Monthly Archives: August 2017

2017 EQUITY JEFF AWARDS

The Jeff Awards has been honoring outstanding Chicago theatre artists annually since it was established in 1968. I was happy to have appreciated many of this year’s  Equity nominations: “Uncle Vanya” – Goodman Theater PRODUCTION – PLAY – LARGE SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A PLAY – Marton Csokas (Astrov) – Uncle Vanya – Goodman Theatre SUPPORTING […]

August 24, 2017 – 6:26 am | By Paul Kuritz | Posted in Current Events, from Paul, History, Theater | Comments Off on 2017 EQUITY JEFF AWARDS

LA CENERENTOLA at 100: OPÉRA NATIONAL DE PARIS PRODUCES A LANDMARK

Napoleon is dead, but a new conqueror has already shown himself to the world; and from Moscow to Naples, from London to Vienna, from Paris to Calcutta, his name is constantly on every tongue. The fame of this hero knows no bounds save those of civilization itself; and he is not yet 32! The 1823 […]

August 23, 2017 – 12:01 pm | By Paul Kuritz | Posted in from Paul, History, Interviews, Music, Opera, Quotations, Theater, Uncategorized | Comments Off on LA CENERENTOLA at 100: OPÉRA NATIONAL DE PARIS PRODUCES A LANDMARK

Gran Teatre del Liceu: A Stark Rigoletto

The Rigoletto at Barcelona’s elegant Gran Teatre del Liceu reminded me again that Verdi can be considered the Shakespeare of opera. Not only did he compose a Macbeth, Othello, and Falstaff, but his great fondness for King Lear was spread among several operas. The king driven mad by his evil daughter centers Nabucco, while Rigoletto […]

August 13, 2017 – 5:05 am | By Paul Kuritz | Posted in from Paul, History, Mini-Review, Music, Opera | Comments Off on Gran Teatre del Liceu: A Stark Rigoletto

Tidewater Opera Initiative: Fearless Performance

If you need proof as to the truth of Henri Matisse’s observation, “Creativity takes courage,” you need go no further than the weekend performances at Norfolk’s funky Hugh R Copeland Center of Mozart’s Der Schauspieldirektor and Henry Purcell’s  Dido and Aeneas. The Tidewater Opera Initiative (TOI), a self-described “boutique opera company”, presented the pair of […]

August 7, 2017 – 11:24 am | By Paul Kuritz | Posted in Books, from Paul, History, Music, Opera, Theater, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Tidewater Opera Initiative: Fearless Performance