see Wonderful Town was part of my quest to see shows that I had only heard. I had only hear the original cast CD of Wonderful Town; the 2003 revival is on my wish list. The delight of the show does not come through on that cast album; the stories and personalities are a little flat. Last night put the pieces together, and I look forward to hearing the revival with more modern orchestrations.

The story of Wonderful Town is based upon is Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov‘s 1940 play My Sister Eileen, which in turn originated from autobiographical short stories by Ruth McKenney first published in The New Yorker in the late 1930s and later published in book form as My Sister Eileen. It tells the story of Ruth Sherwood and her younger sister Eileen, who come to New York from Ohio to find fame and fortune: Ruth as a writer, and Eileen on the stage. The plot is light and there are a batch of colorful characters — Mr. Appopolous who owns the building from which they rent a room; Speedy Valenti, who owns a nightclub; Robert Baker who works at a local newspaper; Helen and Wreck, a couple in the building. The characterizations are similarly broad: Ruth is an extremely smart and brash writer who turns off men with her intelligence, Eileen is a ingenue who charms all the men around her. It is very easy to see how this became an early sitcom on TV. You can find the full plot synopsis over on the Wikipedia page.

The LA Opera production, unlike the previous LA Civic Light Opera production, was a concert staging. The principals were all on chairs on the stage, on-book,  going to podiums when they were singing or speaking. They were backed by LA Opera chorus, and joined on a few numbers by a set of dancers. The orchestra and conductor was similarly on-stage. There were no sets other than some projections; the primary props were hats to distinguish different characters. Everyone was dressed in black. This doesn’t mean it wasn’t fun to watch — the cast and the singers appeared to be having great fun with the show. The concert performance was adapted by David Lee, who also served as the director. Choreography was by Peggy Hickey.

As I noted above, this was the first time I had heard the music in context. There was definitely that Bernstein feel and flair to the music, and the lyrics by Comden and Green seemed much fresher than one might think after 63 years. As always, songs like “Ohio” were earworms, but other songs made much more sense, such as “One Hundred Easy Ways”, “Conga!”, “Conversation Piece”, and “My Darlin’ Eileen”. On the album, you can’t see how these advance the story; on stage, you can. Note to self: I must get that 2003 revival album.

The leads in this production were spectacular. In the primary positions were Faith Prince (FB) as Rose Sherwood and Nikki M. James (FB) as Eileen Sherwood. Prince brought her wonderful comic timing, singing voice, and flair and love of the material to the role. One could clearly see she was having fun up there in all her numbers, but especially in songs like “Conga!” James was also a delight to watch, capturing the role with perfection and comic fun. She was also having fun with the dancing, both in the “My Darlin’ Eileen number and in the scenes at the Viage Vortex”.

On the male lead side was Roger Bart (FB) in far too many roles to list them all (but particularly as the narrator and almost every other major character), and Marc Kudisch (FB) as Robert Baker, the editor of the Manhattanist. Bart was a comic whirlwind, changing characters, voices, and characterizations at the drop of a hat. Literally. He would change hats constantly, and with each hat taking on a new role, from narrator to Speedy Valenti to Delivery Boy to Chick Clark (Newspaper Man) to Policeman to Shoreman. Incredible. Kudisch only had one role — the older newsman Robert Baker — but he nailed it. He was particularly touching in his number “It’s Love”.

The other principal characters were embodied by Tony Abatemarco (FB) (Mr. Appololous), Brian Michael Moore (FB) (Officer Lonigan),  Ben Crawford (Wreck), Julia Aks (FB) (Helen), Elizabeth Zharoff (FB) (Violet), Jared Gertner (FB) (Frank Lippencott), Carlos Enrique Santelli (FB) (Policeman Sean), Theo Hoffman (FB) (Policeman Daniel); and Josh Wheeker (FB) (Policeman Pat).  Of these, Crawford’s Wreck was particularly noteworthy, especially in his number “Pass the Football” and his interactions with Roger Bart.

The LA Opera chorus consisted of Jamie Chamberlin (FB) (S), Nicole Fernandes (S), Renee Sousa (FB) (S), Rebecca Tomlinson (S), Elizabeth Anderson (FB) (A), Aleta Braxton (FB) (A), Sara Campbell (FB) (A), Jennifer Wallace (FB) (A), Daniel C. Babcock (FB) (T), Omar Crook (FB) (T), Charles Lane (FB) (T), Francis Lucaric (FB) (T), Reid Bruton (FB)( B), Abdiel Gonzalez (FB) (B), Mark Kelly (FB) (B), and James Martin Schaefer (FB) (B) [S – Soprano; A – Alto; T – Tenor; B – Bass]. Of particular note here was the female chorus, who were essentially dancing and playing in their chairs, having a load of fun with this music. I love to see this: when those on stage are having fun, the audience feels that and reflects it back.

