I have a lot to say, but you will be spared because I’m making my television debut in the morning and, trust me, I need my beauty sleep. “La Cenerentola” was thoroughly enjoyable. A bit long, and I had to ditch plans to attend a chi-chi party, but it was a wonderful experience. I’m a Rossini fan and a complete devotee of fairy tales, so perhaps I went with some prejudice.
Cinderella is an interesting tale with plenty of permutations. I could go on forever on the value of such stories (Bruno Bettelheim’s Uses of Enchantment was seminal for me): I’m even a huge fan of Tanith Lee’s When the Clock Strikes that has Cinderella as a very bad lady.
This version puts gets a slightly religious spin, with the eyes of heaven taking pity on the plight of poor Angelina, La Cenerentola. The fairy godmother is a wise old man; the evil stepmother is replaced by a prideful stepfather; and the moral of the tale is that virtue and innocence always win out. There are some very funny moments and a marvelous use of moving backdrop that strikes me as inventive and bold.
Eurydice: PURE Theatre, 10 Storehouse Row, North Charleston
Lobby Hero: Stelle Di Domani, Chapel Theatre
I Live Next to Horses, Piccolo Fringe, Theatre 99
It occurred to me today that there are a couple of things going on between the big festival’s Amistad and the small festival’s Eurydice. Both are concerned with memory and forgetting, and both make creative use of non-traditional performance spaces. Upon further reflection, I suspect that the latter — staging — divides our tastes more deeply than any other factor.
P&C overview critic Tim Pageknocked Amistad’s opera-in-the-round staging Sunday morning, noting that the singers can’t project their voices to everyone in the audience simultaneously. This was part of an overall lukewarm review that declared the opera disappointing. But here’s the thing: The people who decided to stage the opera that way knew going in that 360-degree opera would present these acoustic challenges. They said as much. You could have criticized Amistad for its acoustics without even attending.
The more interesting question to me: What did the audience get in the tradeoff? Because in the ever-shifting tension between form and content, in the ever-morphing context of a media-saturated culture, the design of a production has perhaps never been more important. I found Amistad’s set design fascinating, and the use of space in dress rehearsal got me excited about the story’s mythic aspects.
So I’ve been thinking quite a bit about Amistad lately (not surprising, given that I’ve shot three Amistad-related events and interviewed a few of its principals), and with my print-edition advancer running Thursday morning before the opera’s preview performance, today seemed a good time to take some of my footage from the dress rehearsal and put together a video essay on the topic.
There’s an odd thing about this opera: It looks for all the world like an intentionally provocative, politically aware, socially conscious work of art. But there’s also this cautious vibe surrounding it, as if the festival wants to make sure talk about the controversial subject doesn’t overwhelm talk about the music, or the staging, etc.
My take? As composer Anthony Davis put it, art isn’t politics, but art can be political. And it sure sounds as if the people who put on this production delved seriously into their explorations of history and current events as they worked up the concept for this presentation.
Call it whatever you like: I say it’s ambitious, with all the mythic aspirations of classic European opera but deep roots in American (and African) soil. Let me show you why I think people will be talking about this opera all festival — and beyond.
We are waiting on word about the La Cenerentola(pronounced La Chin-uh-ren-tuh-luh with emphasis on the Chin and the Ren, we think) … known to English-speaking audiences as Cinderella … dress rehearsal tentatively scheduled for tonight at Gaillard Auditorium.
Dress rehearsal cannot take place until the opera production’s own tech crew … lighting, staging, sound … give the all-clear. Meanwhile, “Monkey: Journey to the West” rehearses tonight at Sottile Theatre … and we will be there with a video camera.
Watch this space for a peek at “Monkey.”
UPDATE From Janet: Sadly we will not be shooting La Chin. No video allowed. But they are rehearsing. We do have the intrepid Geoff at Monkey, though, so we’ll have that.
On Monday I got a chance to ride with a van full of acrobats and singers from the cast of Monkey: Journey to the West to a great Asian grocery just north of I-526 on Rivers Avenue. This weekly grocery run is part of the Chinese cast’s survival strategy: The players have been on the road off-and-on in support of this production since May 2007, and finding food that tastes like home is a big deal.
