The Abduction from the Seraglio - Utah Opera

The Abduction from the Seraglio is one of Wolfgang Amadé Mozart's less-frequently performed operas. Full of western interpretation of Turkish style and culture, it is an interesting work of art as well as provides a historical perspective. What begins as a simple "damsel in distress" story in the hands of Mozart, it is developed into a more complex and sympathetic character study.

Andrew Stenson and Celena Shafer

In Utah Opera's final production of the season, The Abduction from the Seraglio is interesting particularly in the treatment of women. Though the archetypical hero-heroine story, Mozart's treatement of the women is far more complex. His development of Blonde and Konstanze surpasses that of their male counterparts, to where for the time, they are quite self-realized and independent. Even at the most dehumanizing moment of the show, when the men question if their women have been "faithful" even though they are enslaved (the men not concered for the psychological well-being of the women, or the possible reality of their rape), the women show strength in refusing to answer their selfish questioning and even threaten to leave their men if they do not apologize. Celena Shafer commands the role of Konstanze. The role is one of Mozart's most vocally demanding requiring immense flexibility and range. Her vocals are simply stunning in the difficult role.

Andrew Stenson as Belmonte and Tyson Miller as Pedrillo were a good team. They had a beautiful and complimentary color in their voices and sang with ease. Resident artist at the Utah Symphony, Amy Owens, is positively infectious as Blonde, easily stealing the show. Her comedic timing, dazzling vocals, and darling personality are the work of a true professional and exactly what the opera deserves.

Amy Owens

Abduction is a singspiel, meaning that there is spoken dialogue, general absence of recitative, and arias. With dialogue in English, it exposed weakness in many of the singer's acting experience with exception of Amy Owens and Gustav Andreassen who continued to impress. Andreassen as the disgusting Osmin was positively hilarious and convincing as well and impressive. Osmin is one of Mozart's lowest-reaching roles, and one of opera's. He had power and personality, even down to the low D's. Particularly Owens and Andreassen, but the cast as a whole, delivered the Gottlieb Stephanie-libretto with charm and ease, highlighting the comically colloquial text compared to Mozart-La Ponte collaborations.

The singspiel requires more acting than many operas typically ask for. Many of the actors struggled with convincing acting in Abduction. Some chose to really over-act, which had it charm creating a silly atmosphere, but unfortunately the style wasn't consistent or universal, proving the over-acting to be awkward and distracting.

With such excellent vocals, the set was a bit ordinary for Utah Opera's normally phenomenal sets. The costuming was fun, each character getting a color scheme and inspired by 1700s fashions. The big exceptions was Pasha Selim's costume, which was a disaster. Ugly in color and bizarre in design, it didn't match the color scheme idea, or any other coherent idea at all. It is unfortunate that the weakest costume was given to the weakest member of the cast (played by Utah Opera Artistic Director Christopher McBeth).

In the end, Pasha Selim has the opportunity to take revenge on his enemy, Belmonte's father, yet chooses forgiveness and charity instead. This powerful moment comes unexpectedly and is richly rewarding as Mozart gives dimension to even his despicable enemies.

Though the production suffered especially in acting, The Abduction from the Seraglio is a great work that is difficult to do wrong with such talented vocalists as Utah Opera had on the Capitol Theater stage. Utah Opera consistently puts on a fine production and we are looking forward to their exciting 2014-15 season as this one draws to a close.

Sweet Charity - Pioneer Theater Company

What happens when you take three of the greatest geniuses of American theater and have them write create a new show? Sweet Charity is what happens and it is currently running in a brilliant production by the Pioneer Theater Company (click here to see a preview video of the show).

With music by the legendary Cy Coleman (19-time Tony Award Nominee), a book by prolific genius playwright Neil Simon (winner of more Tony's than any other playwright in history), and directed by and choreography by the brilliant and celebrated Bob Fosse, Sweet Charity is a staple in the American musical theater cannon.

Nancy Lemenager as Charity

Charity Hope Valentine, played by Nancy Lemenager, works as a call girl in late 1960s New York City. Charity has been through it all, a depressing job, being thrown in a lake by her fiancee, and robbed by the same; but she maintains an infectious air of optimism and naiveté about her. In a role that can easily fall into the "dumb bimbo" trope, Lemenager navigates the role carefully and brilliantly. She is so genuine and delightfully sincere as Charity faces fortune and misfortune alike. She absolutely steals the show leaving the audience heartbroken for her as much as laughing at her silly circumstances she finds herself in. Lemenager is as darling of a dancer as an actor and a true delight to see her on the stage. Truly this is a role she was meant to play!

The entire cast was excellent, from Sean McDermott as the lusty Itallian Vittorio to Gerry McIntyre as Big Daddy Brubeck. The line-up of fellow call girls with Charity were a highlight. Each had great personality and their droll and unamused interpretation of the classic song "Big Spender" was as hilarious as it was actually poignant. Particularly of note were the vocal chords of Natalie Hill as Helene. Her singing was the standout vocals of the show.

A clever set design by George Maxwell hearkened to 60s nostalgia like Laugh In, always full of surprises. With a clever use of color and shapes he created a fun atmosphere perfectly suited for the tone and setting of the show. Equally fantastic were the costumes designed by Patrick Holt. Whether it was the "hippy" style, beatniks, or "preppy" the costumes were both fun and authentic.

Inspired by the peculiarly fascinating moves of Bob Fosse, Director-Choreographer Karen Azenberg's choreography was the star of the show. A scene in the "Pompeii Club" particularly highlighted the whole cast and this wonderful choreography. Clad in a 60s-chic beatnik style and referencing the work of infamous model Lesley "Twiggy" Lawson, the dancing was absolutely delightful, unique and as entertaining as can possibly be!