The dancers, who joined the cast on stage for a few numbers, including “Conga!”, consisted of Richard Bulda (FB) (Dance Captain), Harlan Bengel, Joseph Corella (FB), Hector Guerrero (FB), David Tai Kim/FB, Glean Lewis, James Tabeek (FB), and John Todd (FB). Michael Starr (FB) was the swing.

The LA Opera Orchestra was under the conducting baton of Grant Gershon (FB), who broke into a wonderful dance during “My Darlin’ Eileen”. As I said, everyone was having fun. The orchestra consisted of Roberto Cani (Stuart Canin Concertmaster, 1st Violin), Armen Anassian (Associate Concertmaster, 1st Violin), Lisa Sutton (Assistant Concertmaster, 1st Violine), Margaret Wooten (1st Violin), Ana Laudauer (Principal, 2nd Violin), Marisa Sorajja (Associate Principal, 2nd Violin), Florence Titmus (2nd Violin), Andrew Picken (Principal, Viola), Karie Prescott (Associate Principal, Viola); Dane Little (Principal, Cello), Helen Z. Altenbach (Associate Principal, Cello), Nathan Farrington (Bass), Damon Zick (Reeds – flute, clarinet, Eb clarinet, alto saxophone), Rusty Higgins (Reeds – clarinet, bass clarinet, alto saxophone, baritone saxophone), Phil Feather (Reeds – oboe, English horn, clarinet, alto saxophone), Glen Berger (Reeds – piccolo, flute, clarinet, tenor saxophone), William May (Reeds – clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, bassoon), Ryan Darke (Principal, Trumpet), Rob Schear (Trumpet), Marissa Benedict (Trumpet), Andy Ulyate (Trumpet), William Booth (Principal, Trombone), Alvin Veeh (Trombone), Terry Cravens (Bass Trombone), Alan Steinberger (Piano), Theresa Dimond (Percussion), and Peter Erskine (Drumset). It was great to hear a large orchestra behind a show again.

Finally, turning to the creative credits: the wonderful projections were by Hana S. Kim. They exhibited a depth and playfulness I hadn’t seen before. Lighting design was by Azra King-Abadi. There was no credit for sound design; I got the distinct feeling that the actors were not amplified, and the wonderful sound we were hearing was through the projection of their voices in the hall alone. Take that, Ahmanson acoustics! Additional production credits: Jim Carnahan CSA (Casting Consultant), Trevore Ross (Assistant Director), Lyla Forlani (Stage Manager), Jeremy Frank and Miah Im (Musical Preparation).

I believe there is one more performance of Wonderful Town tonight.

* * *

Ob. Disclaimer: I am not a trained theatre critic; I am, however, a regular theatre audience member. I’ve been attending live theatre and concerts in Los Angeles since 1972; I’ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I’m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted. I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at Cabrillo Music Theatre (FB), the  Hollywood Pantages (FB), Actors Co-op (FB), the Chromolume Theatre (FB) in the West Adams district, and a mini-subscription at the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC) (FB).

Past subscriptions have included  The Colony Theatre (FB) (which went dormant in 2016), and Repertory East Playhouse (“REP”) (FB) in Newhall (which entered radio silence in 2016). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children’s production, I focus on the positive — one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals).  I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.

Upcoming Shows:  Next week brings the CSUN Jazz Band at the Annual Computer Security Applications Conference (ACSAC), and Amalie at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB). The third week of December brings  The King and I at the Hollywood Pantages (FB). December concludes with an unspecified movie on Christmas day; and a return to our New Years Eve Gaming Party.

Turning to 2017, January currently is quiet, with just Zanna Don’t at the Chromolume Theatre (FB) on January 16. We may get tickets to Claudio Quest at the Chance Theatre (FB) on January 28. February 2017 gets back to being busy: with Zoot Suit at the Mark Taper Forum (FB) the first weekend. The second weekend brings 33 Variations at Actors Co-op (FB). The third weekend has a hold for the WGI Winter Regionals. The last weekend in February brings Finding Neverland at the Hollywood Pantages (FB). March quiets down a bit — at least as currently scheduled — with the MRJ Man of the Year dinner,  Fun Home at the Ahmanson Theatre (FB) at the beginning of the month, and An American in Paris at the Hollywood Pantages (FB) at the end of the month.

As always, I’m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as Bitter-Lemons, Musicals in LA, @ This Stage, Footlights, as well as productions I see on Goldstar, LA Stage Tix, Plays411 or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Note: Lastly, want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget.