Cinderella

Cinderella
Opera Colorado
PACE Center
Parker, CO 
November 11, 2017

Opera Colorado’s touring production of Cinderella created the perfect opportunity to introduce children to opera. The show was performed by the young artists program in an abridged format especially for children.

The sets for the show were simple but effective. The cast moved furniture quietly and effectively and the backdrop opened up to reveal the prince’s castle. The costumes communicated each character’s position and Cinderella’s ball gown was as beautiful as each child imagined.

The performances of each singer were impressive. The singing and the acting were equally strong, making each character believable. The songs were sung in English, allowing the audience to follow along easily.

The one hour running time was just right for the young audience and there were no obvious gaps in the story. At the end of the show was a question and answer period which was painfully short for such a large audience. It would have been better to eliminate that portion than disappoint most of the children who wanted to ask questions.

La Boheme

La Boheme
Opera Colorado
Ellie Caulkins Opera House
Denver, CO 
November 7-15, 2017

Operas are known for depicting glamorous lives with complex music. However, La Boheme is a departure from this formula. The main characters of this opera are starving artists whose dedication to their craft has left them in dire straits. These characters are much easier for the average person to identify with.

The characters are fairly two-dimensional. This cast had the acting abilities to flesh them out into more realistic people. They were likeable and appealing – even at their worst.

Even the love stories were believable. The actors had enough on-stage chemistry to invest the audience in their relationships.

The score of La Boheme is not the most familiar in opera. While the music is beautiful, aside from “Musetta’s Waltz,” it is not memorable.

The sets for the show were indicative of the poverty the characters lived in. While the apartment of Rodolpho and Marcello was sparse, there was a poetry to the scene. The audience was able to see into the hallway outside their door, giving the audience a preview of what may be coming.

In such a setting, the costumes could have been overly plain. However, each man had his own style and even Mimi’s dress was pretty if plain. It only made her special pink bonnet stand out even more. However, during crowd scenes if was difficult to pick out the main characters.

One character who did not blend in was Musetta. She was the wealthiest of the main characters. However, it was unclear why her clothing was so tacky, especially considering so many of the men were supposed to be attracted to her.

For opera  lovers, La Boheme is everything they could ask for – a high quality production with excellent performances.

The Merry Widow

The Merry Widow
CU Presents
Macky Auditoium
Boulder, CO 
October 27-29, 2017

The Eklund Opera program at the University of Colorado provides an excellent opportunity for aspiring singers and musicians to perform classic work in front of an audience. This spring they presented The Merry Widow.

The show began with the longest overture I have ever heard. The director attempted to break that up with a pantomime, but the scenes were too short and too choppy to fill the time.

The voices of the cast members were stunning to listen to. “Vilja” was spectacularly performed and the men singing about their difficulties and the men’s septet “Women” entertaining.

This show is one that contains dialog. The acting performances among the cast were uneven. Some showed flair for the dialog, others only seemed to be reciting the lines. The characters were fairly two dimension and few of them came across as real people.

The choreography throughout was rough. While the steps were designed to be impressive, the cast did not seem to have the ability to pull them off.

The sets of the show, likely professionally done, were delightful. The multiple entranceways and exits gave the space a feeling of depth. The costumes, also professionally done, were perfect to demonstrate the wealth of the characters.

The gratuitous finale scene at Maxim’s at least enjoyable to watch. While the ending was predictable, we had a fun time getting there.

Dracula

Dracula
Colorado Ballet
Ellie Caulkins Opera House
Denver, CO
October 6-15, 2017

For the past ten years, the Colorado Ballet has presented a wide variety of shows. Aside from the Nutcracker, only one show has been repeated in that time – Dracula. At time sit has been an extra show added in October. This year, it is one of the three main ballets being performed.

Dracula is not a typical ballet. It contains a much more complex story than the art form usually attempts. As a result, the show contained many interactions between the performers, but far less dancing than a regular ballet would.

The performance was made up of three acts. Each featured one major dance sequence in the midst of graceful stagecraft. Those sequences felt long and drawn out – especially since they did nothing to advance the story. Although the dance of the undead in the third act was more entertaining than the others.

Also unlike other ballets was the strong characters the dancers portrayed. The personalities came through the physical actions of these performers who never spoke. It was impressive to watch. Dracula’s slow, sensual movements added to his mysterious appearance. Although he had a habit of drawing others to him, pushing them away and then drawing them back which made little sense. The performance of Renfield’s psychotic behavior was also well crafting.

The costumes in the production were spectacular. Dracula’s red cape swirled about him majestically. His well choreographed flipping of it around his legs complimented his graceful movements. Not one costume looked out of place – they looked like the clothing of the period and not ballet costumes.