It’s a lively, young, likable cast from a production that has all the color and excitement of a beloved Chinese classic, but without the super-serious “cultural treasure” tension that followed Peony Pavilion around the world. Here’s hoping you enjoy the video as much as I enjoyed following them around.
The Charleston Chamber Opera will launch its first season at Piccolo Spoleto 2008. An evening of American Chamber Opera will include Menotti’s “The Telephone” and Hoiby’s “Bon Appétit” at Circular Congregational Church, 150 Meeting St., June 4-6 at 7:30PM. Tickets are $25 adults, $15 students and seniors, $10 children, under 12 and are available through Ticketmaster or at the door on the evening of the performances.
The production titled “Pilot Season” links the operas together as a play within pieces where our performers are actors and production team members attempting to film potential pilots for the new fall television season. The production will be directed by Tami Swartz and Timothy Lafontaine, with a script by both directors. Steven Morris will music direct and conduct a Charleston-based chamber orchestra.
The performers will consist of the three co-founders and Mr. Lafontaine. New York City based mezzo soprano Lara Wilson recently moved home to Charleston to found this unique company together with Patrice Tiedemann of Boston and Tami Swartz of New York City. Their combined credits include Carnegie Hall, Connecticut Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, the Boston Pops and Harrisburg Opera.
The Charleston Chamber Opera was created to present intimate works and premieres of American opera compositions and chamber opera with attention to dramatic presentation, production values and true stagecraft. With the creation of a hometown company, Charleston Chamber Opera fills an untapped niche in Charleston’s diverse and rich artistic heritage - 917.674.7277.
Ahoy! Take avideo tour of the schooner Amistad over at charleston.net. The Spoleto folks tell us that Freedom Schooner Amistad will be in port through the opening of the opera “Amistad” on Thursday, May 22 … as a dramatic backdrop to the opera. See the opera and see the real ship … well, almost the real ship. It is a reproduction of the 19th century Amistad, which carried slaves and was the the place of a famous slave insurrection and historic court trial, but, as you will see in Geoff’s videos, the schooner is historically accurate apart from a few things (like engines) required by the Coast Guard.
There are plenty of reasons to pay attention to Amistad this season. It’s an opera — which always means a high profile at Spoleto USA — it’s leading things off with this year’s eve-of-the-festival preview, it christens the restored Memminger Auditorium, and the festival staff has clearly invested a lot of energy in building a program of related events around the production.
Earlier today I toted the camera down to Memminger Auditorium for a meet-the-press session with some of the big guns from Amistad. I came away fairly well impressed by the creative commitment I saw on display there. Read the rest of this entry »
Spoleto Festival USA has let us know that Brian Matthews will now sing the role of the Ship Cook.
Alfred Barclift will now sing the role of Burnah. They have switched roles.
The schooner Amistad, a reproduction of the 19th century slaver, will be in port for the opera’s opening on May 22.
Other Amistad related events …
The ship itself will be anchored off Sullivan’s Island during an afternoon remembrance ceremony there May 15. It’ll then be escorted to Charleston Maritime Center by three tall ships, including Spirit of South Carolina, and will be open for tours May 16-18, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tickets are $5-$15. It will be at the dock for the Spoleto opera premiere and remain there until May 27.
The opera composer Anthony Davis and director Sam Helfrich will talk with College of Charleston music professor Trevor Weston on May 22. 5:30 p.m. Recital Hall, College of Charleston. Free.
On May 25, Martha Teichner will interview Davis and Amistad librettist Thulani Davis. 5 p.m at the Recital Hall, College of Charleston - entrance free.
May 26 - Anthony Davis and Thulani Davis along with author Josephine Humphreys and historian Bernard Powers will talk about creating works of art based on historic events. Noon, Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, 125 Bull St - also free.
May 31, attorney Robert Rosen will lead a round table discussion of the Amistad court case. 3 p.m. Avery Center - free.
Tours of the Old Slave Mart Museum and walking tours will be led by historian Harlan Greene at 10 a.m. May 24, May 31, June 2 and June 7. Tickets are $10, call 579-3100.
Charleston County Public Library’s Main Library will show a series of films related to Amistad (the ship) on the big screen - free.
We are waiting on word about the 
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