Category Archives: Theology

THE MET OPERA’S DIALOGUES DES CARMELITES : OPERA’S DIVINE LADDER OF ASCENT

 Sixteen days after John Dexter’s  1977 production of  Dialogues des Carmélites (Dialogues of the Carmelites)    opened at the Metropolitan Opera a detonated tear gas canister in the lobby forced the 4,000 members of the audience to evacuate the building. Suddenly fear was not just a theme in Mr. Poulenc’s great opera about the human struggle with […]

May 12, 2019 – 3:17 pm | By Paul Kuritz | Posted in Acting, Current Events, from Paul, History, Movies, Music, Opera, Politics, Quotations, The Gospel of the Kingdom, Theater, Theology | Comments (0)

THE MET’S DIE WALKURE: A SUBLIME RETURN TO THE HEART OF THE FIRST RING

With an opera production as overwhelming as Robert Lepage’s Die Walkure at the Metropolitan Opera, adjectives seem unable to capture the majesty and profundity of the experience. “Spectacular”? “Magnificent”? “Sublime”? All of those and more. And in the most difficult of all art forms. Opera has so many variables subject to personal disposition, physical strength, […]

March 31, 2019 – 3:46 pm | By Paul Kuritz | Posted in Acting, Books, from Paul, History, Men and Women, Movies, Music, Opera, Politics, Quotations, The Gospel of the Kingdom, Theater, Theology, Uncategorized | Comments (0)

REGENT’S DEAR BRUTUS: J.M. BARRIE’S MIDDLE-AGE MEDITATION

If you could live your life over again, would you do it the same way? This question has probably crossed everyone’s mind at one time or another. The Christian Church proclaims that one has many chances through repentance to enter the process of theosis. It certainly crossed the mind of Peter Pan’s author, the Scotsman […]

March 4, 2019 – 9:37 am | By Paul Kuritz | Posted in Acting, Art, Books, from Paul, History, Men and Women, Music, Quotations, The Gospel of the Kingdom, Theater, Theology | Comments (0)

THE VIRGINIA SYMPHONY AND CHORUS’ MESSIAH RAISES THE ROOF

Maestra JoAnn Falletta led a rousingly spirited rendition of Handel’s magnificent oratorio The Messiah last evening. Keeping the spirit-filled symphony and chorus moving for over two hours, Ms. Falletta gave the orchestra’s string section an opportunity to shine, and shine they did. Their playing did not only sound wonderful, their playing was a lovely visual […]

December 16, 2018 – 7:34 am | By Paul Kuritz | Posted in Art, Current Events, from Paul, History, Music, The Gospel of the Kingdom, Theology | Comments (0)

VIRGINIA OPERA’S DON GIOVANNI: FABULOUS FUN

After surveying the centuries of Don Juan incarnations, David Bentley Hart concludes that the character is simply now “beyond our ken”[i] While that may be true in the world of philosophy, in the nuts and bolts world of theater “ken”, or understanding, is what is demanded by performers and audience alike. So rather than pick […]

November 3, 2018 – 11:10 am | By Paul Kuritz | Posted in Acting, from Paul, History, Men and Women, Music, Opera, The Gospel of the Kingdom, Theater, Theology | Comments (0)