Peter and the Wolf

Peter and the Wolf
Colorado Symphony
Boettcher Concert Hall
Denver, CO
March 10, 2019

Peter and the Wolf has become a regular concert on the Colorado Symphony’s schedule. This classic work is the perfect way to introduce children to classical music. This year they added the Magic Circle Mime Company to help tell the story.

Before the concert began, we were introduced to Maggie who demonstrated a great ability to communicate despite not speaking. She yielded to the symphony for Light Calvary Overture. The piece was meant to familiarize the children in the audience with the instruments, but judging from the noise in the audience they were bored.

The presentation of Peter and the Wolf was a different matter. Maggie acted out the part of Peter and, in an inspired move, the musicians playing the instruments stood in front of the rest of the symphony, which made the story easier to follow. Conductor Christopher Dragon got in on the fun by playing Peter’s mean grandmother.

With the musicians “acting” out the story, the music played without interruption. But the story was not lost on anyone. The appearances of the wolf around the concert hall and finally onstage were exciting and not too scary for kids.

The concert was exactly what it was supposed to be: an entertaining introduction to what instruments sound like alone and as part of the symphony.

The Basque Things in Life

The Basque Things in Life
Bitsy Stage
Denver, CO
March 1 – April 15, 2019

This season, the Bitsy Stage has its cultural focus on immigrants. The Basque Things in Life introduced the audience to the Basque people from northern Spain and their mythology, particularly the Lamiaks.

In the story we saw through the eyes of Soriona and learned the story of the Lemiak with her. These woodland spirits were pretty ladies with duck feet. While the costume feet were not terribly realistic, but we got the idea.

The cast created believable relationships with great chemistry between them all. The parents were loving, even though they did not see eye to eye; the family friend was a warm addition. At the center of it all was the change in the mother and daughter bond.

The set was charming. The pre show set up featured the outside of a house and a mountain with a waterfall. When the performance began the house was turned around to show the interior. The pieces gave the family real “work” to do, including a working pump for washing dishes and preparing coffee. The waterfall on the mountain created a small pool where several characters soaked their feet. That realistic aspect of using water on the set kept the audience focused on the story.

The story left behind two timely messages. The first was the importance of immigrants holding on to the culture that makes them unique. The other is the value of family and their time spent together. Given the audience, it was a valuable lesson.