August: Osage County

Rarely does any show measure up to the advance hype and across-the-board glowing reviews (not to mention the 5 Tonys and a Pulitzer) that preceded the arrival of Tracy Letts' August: Osage County, now playing at the Curran Theater. I expected it to be good, but it's terrific. Any one who appreciates theater should make sure they see this before the run ends on September 6th.

NB: the next two paragraphs below contains what some may consider "spoilers."

The play pretty much had me at the beginning, when an older man is seated before a mute younger woman explaining during a long, mesmerizing monologue that "My wife take pills- and I drink. That's the bargain we've struck." Then this patriarch, Beverly Weston, disappears for the remainder of the play as the rest of his family shows up at his Oklahoma home to figure out what happened to him, and to themselves. What follows is three-and-a-half hours of shockingly funny American family dysfunction that flies by so quickly it's hard to believe you've spent an entire evening in the company of possibly the nastiest, most brutal and foul-mouthed family to ever occupy a stage- and I loved every moment of it.

There are thirteen roles in the play. Each one is memorably performed by an excellent cast, led by Estelle Parsons in an unforgettable performance as the hilariously cruel, pill-popping grandmother whose deeply disturbed brood has come home one final time. Letts has accomplished something truly remarkable in giving each of these characters a distinct identity. By the end of the play we know these people well enough to wish we didn't, but each character contains enough of a sympathetic arc written into their self-delusion and self-destruction that never permits the audience to turn against any of them, despite the incest, pedophilia, alcoholism, drug-addiction and every thing else taking place onstage. When the eldest daughter Barbara, played by Shannon Cochran, roars at the end of the second act "Because I'm running things now!" it's a moment of pure theatrical exhilaration that I've only witnessed twice before in a theater, but never in a comedy.

As an added bonus, during the first act we overheard the man seated in front us say to his date "Oh my god, that's my mother," which was one of the funniest comments I've ever heard in an audience, though it genuinely made me feel bad for him. The three-story set is terrific, though there are speakers placed on the side of the stage that partially block the view from the seats on the extreme aisles of the orchestra, so avoid them if you can.

Don't miss this play, and see it soon because I wasn't the only one exiting the theater who said to their companion "I'd really like to see that again."

Happy Days

It's been more than a week since I attended Cal-Shake's production of Samuel Beckett's Happy Days, and like Cutting Ball Theater's Krapp's Last Tape from earlier this summer, I can't seem to muster the enthusiasm to write much about it.

Maybe Beckett's plays are just something I should intuitively know to avoid, like a rock concert at Konocti Harbor, but what I find curious is that these two performances are the only things I've attended since I began this blog that left me so indifferent that there was really nothing I wanted to say about them.

Patty Gallagher's Winnie (a last-minute replacement for Marsha Mason, who cancelled) was definitely a presence onstage and held one's attention throughout. But her performance and interpretation of the role made me hope Chekov's mandate about what must be done with a gun appearing in Act I would be carried out at the conclusion of Act II. It wasn't, and then it was time to go home.

Christy Rogers interview on Pix Feed LA blog

Readers of the A Beast in Jungle know I'm a tremendous admirer of photographer Christy Rogers. The blog Pix Feed LA features an interesting interview with her where she mentions she's starting to do video "Sirens," an idea that sounds beautiful yet terrifying to actually think about.

Christy will have shows running in LA through October 16th. Check out the work at the A & I Hollywood until 09/04 and then at A & I Santa Monica from 09/11-10/16.

Merola Grand Finale 2009

The Merola Grand Finale was held Saturday night at the War Memorial Opera House for an enthusiastic audience. The 23 participants (called Merolini) performed solo and in various duets and trios. There was even the quintet from Die Meistersinger. With so many participants I won't detail every performance. All of the participants have a good evening, including especially nice work from the orchestra under conductor Antony Walker, but there were plenty of stand outs which merit specific attention and accolades.

Maya Lahyani's turn as Carmen was the highlight of the evening, reminding me of a young Beatrice Uria-Monzon. Lahyani has the voice, looks and presence onstage to perform the role today. She's captivating, seductive and it could well become a signature role for her. Brian Jagde's Don Jose was also fine, but Lahyani owned the moment so thoroughly that I found myself wanting to take his place onstage rather than listen to him.

Yohan Yi's solo from Rachmaninoff's rarely performed and under-appreciated Aleko was also compelling. Why not program the Rach trittico of Aleko, The Miserly Knight and Francesa da Rimini? SFO has only performed Francesca da Rimini once, back in 1956 and the other two have never been performed by the company.

Mr. Gockley?

