Feature: Lucky To Be Me: MSMT Singers Perform Around the State
by Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold - Jun 8, 2024
“We perform in parking lots, restaurants, tents, bandshells, and lovely venues like this one,” declares Maine State Music Theatre’s Artistic Director Curt Dale Clark. He is addressing a full house in the Lunt Auditorium at Oceanview at Falmouth on May 30. It is only one of over 95 free public outreach events that MSMT offers in the course of each year, but today is special because it introduces the new 2024 crop of MSMT Singers in their second public performance since arriving in the state.
An outgrowth of the company’s former intern program, the MSMT Singers are an elite group of young (college age) professionals selected by Clark in an annual nationwide search that has holds over 3000 auditions for eight spots. “These young artists have to sing, dance and act on a scale of at least an 8 out of 10 when they come here,” Clark explains, “and when they leave, I expect that they will have grown into the stars they are going to be.”
TOSCA Comes to the Royal Opera House This July
by Stephi Wild - Jun 6, 2024
This July, The Royal Opera will present Jonathan Kent’s classic production of Puccini’s Tosca. The composers most dramatically charged work; this timeless staging receives its 15th revival since its premiere in 2006 with two leading international casts.
Guildford Fringe Festival Returns Next Month
by Stephi Wild - May 2, 2024
Guildford Fringe Festival, which is now in its 11th year, will return for a three-week run of theatre, comedy, spoken word, music, cabaret and family-friendly shows from 29 June to 20 July 2024, all at accessible prices and with some top free entertainment on the bill.
Review: SAN DIEGO OPERA'S MADAMA BUTTERFLY at San Diego Civic Center
by Ron Bierman - May 3, 2024
Puccini’s Madama Butterfly is one of the most popular operas ever written. It has a wonderfully lyrical score, familiar arias and a story that remains compelling even after often heard. San Diego Opera’s most recent production played to a full house on opening night, and under the direction of Jose Maria Condemi the well-chosen cast delivered a performance with impressive emotional depth. Corinne Winters’s convincing portrayal of the naïve 15-year-old Cio-Cio-San brought bravas and enthusiastic applause at curtain call. But her portrayal of innocence exploited meant both bravos and boos over extended applause for tenor Adam Smith’s convincing version of her heartless seducer, Lieutenant Pinkerton.
Set in the World of Haute Couture, BIZET'S CARMEN Opens at Theatro Municipal de Sao Paulo
by Claudio Erlichman - May 1, 2024
The passionate work, which entered the canon and the hearts of the public due to its protagonist's transgression and the unforgettable Habanera aria, is set in a haute couture atelier with the signature of a specialist in the theme, director Jorge Takla, Ronaldo Zero as associate diretor and musical direction by Roberto Minczuk.