Post-opera thoughts

As one of my fellow bloggers said, “This is like a marathon!”

Blogging in 25 minute spurts is pretty demanding, but I’m giving it my best shot! The Bernstein piece was very cool. I’ve never seen contemporary opera or anything close to Trouble in Tahiti.

In it, there was a trio of “suburban” singers, who forcefully recommended the joys of suburbia to the protagonists. The characters from the Monteverdi acts were also part of the Bernstein piece. This one wasn’t exactly an upper, but it was gorgeous, sensual and an English major’s wet dream.

Courtesy of Cory Weaver/ Portland Opera

Let me explain further. This Bernstein act along with the Monteverdi ones was filled with symbolism. As the characters travel through time, the concept of love develops. Plutone and Venere (Pluto and Venus) continued into the 1950s, where they were still major players in the developments.

Rich with dichotomy, the Bernstein and Monteverdi pieces truly did work together. They taught a lesson.

Bernstein also wrote West Side Story and several other critically acclaimed operas. Like Monteverdi, he is recognized for his innovation, referred to as the “first great American composer.”

All in all, a solid evening. Much better than this Tuesday, which I spent watching Cats.

At the intermission

Wow. I would say that I’m speechless, but that wouldn’t make me a very good blogger, would it?

We just saw the Monteverdi acts, which were written around 1600. According to Muni, Monteverdi was one of the first if not the very first person to compose opera. You could definitely hear it in the music as well. I’m not sure if it was just my untrained ears, but it seemed like the aria and recitative were more fluid than in more recent operas.

The transition between acts was fluid. One of the lost souls from the first act became the narrator for the next.

Much of the music for this opera was played on the harpsichord, which we saw in our backstage tour. The harpsichord being used was made locally.

It was gorgeous. Very slow and simple, but this opera was beautiful. It was not just the music, though, it was also the visuals. The stage used a projector, which is the first I’ve ever seen in an opera production. Spencer, my photographer, noticed Ground Zero in the projections during the battle sequence of the second act. We confirmed with the stage director that Ground Zero, among other pictures of destruction, were in the background.

I’m really liking the “student” aspect of this performance. I always enjoy understudy and student performances because it’s usually ver apparent that the performers are both giving their all and trying to prove themselves, which proves for an interesting and inspired performance.

Before the opera, blogging

After arriving at around 6:00, we begun our whirlwind tour of the Newmark Theatre backstage. This particular performance is a Studio Artist production, that accepts performers from different conservatories and training programs for opera performers.

Because many (I think all) of us are relatively unfamiliar with opera, the tour was a 101 crash-course in the backstage operations that it takes to run a smaller opera. We were able to see the backstage and we actually ran into “Pluto” while backstage, who will be a part of the Monteverdi acts.

The backstage was surprisingly small, there was barely room for the seven of us on the tour to walk through without running into the lighting on the sides of the stage. For this size production, there are only four or five backstage hands rather than the 30 to 40 that it takes to run a show in the Keller Auditorium.

The benefits? At this theater, every seat is no more than 65 feet away from the stage.

We just finished meeting the stage director, Nic Muni, and receiving our backstage tour Laura Hassell, director of production for the Portland Opera.

Each of them were extremely helpful in giving us an idea of what has gone into making this opera. While Hassell’s main domain is the technical aspect of making the show happen, Muni has been working on the conceptual aspect of this production for a year now.

According to Muni, the two Monteverdi acts that we will see tonight have never been performed together; and the Portland Opera has pulled elements from each of the works in order for them to relate to both each other and the Portland Opera season, Love & Marriage. Interestingly, Muni and others made their own arrangement for this evening. Muni is anxious to hear what others think about how they have arranged it.

I’d like to thank Spencer Degerstedt, my friend and official photographer today for making others and me nervous by snapping shots when we least expect it and also covering the backstage tour/ conversations.

Pre-blogging jitters for Portland Opera’s “Student Blogger Night”

This evening, I’m one of four college bloggers for the Portland Opera’s opening night of “Trouble in Tahiti” by composer Leonard Bernstein. I am absolutely, unequivocally excited.