Another strong turn in the Russian repertory came from Margaret Gawrysiak's solo from Tchaikovsky's Orleanskaya Dyeva (Joan of Arc). Hers was a masterful display of tone and beauty.

Caitlin Mathes and Paul Scholten excelled in their duet from Rossini's Barber, bringing just the right touch to the material and making it sound fresh. It's easy to dismiss Rossini since we're exposed to him so often, but when it's done well it's delightful- and this pair reminded us of that.

The set for the evening was consistently used to the singer's advantage and stage director Fernando Parra Borti's fine work paid off well for the participants.

The event was well-attended by the local press and blogging community: Josh Kosman (whom I'd like to thank for listing my blog), Allan Ulrich, Cindy Warner, Stephen Smoliar, Ms. Dodaro, SF Mike and the peripatetic Axel Feldheim were just some of the many people floating around the press room and the orchestra level, though Ms. Dodaro was comfortably seated in a box.

Finally, attention must be paid to the young woman from Salt Lake City via Dallas whose dress (Cavalli) was the star of the entire evening. I don't remember the last time I saw someone wearing something so perfect. Thankfully Herr Feldheim caught it (and me) on camera. Thank you to Mademoiselle MG and the Ginger for bringing the glamour to the house.

Urban Opera's maiden outing is an impressive "Dido and Aeneas"

The last line in the program for Urban Opera's Dido and Aeneas, is "If you like what you see, please make it a point to thank them [the performers]." Since I didn't get a chance to do so at the performance's conclusion, I'd like to publicly thank the entire cast, crew and the Jubilate Baroque Orchestra for putting on a damn fine show. It's easy to be skeptical about the promise of a small company in a big town, but Urban Opera's first time outing was more successful than it had any right to be.

To begin with, staging an opera outdoors is a risky proposition under the best of circumstances. When I woke up this morning and saw the customary summer fog, my thoughts turned to my plans for this evening and a voice in my head said this is going to be a cold and ugly night. Sometime in the early afternoon Zeus decided to smile on this company, and the weather made an about-face so surprising I'm not sure I've ever witnessed one like it in the years I've lived here. The weather was perfect. The setting was fantastic- with the Bay to the left, a green lawn spread before us, complete with a twisting, mirrored sperm-like twisted French Horn (the 70's kind) sculpture somewhat resembling the city of Chicago's "Bean", tall bamboo fronting the buildings framing the space and uncanny acoustics for being outdoors in the City, I walked into the performance space and thought- hmm- this looks pretty promising.

But enough of all that- there was opera to be performed, and that was why I was there.

The production begins with a voluptuous Venus in a red dress (Margaret Marshall) and a straight-from-the Playa Phoebus (David Peterson) providing a prologue to bring the audience up to date on what happened in Virgil's version of the story before Purcell's opera begins. Following this, during the overture, the chorus and principals perform a ballet/ pantomime of the fall of Troy and the subsequent chaos in an effective yet succinct way. Particularly striking during this was the evident commitment of the cast to actually act- their faces looking stricken and panicked as they fled across the outdoor space. From that moment forward it was easy to fall under the sway of what unfolded before the audience.

While the entire cast was solid across the board, Kindra Scharich (Dido), Kimarie Torre (Belinda) and Cortez Mitchell (the 1st Witch) truly stood out with terrific vocal and theatrical performances. Milissa Carey was an alluring and, to put it bluntly, highly enticing Sorceress. Purcell didn't give Aeneas too much to work with, but Todd Wedge brought a sensitivity to the role that worked.

The Urban Opera Chorus had some challenging choreography to execute during the evening, which they handled well and their singing was beautiful.

So this is the bottom line: I don't know if we'll ever see another production from this team, led by Chip Grant and Kue King, but I hope we do. There is a dedication and imagination on display in this production from every corner that really impressed me. You have two more chances to see it this weekend- so get yourself a ticket. This really is urban opera- and it's something different, sophisticated and well worth your time.

San Francisco's Urban Opera debuts with Purcell's Dido and Aeneas

San Francisco is about to witness the launch of a new and exciting opera company this weekend as Urban Opera makes its debut with a site-specific production Henry Purcell's Baroque opera Dido and Aeneas. The first opera ever written in English, Dido and Aeneas features "A city that is destroyed by flames, sailors who come and go, and a tragic queen ... [it's going to be] very San Francisco." Set against the Bay as a backdrop, Urban Opera is a filling niche the City hasn't had before now- opera geared toward an audience that feels equally at home at Black Rock City or the War Memorial. Three performances will be held beginning Friday night at The Urban Opera Art Space, located at 409 - 499 Illinois Street (@ 16th Street)in Mission Bay, San Francisco. All performances begin at 7:00 PM, and tickets are available here.

