Monthly Archives: April 2014

Come to the Caberet — If You Can Still Get Tickets

Come to the Caberet? Definitely. We caught a preview back in March. Opening night is tonight, April 24, 2014. I know you aren’t supposed to review previews, but this is just a personal blog, and as many have pointed out, I’m not a professional. Besides, I’m mostly going to praise the hell out of this production.

I probably should have posted sooner because by now there aren’t too many tickets left, and after tonight, there will be fewer still. It’s a limited run with Alan Cumming returning to the role that made him a star (in this country at least) and it features movie star Michelle Williams in her Broadway debut. Per the official website the best ticket availability is in July till the end of the run. My guess is you will never see tickets for it at the half price booth. They were doing rush tickets during the preview, but who knows if they’ll continue? This one is actually Continue reading Come to the Caberet — If You Can Still Get Tickets

Catching Up with the Idiots at the Opera

I promised myself I’d review every opera I saw, and as usual I’ve disappointed myself. I’m not so arrogant to imagine that thousands of followers are waiting for my reports. I’m no Operateen.. I am the only one who misses me.  I’m going to play catch up here and briefly mention three I’ve seen this season that I haven’t written about previously.

First up, La Boheme. It was a Zefferelli production with beautiful sets and a spirited (mostly) age appropriate cast. No bells and whistles although the street scene was pretty something. It’s easy to see why this opera has been so influential and is so loved. It would make a great date night or a great first opera experience. I so should have written about it and advised any crazed young romantic without a lot of cash, not to run out on a restaurant bill (as they do) but to get rush tickets for only $20 per because is there anything more romantic than dying of consumption in a garrett? Guess what kids? It’s not too late! The same production Continue reading Catching Up with the Idiots at the Opera

Idiots at the Opera — Madama Butterfly, Now with Puppets

We didn’t know much about Madama Butterfly beyond the basics – it’s about east meets west resulting in a cultural misunderstanding, there’s kick ass aria – Un bel di, and like most operas named for their heroines, the title character dies at the end.

There’s a 1930s film version which is not an opera or even a musical, starring nice Jewish girl Sylvia Sydney as the geisha-wife, and Cary Grant as the American, Pinkerton. I never saw the whole thing, but I did catch the last few minutes, in which Cio-Cio San explains to her child that he’s going to be white and American now, and that’s for the best. Then she offs herself, so that he will grow up never knowing the awful truth of his mixed heritage.

Fortunately, there’s none of that in Puccini’s version. Pinkerton is a bumbling American, a callow young man who confides in the Counsel in the first act that he is not taking his temporary marriage seriously. He’s warned that his bride might, and he ignores the warning. It’s clear he’s going to leave her and he’s going to take an American wife. Everyone – including all the other Japanese – understands this, except for Butterfly herself. She is after all only Continue reading Idiots at the Opera — Madama Butterfly, Now with Puppets