Halloween Spooktacular

Halloween Spooktacular
Colorado Symphony
Boettcher Concert Hall
Denver, CO
October 29, 2016

For most kids, the idea of sitting through a concert of classical music isn’t an appealing thought. To encourage the attendance of children, the Colorado Symphony has its annual Halloween Spooktacular. All the musicians dress up (some more creatively than others!) and the audience is also encouraged to wear costumes. Many of the adults dress up as well. Before the show, kids had the option to make Halloween themed crafts.

The concert began with the conductor striding onstage dressed as Darth Vader and leading the musicians in The Imperial March from Star Wars. That immediately caught everyone’s attention. After a warm up of popular pieces, the concert added some classical pieces. The conductor patiently went over themes in The Noon Witch and instrumental characterizations in A Conversation Between Beauty and the Beast. He also gave an animated description of the action in Wagner’s Rise of the Valkyries. To aid in the fun of the music, he changed costumes often to complement the music.

The concert ended with The Raider’s March from the Indiana Jones films and three pieces from the Harry Potter movies. As the kids left the concert hall, each was handed a goodie bag with small treats and toys inside. With the annual Spooktacular concerts, the Colorado Symphony has created the perfect atmosphere to introduce children to classical music.

Dracula

Dracula
Aurora Fox Theater
Aurora, CO
October 7 - November 7, 2016

Dracula is a classic character and especially popular this time of year. Less familiar is the musical of the same name written by Frank Wilderhorn. The musical stays faithful to the original novel by Bram Stoker. The novel is surprisingly sexual considering the era it was written in. And the script and performance of the show doesn’t back away from that aspect at all. The female vampires constantly demonstrated the sexual hold Dracula had over them.

The music in this show will be entirely unfamiliar to most audiences. The songs have not been widely recorded and few are memorable after the curtain closed. The program did not contain a list of musical numbers either which didn’t help. The ensemble piece “Deep in the Darkest Night” was a soaring anthem and the most inspiring song in the show. Lucy’s song “How Do You Choose?” gave Act 1 some much needed comic relief.

Despite the unrecognizable score, the cast at the Aurora Fox performed each one beautifully. The voices of the performers were incredible and the harmonies were a pleasure to listen to.

The script doesn’t help the actors at all to help the audience understand Dracula’s motives. Dracula seems so content at the beginning to surround himself with beautiful, oversexed vampires of his own creation and yet when it comes to Mina Harker, his motives change with no reason why. And while he spends the entire story fighting for his survival and then suddenly gives up.

The costumes and scenery brought the Victorian era to life. The set was remarkably flexible. The walls which came in for intimate indoor scenes moved smoothly around the stage. Most scenes changed with very little visible to the audience – quite a feat considering how many changes were needed. The fog machine at the front of the stage added effect however at time the amount of fog actually obstructed the view of the action on stage.

Despite the lack of familiarity audiences may have with the material and the obvious flaws in the script, the performances in Dracula make it a show worth seeing.

Swan Lake

Swan Lake
Colorado Ballet
Ellie Caulkins Opera House
Denver, CO
October 7-23, 2016

Just the mention of Swan Lake brings to mind ballerina’s in fluffy white tutus, beautiful music and high romance. The Colorado Ballet production brought all of these images into dazzling reality.

The setting gives the feeling of impending tragedy throughout. The darkened stage brilliantly showed off the gorgeous costumes. The menacing perch of the villain Von Rothbart demonstrated his control over the fates of the characters.

The choreography for the ballet was often breathtaking. The ensemble sequences featured variations among the dancers which brought complexity and depth to the scene. The swans moved elegantly around as one would expect and they often completely filled the stage. The Swanelles were stunning in their perfectly synchronized steps across the stage.

The solo performances were beautiful to watch, but they often became repetitive. The structure of the ballet features many solo performances while the rest of the company watches. At times, the length of those designated dances detracted from the story.

The costumes throughout the staging were stunning.  The swan maidens were exactly what we would want to see – feathery white tutus. The members of the court were richly attired to demonstrate their station. The exception was the Prince, whose costume was much plainer than everyone around him. 

This production delivered everything an audience expects from a classic ballet. The music was beautifully performed, the dancing seemed flawless, the emotional responses were real. The beauty of the performance even seemed to balance out the tragic ending.