I’ll be blogging on my personal blog (here), my college newspaper’s blog and posting on my Facebook page.

First, we’re scheduled to arrive and receive a backstage tour with other college bloggers. Next, we meet with stage director Nic Muni and subsequently blog, before the show begins. The show starts at 7:30, and we will then blog both at intermission and after the show ends.

This production of Trouble in Tahiti is a Studio Artist production. So the bloggers (as well as the performers?) are students. As far as I’m concerned, all of us will be trying to do the same thing: impress the hell out of those professionals. Key word, trying.

Courtesy of Cory Weaver/ Portland Opera

All blogging will take place in the lobby of the Newmark Theatre in downtown Portland at 1111 SW Broadway (at Main Street), where the show will take place.

Now, a bit of background on the opera itself, for me and for you. The fabulous Alexis Hamilton, director of education and outreach for the Portland Opera, provides all the information you need for a Portland Opera production. Her study guides are on the Portland Opera website and here.

Composed by Leonardo Bernstein, who some refer to as “the first great American composer,” this opera is not one of the most famous in existence; but it is certainly recognized for its innovation and purely American aim.

Composed in 1952, Trouble in Tahiti advertises “the charms of family life” and the cult of domesticity. My guess is that the Portland Opera will have a similar take on this opera as they did with Cosi Fan Tutte. Mozart wrote Cosi , and the Portland Opera used a production with a 1950s setting to make the questionable (sexist) assertions about women a little more tongue-in-cheek.

From what it seems, Bernstein’s opera gives a good deal of sympathy to Dina, the housewife of the opera. Unlike Mozart’s assertion that “Women are All Like That” in Cosi, Bernstein’s opera further investigates the plight of the housewife and her abused emotions.

As well as Trouble in Tahiti, there are two other acts Il ballo delle ingrate (The Dance of the Ungrateful Women) and Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda by Claudio Monteverdi.

Blog ya later.

A cat-astrophic evening with Andrew Lloyd Webber

Though the cast of “Cats” was particularly impressive, this show’s continued success says something quite horrible about the United States’ cultural interest. “Cats” is gimmicky, outdated (in a bad way) and entirely nonsensical. “Cats” opened on Tuesday, Mar. 23 at the Keller Auditorium and runs until Mar. 28.

“Cats” is the longest continuously running show in the history of the US and referred to as “America’s most loved family musical.” The musical is based on T.S. Elliot’s book of poetry, “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.” Andrew Lloyd Webber, renowned English composer, wrote the music for “Cats,” adding to his repertoire of shows including “The Sound of Music,” “Phantom of the Opera” and “Evita.”In 1983, “Cats” won seven Tony Awards, including “Best Musical.”

Yet, I couldn’t tell you why.

Only once I had done some research on “Cats” was I sure of its plot. In the show, the Jellicle Cats, a special kind of cat, are coming out for their annual Jellicle ball. At this ball, the cats celebrate who they are and together choose one Jellicle Cat to be reincarnated.

The first song in act I, “The Naming of Cats,” explained the importance of a cat’s name. The song was not sung; rather, it was whispered to convey the Jellicle Cats’ reluctance to tell us who they are. I don’t think that I was alone in my confusion because after the song ended, there was little applause. So little, that I could more clearly hear the man behind me say, “That was hard to hear.”

The Jellicle Cats soon burst from their shells and begin a series of introductions that never, ever end. The entire plot of “Cats” relies on introducing a new cat every song. Rum Tum Tugger is a curious cat. Grizabella is a glamour cat. Mr. Mistoffoles is magical. And so on.

The music was highly synthesized and reminiscent of Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera” soundtrack, yet even more of its 80s-sounding, organ-like resonance. Reminiscent of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” soundtrack and The Trans-Syberian Orchestra’s Christmas album, “Cats” is probably one of the main reasons that people think they don’t like musicals.

