VIEWPOINTS – Blurring the line between film and performance as they dance and sing (and lip-sync): Angélica Negrón’s THE ISLAND WE MADE and Penny Saunders’ IN ANY EVENT

As the pandemic has worn on (with an end hopefully soon in sight), I’ve increasingly seen performing arts institutions embrace filmmaking as a means to maximize engagement with audiences. Although … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Streaming Diary: The artistry of Balanchine, Beckett, and Guettel bring much-needed texture to the austere latter days of this pandemic winter

This weekend, I streamed a diverse, truly exceptional trio of works by indisputable masters from the worlds of dance theater, dramatic theater, and music theater – George Balanchine, Samuel Beckett, … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Opera companies turn to other mediums to persist the art form: SOLDIER SONGS & THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER

Apart from filming opera productions in empty auditoriums for streaming consumption (which was the case with Opéra-Comique’s buoyant recent production of Titon et l’Aurore directed by master puppeteer Basil Twist), … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Despite the times, impactful new opera and music theater continue to enrich PROTOTYPE

Those of you who think opera is an antiquated art form with little relevancy should look no further than Prototype, the annual festival celebrating new opera and music theater, which … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – A roundup of the Public Theater’s digital 2021 UNDER THE RADAR FESTIVAL

This time last year, I was furiously hopping from show to show as I immersed myself in the city’s various “experimental” (for a lack of a better term) performing arts … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Streaming Diary: The Met’s hit production of PORGY AND BESS, Complexions’ rousing if repetitive BACH 25, and Richard Nelson’s eloquent finale to his APPLE FAMILY “Pandemic Trilogy”

Here are my latest thoughts on my online performing arts viewings. PORGY AND BESS Opera The Metropolitan Opera Last weekend, the Metropolitan Opera streamed, without charge, its hit production of … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Streaming Diary: Joshua William Gelb’s altogether astonishing FOOTNOTE, John Adams’ distilled but potent EL NIÑO, and Robert Battle’s thoughtfully-rendered NO LONGER SILENT

This past week, I streamed three particularly fascinating works in the performing arts disciplines of theater, classical music, and dance. Each took artistic risks for which they were rewarded handsomely. … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Streaming Diary: Week 2 of Manual Cinema’s retrospective, ROH’s Bryn Terfel-led “Dutchman”, and Robbie Fairchild beguiles in a short dance film

Here are my thoughts on the latest set of streaming adventures. Enjoy! THEATER Manual Cinema‘s 10th anniversary retrospective continued last week with The End of TV (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), which tells the initially … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Streaming Diary: Manual Cinema kicks off its retrospective, and the Met and Royal Ballet stream classic productions of DER ROSENKAVALIER and THE SLEEPING BEAUTY, respectively

Last week, I streamed an eclectic bunch of performances. Here are my thoughts. THEATER First up was the streaming of the original 1957 broadcast of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s filmed-live-for-television version … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – ROMEO & JULIET three ways: As theater (Shakespeare), dance (MacMillan), and opera (Gounod)

Adaptations of iconic Shakespeare plays from into other genres of performing arts isn’t a new phenomenon. It is unusual, however, for these adaptations to attain the same classic status in their individual … Continue Reading →