Urban Opera includes artists from San Francisco Lyric Opera, Chanticleer and Volti to bring the City something new: professional singers performing non-standard repertory in challenging new productions specific to the space and time in which they're performed. The production is accompanied by The Jubilate Baroque Orchestra. Since the original music to the prologue has been lost, the production will begin with with a staged overture and spoken prologue, giving those of us who don't completely remember the fourth book of Virgil's Aeneid (and that's most of us) the back story before the action begins.

Kindra Scharich is Dido. Featured with Ms. Scharich, are sopranos Kimarie Torre (Belinda), Milissa Carey (Sorceress), Pamela Igelsrud (Second Woman), tenor Todd Wedge (Aeneas), counter-tenors Cortez Mitchell (First Witch/Mercury) and Michael McNeil (Second Witch/Sailor).

Directed by veteran Chip Grant, with costumes by Kue King, Urban Opera's debut looks to be the most interesting event taking place over this busy weekend. Get yourself a ticket, or be doomed to lament missing it.

The upcoming 2009-2010 opera season

August is the cruelest month. Most of the major performing arts organizations are on hiatus until their seasons begin in September. City-dwellers like me who don't have friends with boats or weekend houses in Napa must make do with theater options or amuse ourselves in more prosaic activities like movies, enjoying the weather and socializing. Here in San Francisco, the summer weather is unpredictable (and often miserable), so even those options can be limited. Thankfully there's a run of Tracy Letts' August, Osage County about to hit town or I'd have very little to write about for the next few weeks.

So this morning I was thinking about the upcoming opera season. This year I'll be reviving my annual trip to the Met to see Esa-Pekka Salonen conduct Janacek's From the House of the Dead. The new production by Patrice Chereau received a lot of attention in Europe and I suspect it may be the highlight of what I see this fall. I'll also see Robert Lepage's production of Berlioz's The Damnation Faust while I'm there. I would like to see at least one more opera, but the Met's other offerings during the House run didn't pique my interest- I can, and will, get my fill of Mozart and Puccini here at home.

Down in LA, Achim Freyer's stunning, brilliant Ring cycle moves forward in its installment run before LA mounts the entire thing beginning in late May. For me, Siegfried in September and Gotterdammerung in April are this year's must-sees. Once again, LA's Recovered Voices program tantalizes with the first production in the Western Hemisphere of Franz Schreker's The Stigmatized, featuring Anja Kampe in the lead. Even though last year's production of The Birds didn't measure up to the stunning quality of 2007's Der Zwerg, Recovered Voices is the type of intelligent and bold programming making LA the most interesting opera company on the West Coast. LA is also going to have great casts in productions of The Elixir of Love and The Barber of Seville that look like sure-fire winners. Add in Domingo performing in Handel's Tamerlano, which seems weird to me, and concerts by Renee Fleming and Thomas Hampson, and LA has a season that offers something for almost everyone.

Here in San Francisco the upcoming season is going to be a watershed of sorts. For the first time General Director David Gockley's vision for the company is going to be on full display. For Gockley's detractors (count me among them), the upcoming season is the most conservative (and potentially boring) in memory. For his supporters (and there are many), it's going to a star-studded glam-fest of favorites. Much as I am loathe to admit it, judging by the huge success of the summer season the odds look to favor SFO having a successful year of star turns in war horses. However, when the company is touting Puccini's operas exciting and new, from my vantage point the future looks pretty bleak. While I like fine singers as much as the next opera fan, I'd rather have more variety and some bolder choices in programming. Puccini and Verdi operas alone comprise 44% of this year's schedule, with the remainder comprised of composers and works even a casual fan will be well-acquainted with. It's being marketed as exciting, but to me it's anything but.

Still, one thing I've learned from SFO over the years is to be prepared for surprises and delights from unexpected places. Last year's Elixir was a complete success and Porgy and Bess was outstanding on every level so there's a chance I'm going to have to eat some crow down the line. So far, the season's highlights look to be Salome, Die Walkure and Fanciulla. We'll see if Trovatore's excellent cast can actually make the production work and Otello, definitely one of Verdi's greatest scores, can't be done worse than it was the last time it was here, which was probably the single greatest failure during the Rosenberg era. I'll see everything the home team puts on this year and wait patiently for Handel, Janacek, Britten and Berlioz to re-appear on the schedule one day, taking small comfort that LA is only a short trip to the south.

Christy Rogers opening tonight in Hollywood...

Photographer Christy Rogers has an opening and book
signing tonight in Hollywood from 7PM til 10PM at
A&I located at 933 N. Highland. Her work is beautiful and unique. Go take a look if you can.

http://www.christyrogers.com/ (possibly NSFW)