The sets brought the whole production together. They were clearly indicative of the mood of each scene and moved the action along. Once set change left Lucy on stage for a rather awkward costume change, but the rest seemed flawless.

For fans of traditional ballet, this ballet may take getting used to. This show does have the ability to bring in audiences who do not attend traditional ballets. That is a tribute to the power of the story – no matter how it is told.

South Pacific

South Pacific

Inspire Creative
PACE Center
Parker, CO 
September 29 - October 15, 2017

The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific was controversial in its day. The storyline of racial tension is still relevant today.

The current production by Inspire Creative used the original script, which created a much longer show. The audience was treated to little heard reprises and dialogue which didn’t drag down the tempo at all. Act One was so loaded with classic songs it was hard to believe they were all from the same show.

The story revolved around Nellie Forbush. This is a part that requires an actress who is attractive and charismatic. She had exactly the right balance of charm and silliness. It was easy to see why the entire camp practically revolved around her. And her voice was perfect for the classic Rogers and Hammerstein score.

Opposite Nellie, was Emile who was handsome and engaging. His voice was up to the lush romantic standard, “Some Enchanted Evening.” One particularly impressive performance was by Luther Billis. He seemed to steal every scene he was in.

The portrayal of Joe Cable wasn’t quite as strong as the others. He seemed to change from in love to horrified at the object of those affections with little motivation. His ballad “Younger than Springtime” wasn’t quite the breathtaking love song it should have been. However, his angry turn with “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” brought an intimate rage to the words, reflecting more anger at his upbringing than his current situation.

The costumes and sets were perfectly suited for the show and the directing showed great flair. A working shower added fun to “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair” while a retractable scrim added mystery to the Bali Hai ceremony. The entire production played like a period piece without feeling dated.

If there was a downfall to this production it was the casting of some of the Polynesian characters. The actors performing the roles well, but considering the prejudice that occurred during the story, they looked too white to effectively move the story along.

Prodcutions such as this one effectively demonstrated why this show is a classic. In Inspire’s hands, it was timeless.

Frozen

Frozen
Pre-Broadway Engagement
Buell Theater
Denver, CO 
August 17,- October 1, 2017

The Broadway-bound production of Disney’s Frozen has been playing at the Buell Theater for six weeks now. I saw it on opening night and I was curious to see what changes it would go through during its time here. So I went to see it again.

The only changes I could pinpoint were in Act 2, which seemed to drag on opening night. One song, "When Everything Falls Apart," was eliminated and “Kristoff’s Lullaby” and the second reprise of “Hans of the Southern Isles.” For the latter, the change was an effective one. The previous version took away from the stunning revelation. The trimmed song was much more sinister and vicious – as it needed to be.

The most effective parts remained unchanged. “Love is an Open Door” was even more entertaining than the film version. And the simple, yet elegant, staging of “Let It Go” was worthy of the song’s iconic status.

The show still has its share of awkward moments. The death of the king and queen was unnecessarily creepy and will confuse those few who have not seen the film version. The presentation of Olaf was underwhelming, especially with the impressive Sven costuming. The first song of Act 2, “Hygge” was still puzzling. While the song is enjoyable, the staging is decidedly un-Disney like. I find it hard to believe that it will open on Broadway as it was performed in Denver.

Disney likely has another hit on its hands, however, those looking for a new twist (or dare I say improvement) on the story, will be disappointed. While many aspects of the production were changes from the film, it doesn’t elevate it to another level as The Lion King did. However, with its already rabid fan base, Frozen will please its audiences.

Company

Company
Aurora Fox Theatre
Aurora, CO
September 22 - October 22, 2017

Company is a lesser known Stephen Sondheim work. While some avid theater goers may have heard one or two of the songs, they aren’t widely known.

The show was written in 1970, but the Aurora Fox production strongly showed that this show is as relevant now as they day it opened on Broadway. The set was a chic urban loft which was generic enough to set the scene for every location but not at all boring. The costumes were also well matched with each character – even if they were all black.

The cast of the show was nothing short of spectacular. Many of the characters could easily have become two-dimensional caricatures. But this talented cast took these stereotypes and made them into fully realized people. The chemistry between them was exactly right.

Beyond their acting abilities, the performance of the musical numbers was a sheer delight. Every voice was amazing on it’s own, but the musical arrangements made these great voices even better. (Although the “Bobby” sequences did get a little tiresome after a while.)

Each song helped the audience to get to know the characters better. None was more memorable than "Not Getting Married Today." The looks on the actress' face matched the tone of the song and had the audience rolling in the aisles.

The choreography of “Side by Side” was fun and kept the momentum going through a somewhat deeper second act. The show built into the climatic song, “Being Alive” which was the olive in the martini of a delightful cocktail. It was the perfect blend for a night on the town.