LA VOIX HUMAINE and SUOR ANGELICA to Conclude Seattle Opera's 2012-13 Season, 5/4-18
by BWW News Desk - Apr 9, 2013
Seattle Opera's 2012/13 season concludes in May with a double bill of compelling twentieth-century operas, both new to the company: La Voix Humaine, by Francis Poulenc, and Giacomo Puccini's Suor Angelica. Both these one-act operas follow fascinating women who must grapple with despair as they meet their fate; but the two works, like the composers who created them, are extremely different. In Poulenc's sensual monodrama, a woman stumbles through a minefield of emotions as she attempts to stay connected to her ex-lover over the telephone. Puccini's mystical tragedy tells the story of a young nun who learns of the death of the son she was forced to abandon. She kills herself yet miraculously passes into a state of grace. Performances begin on May 4 and run through May 18.
Opera-Infused Play RISE Set for Theatre 54, Now thru 4/20
by BWW News Desk - Apr 5, 2013
Roots and Wings Theatrical has announced the world premiere production of RISE, directed by Samantha Shechtman. RISE will play a three-week limited engagement at Theatre 54 (244 W. 54th Street, 12th Floor). Performances begin tonight, April 5 and continue through Saturday, April 20. Opening Night is tonight, April 5 (8 p.m.).
Nicholas Masters and More Honored at 2013 Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition
by BWW News Desk - Mar 24, 2013
The Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center was the scene of a celebration this evening as The Dallas Opera Guild presented a rich variety of homegrown talent competing for top prizes in the 25th Annual 'Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition,' an on-stage showcase for young opera singers with Texas connections.
Opera-Infused Play RISE Set for Theatre 54, 4/5-20
by BWW News Desk - Mar 21, 2013
Roots and Wings Theatrical has announced the world premiere production of RISE, directed by Samantha Shechtman. RISE will play a three-week limited engagement at Theatre 54 (244 W. 54th Street, 12th Floor). Performances begin Friday, April 5 and continue through Saturday, April 20. Opening Night is Friday, April 5 (8 p.m.).
PINKALICIOUS, THE MUSICAL Returns to The Culture Project, 3/30
by Kelsey Denette - Mar 21, 2013
Vital Theatre Company has announced the return of Pinkalicious, The Musical at Culture Project (formerly Bleecker St Theatre) due to popular demand. Tickets are now on sale now through August 31st, 2013. Performances are Saturdays 1:30 pm.
Regional Opera Company of the Week: Seattle Opera
by Scott Frost - Mar 21, 2013
Seattle Opera has been one of the leading American opera companies since being founded in 1963. Presenting a mixture of European classics as well as new works of American opera, the company's five opera seasons continually advance the cultural life of the Pacific Northwest through education and performance. Seattle Opera strives to produce musically extraordinary, theatrically compelling operas by employing the highest quality casts, conductors, directors and designers. They have been so successful in this that they actually have the highest per capita attendance of any major opera company in the U.S. In addition to their mainstage productions however, the Company serves thousands more through its groundbreaking education programs, scenic rental program and other special projects.
Paul Giamatti-Led HAMLET Begins at Yale Rep Tonight
by BWW News Desk - Mar 15, 2013
Yale Repertory Theatre presents Paul Giamatti in HAMLET by William Shakespeare, directed by James Bundy, at the University Theatre (222 York Street), tonight, March 15-April 13. Opening Night is Thursday, March 21, at 7:30PM.
Opera San José Presents Suor Angelica & Gianni Schicchi in April
by Kelsey Denette - Feb 27, 2013
Opera San Jose continues its 29th season with Suor Angelica & Gianni Schicchi,
a double-bill of Giacomo Puccini operas with libretti by Giovacchino Forzano. A young nun struggles with despair in an effort to seek redemption in Suor Angelica. In sharp contrast, Gianni Schicchi, a farce based on a single mention in Dante's Inferno, is filled with greed, laughter, and family drama, and includes the beautiful aria "O mio babbino caro." Suor Angelica & Gianni Schicchi will be sung in Italian with English supertitles. Eight performances are scheduled from April 13 through 28 at the California Theatre, 345 South First Street in downtown San Jose. Tickets are on sale at the Opera San Jose box office, online at operasj.org or by phone at (408) 437-4450. The Suor Angelica & Gianni Schicchi production is made possible, in part, by a Cultural Affairs Grant from the City of San Jose.