On a lighter note, the choreography was excellent. The cast was the best choreographed of any musical theater touring cast I’ve ever seen. The dancing numbers were perfected, and the visual aspect was polished.

Grizabella, played by Anastasia Lange, was extraordinary. Though I didn’t feel like any of my emotions could have been elicited at the point when “Memory” came up, her performance gave me chills. “Memory” is “Cats’” most famous song and one of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most popular compositions. The song has been recorded by over 150 artists including Johnny Mathis and Barbara Streisand.

Both Grizabella and Old Deuteronomy were cats that were past their prime. Whenever they came on stage, the music went slower and deeper. They were used as foils to the younger cats and tools to bring the mood down to somber and “contemplative.” This all felt contrived. The older cats were used to make sure the musical wasn’t the same happy introduction song over and over. Sometimes, the introductions were sad. Thank you, older cats.

There is something to be said for T.S. Elliot, however.

The lyrics to the songs are mostly taken from Eliot’s book of poems, which has made it admittedly resistant to bad reviews. His poems regarding cats are fabulous and delightful, in the last song it says: “So first, your memory I’ll jog,/ And say: A CAT IS NOT A DOG./ A Cat’s entitled to expect/ These evidences of respect.”

Nonetheless, this low brow performance left me perplexed and apathetic. For someone into opiates, and apparently all of America, “Cats” is great. This, however, will be my first and last Jellicle Ball.

A musical cat-astrophy, “Cats” is to musical theater what The Harlem Globetrotters are to professional basketball. It may consist of talented performers, but it is ultimately a dumbed-down creation that relies on spectacle to sell out theaters across the US. In the end, I felt like I lost two hours of my life and respect for my country.

“Cats” has 7:30 p.m performances tonight and Friday. On Saturday, there is a 2 p.m. matinee and 7:30 p.m. performance. The show closes on Sunday with a 1 p.m. matinee and 6 p.m. final performance. Tickets are priced from $18.25 to $63.25 and can be purchased from Ticketmaster, the PCPA box office or the Portland Opera box office. For more information, visit the Portland Center for Performing Arts website at www.pcpa.com and search for “Cats.”

Burton’s Alice lacks inspiration

Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” doesn’t live up to the euphoria promised by its trailer, but it is visually stunning, funny and recognizably Burton-esque.

Based on Lewis Carroll’s novels “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass,” Burton’s version is unlike the 1951 Disney film, having more elements of “Through the Looking Glass.” While the combination of live action and animation works well, the film, as a whole, is a let down.

Courtesy of bzzagent.com

Depp, Burton’s boasted star, is the biggest let down of the film. Like his performance in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” Depp’s now standard role as the crazed mastermind of an alternate universe is a little too creepy, and at this point, exhausted. The Mad Hatter’s increased presence in Burton’s version didn’t add to the film, but made it feel more like déjà vu.

Helena Bonham Carter, the Queen of Hearts, however, does a fantastic job making the viewer cringe, and with ease. In one scene, she calls out for a pig and says, “I love a warm pig belly for my aching feet.”

Burton’s Alice is quirky, strong and amusing. Burton creates, in Alice, a mixture of an Attention Deficit Disorder and a message that “it’s okay to be different.” The greatest part about this film is it doesn’t just claim that different is “okay,” but rather, it is best.
Even though it’s easy to reduce each character down to a few clichés, screenwriter Linda Woolverton created inspiring little terms and sayings that were creatively put and delightfully un-pedestrian.

The fight between the red and white queens at the end of Alice brought up a curious question. Is Burton trying to empower young women with Alice’s triumphant battle? Or is he very conveniently setting the film up for its matching video game? It’s unfortunate when the business aspect of the film industry is obviously recognizable, but unfortunately, this seems to be the case.

Because the college student generation certainly saw the Disney version at a young age, the film presents an opportunity to examine its characters in a different light. Burton’s film honed in on the periphery of Alice’s story in order to draw out the short plotline and found some interesting insights on the way.

But I still don’t get why a raven is like a writing desk.