Mark Janicello - Page 2

Deutsche Oper Berlin's Verdi Festival 2018 took a very inauspicious turn with last night's woefully underrehearsed performance of LA TRAVIATA. Within the first 8 bars of the Prelude, I knew we were in trouble. Unfortunately, I was not mistaken.

In the right hands, Rossini's IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA can be one of the funniest pieces in the standard operatic repertoire.  At the many productions of this work that I have seen, there were, at best, a few smiles. When comedy is not done right, it's a tough, often sloppy, slog.  Last night at Berlin's Staatsoper unter den Linden, I (and the rest of the audience) laughed out loud numerous times during this thoroughly charming, utterly delightful and simply hilarious production.  BARBIERE at the Staatsoper has restored my faith in going to the opera in Berlin. In contrast to most productions in Berlin, IL BARBIERE splendidly entertains, rather than tries to 'educate' its audience, and does so with wit, style, and skill.

WAHNSINN! dresses up the extremely commercial, completely interchangeable Wolfgang Petry songs with a clever set design, colorful costumes, interesting choreography and a couple of memorable performances. Enrico De Pieri as Peter (the nominal lead) in the show, almost single-handedly saves this enterprise from utter meaninglessness by imbuing Mr. Petry's superficial songs with more gravity than they deserve and by creating a believable character with genuine emotion that the audience could care about.

If you let a Chimpanzee drive a speeding locomotive, you'd get a train wreck similar to DIE FLEDERMAUS at Deutsche Oper Berlin. Former operatic tenor Rolando Villazón is responsible for 'directing' this unmitigated disaster of a very expensive new production. Were I not on assignment to review FLEDERMAUS for Broadwayworld.com, I would have left after the first 20 minutes of Act One.

The British are Coming!!!  If Sid Vicious and Bertold Brecht had a baby...and Tiny Tim was its Godfather, the result would be something like the British Cult Trio THE TIGER LILLIES.  Plant your tongue firmly in your cheek and make your way to the Admiralspalast to catch THE TIGER LILLIES in Concert. Their 2018 Tour 'Still Alive and In Concert' will be making a stop at Berlin's Admiralspalast on June 30th.

Theater Erfurt's General Director, Guy Montavon was responsible for nearly turning THE FLYING DUTCHMAN, (Der fliegende Hollander) Richard Wagner's technicolor, romantic dream of an opera into a black, white and grey nightmare. The story of the Dutchman, Wagner's tragic 'pale Sailor' cursed by Satan to wander the seas eternally on a ghostly ship, who is finally rescued by the chaste love of a sea captain's daughter, (Senta), was nearly capsized by Montavon's very questionable directorial concept and exacerbated by absurd choices in the makeup-, lighting- and costume designs.

At the Deutsche Oper Berlin on Saturday night, David Pountney, director of CAV/PAG saddled these beloved works with a concept so profound in its stupidity that it was often mind-blowing and jaw-dropping in its inanity. If there is a special club in Hell exclusively for bad stage directors, Mr. Pountney has earned a lifetime membership.

If you want 'bang' for your entertainment buck, make a beeline to the Theater im Keller's Website and try to secure a ticket to BERLIN? WE! LOVE! YOU! As the show only performs on weekends and seating is very limited, I would advise you to plan ahead and take any ticket you can get, but get into that theater and watch these talented comedic actors strut their collective stuff.

Last night, at the Comic Opera of Berlin I was gobsmacked.  Their production of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF was hands down, the single best performance I have ever witnessed in my 24 years living and working in continental Europe.  Nothing else I have ever seen, anywhere on continental Europe, even comes close. Run, Crawl, Beg, Borrow or Steal... but get tickets to this show.

An "officially licensed" touring production with the blessing of both Dan Ackroyd and Judith Belushi (John's widow) The Blues Brothers is a highly-choreographed, very entertaining, commercial product that has no pretense of being artistic … and that is it's greatest asset. This is pure, escapist entertainment. This is a show where you check your brain at the door and just enjoy the music, the atmosphere and admire the discipline and professionalism of the artists onstage.

GHOST in Berlin's historic Theater des Westens, has almost every element needed to be a great evening of musical theater. The only thing missing in this musical is the music. The set, video and lighting design (Hans Kudlich and Michael Grundner, respectively) are nothing short of spectacular. The „ghostly" stage effects (designed by Nils Bennett) are surprisingly good and a few times, awe-inspiring. The script (in a very good German translation by Ruth Deny) was written by Bruce Joel Rubin, who was responsible for the screenplay of the 1990 film as well.