Lorin Maazel Returns to the Met to Conduct Verdi's Don Carlo
by Kelsey Denette - Feb 5, 2013
Renowned conductor Lorin Maazel will make a rare appearance at the Metropolitan Opera-conducting his first Verdi opera with the company-when he leads a revival of Don Carlo, opening February 22. Ramon Vargas sings his first Met performances of the title role, opposite Barbara Frittoli, also in her house role debut, as the tragic Elisabeth de Valois. Reprising their roles from previous Met seasons are Anna Smirnova as the mysterious Princess Eboli; Dmitri Hvorostovsky as the revolutionary Rodrigo, Count of Posa; Ferruccio Furlanetto as the tormented King Philip II; and Eric Halfvarson as the Grand Inquisitor. This season's performances are the first revival of Nicholas Hytner's production, which opened to critical acclaim in the Met's 2010-11 season.
Opera San Jose Presents IL TROVATORE, 2/9-24
by Kelsey Denette - Dec 13, 2012
Opera San Jose continues its 29th season with Giuseppe Verdi's powerful drama,
Il trovatore. Set in 15th-century Spain, Verdi's classic has it all: vengeance, war, jealousy, and passion, with an emotional, heart-stopping score. Il trovatore will be sung in Italian with English supertitles. Eight performances are scheduled from February 9 through 24 at the California Theatre, 345 South First Street in downtown San Jose. Tickets are on sale at the Opera San Jose Box Office, by phone at (408) 437-4450 or online at www.operasj.org. Il trovatore is made possible, in part, by a Cultural Affairs Grant from the City of San Jose. Il trovatore, with libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, is a mesmerizing story of romance, obsession, and retribution. Verdi mixes together personal vendetta, a doomed love triangle and one gypsy's lifelong obsession for revenge, creating a compelling and dramatic love story. Based on the play El Trovador (The Troubadour) by Spanish playwright Antonio Garcia Gutierrez, this powerful opera score features breathtakingly beautiful arias and one of the most famous choral melodies ever written, the "Anvil Chorus."
PINKALICIOUS, THE MUSICAL Will Play NJ, PA, OH Before Arriving at the Riverside Theater in February
by Kelsey Denette - Nov 7, 2012
Vital Theatre Company has announced that its long-running production of Pinkalicious, The Musical will play its final performance at the Culture Project (formerly Bleecker St Theatre) on Sunday, November 11th at noon. The production will continue performances at the new Hamilton Stage for the Performing Arts in Rahway, New Jersey on November 17th at 1 pm and November 18th at 11 am, then will appear on tour in South Orange, NJ; Easton, PA; Lakewood, NJ; Red Bank, NJ; Sandusky, OH; and New Albany, OH before it will return to its new home at the Riverside Theatre in February of 2013.
BWW Interviews: Patrick Carfizzi Spills on His Opera Career and Playing Mustafà
by David Clarke - Oct 31, 2012
Patrick Carfizzi has a lot of future projects lined up. Yet, Houston audiences are lucky enough to have the opportunity to see him perform as Mustafa in Rossini's THE ITALIAN GIRL IN ALGIERS, playing now through November 11, 2012. When Patrick Carfizzi isn't on stage he is teaching (which is something he loves and plans to do more of as time and schedule permits), volunteering for community groups, and working with the elderly from time to time. He is "delighted, honored, and grateful" to do what he does for a living. Despite his busy schedule, he spent a few minutes to talk with me about his career in opera, THE ITALIAN GIRL IN ALGIERS, and his character Mustafa.
Opera Exposures Presents Free Recital 'ROME' at St. Marks Church Today, 10/28
by BWW News Desk - Oct 28, 2012
Opera Exposures, the not-for-profit organization dedicated to presenting concerts and recitals featuring seasoned professional musicians and young operatic artists in accessible venues at affordable prices, will celebrate National Opera Week by presenting a FREE recital today, October 28, at 3 PM at St. Marks Church, 131 East 10th Street at 2nd Avenue in Manhattan.