With an impeccable performance and cast, Sweet Charity is a tight piece of theater thanks to it's witty dialogue and excellent construction by Neil Simon. Not only is it a blast to see, but it's an excellent piece of theater.

This past season, Pioneer Theater Company brought us a large variety of consistently fine shows from Elf: The Musical, to A Few Good Men and Much Ado About Nothing, but Sweet Charity takes the prize as their best production of the season! They have channelled wonderful talent far and wide to put together a delightful show of the quality of any broadway production you might see. Do not miss the opportunity to see this excellent production of a show that is the result of a collaboration of some of the greatest minds in musical theater history! The show runs through May 24th, and don't forget to check out Pioneer Theater's exciting 2014-2015 season!

Where Music Takes Us - Utah Chamber Artists

May 5, 2014, in preparation for the upcoming European tour, the Utah Chamber Artists presented their concert: "Where Music Takes Us" at Libby Gardner Concert Hall at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah.


Utah Chamber Artists is one of Utah's most consistent choral ensembles and this concert was no different. With a primarily a cappella repertoire, the choir presented the works they have prepared for an upcoming trip they are taking to Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic.

Opening the concert, the choir performed three of four movements of Wolfram Buchenberg's Vier geistliche Gesänge. For those unfamiliar with Buchenberg, his music is creative and unique, yet conservatively rooted. The Chamber Artists, conducted by Barlow Bradford, seemed very comfortable with his music. Particularly the first two movements provided some exciting compositional techniques that were well-interpreted by the choir.

Barlow Bradford

A few a cappella movements from Morten Lauridsen's Les Chansons des Roses, were on the program. These are always lovely pieces, though one can't help but remember that the entire cycle was programmed by the group this time last year. The movement "En une seule fleur" was particularly tight and polished.

Most anticipated was a new work by Lithuanian composer Vytautas Miškinis. Written for the UCA, "Gloria" was exciting and enthralling. Miškinis is well-known for his contemporary sacred settings that are pleasing to the ear and are as ambient as they are evocative. Before the premier, the choir sang his "Pater Noster," a daring composition for Miškinis, and the choir sounded wonderful. This piece explores many techniques to paint a tonal picture of a unique perspective on this oft-used text which the choir had a firm footing on. Truly one of the highlights of the concert.

In the second half of the program the choir sang several wonderful works like Carlo Gesualdo's "Illumina Faciem Tuam," Howard Hanson's "Prayer for the Middle Ages," and Eriks Esenvalds "Evening." Though each piece was performed well, the programming of the concert must be addressed. Each piece seemed to be cut from the same cloth in performance and intrinsic style. There was very little variety in the program. Though the entire program was only about one hour total of music, and all very excellent music, it was tedious and boring at times to hear such similar music. UCA and Barlow Bradford really create a beautiful sound, yet the lack of any clear diction in any of the pieces make problems in cohesion, especially in the slower pieces. 

One of the most stand-out pieces of the night was Eric Barnum's "Requiescat." A powerful and courageous piece, the choir gave a impeccable interpretation leaving the audience stunned at such an audacious and poignant performance. 

Moses Hogan

The concert concluded with an arrangement of Bradford's and Moses Hogan's seminal arrangement of "The Battle of Jericho." It was a breath of fresh air to hear variety finally! As a student of African American traditions, I feel something must be said of this performance of Hogan's work. While the choir was impressive in their use of dynamic, some diction choices I call into question. Most noticeable was the choice to pronounce "battle" as "baddle." Hogan himself wanted to strongly annunciate the "t" and the "sh" in "Joshua" to allow the text to provide the scene of the battle of opposing forces. Not only is this the composer's wish, but stylistically more accurate. I think it's absolutely within a conductor's right to interpret the music in the best way he or she sees fit, but this choice to dilute the consonants made the rhythm sluggish and stylistically incorrect. The text should be used to keep the rhythm accurate and exciting. Though it had moments really showing off the exceedingly strong bass section, the uninformed interpretation fell flat to this reviewer*.

I was disappointed that Frank Martin's Mass was not on the program, as they have been advertising it will be since the beginning of their season last year. The piece is still a part of the program on Kingsbury's website (where one purchases tickets) as well as several other calendars. The organization should take more care to inform their audience of such a drastic program change (on their site or mass email for example), as some patrons, myself included, were quite disappointed about the piece being omitted without proper warning. It is not very professional practice to do so with a major work.

Truly Utah Chamber Artists is one of the greatest choral ensembles in the state. They are consistent and have an impeccably in-tune sound. That being said, sometimes their performances are uniformed to the greater context of the piece; what I mean by this is the interpretation lacks inner phrasing as much as it lacks greater phrasing in the larger scope. Each moment of the music is absolutely beautiful, but as a whole, it can be bland and forgettable. I can't help but remember the recent performance of Brahms' Requiem, that was an excellent performance, meaning all the notes and rhythms were impeccably accurate, but all around it seemed platitudinous. With all these masterworks under these talented and dedicated hands, I hope to see more and more risks being taken in interpretation and performance rather than the same conservative and conventional performances. 

*Though it must be noted that in a subsequent performance of hearing UCA perform this piece in a rehearsal in Thompson Chamber Hall still had some diction issues, the choir was singing so unbridled and freely that this reviewer couldn't help but shout! Absolutely stunning and they ought to be commended! One of the most enthralling renditions I have ever heard of the piece.

War Horse - Broadway Across America

Not everyone knows that the popular 2011 Steven Spielberg Academy Award-nominated film War Horse was adapted from English author Michael Morpurgo children's book that was also adapted into an award-winning play in 2007. On April 23-27th, this remarkable play was on the Capitol Theater's stage.

War Horse tells the remarkable story of "Joey," a horse purchased by the army during World War I and his journey through the war to make it safely home. The great success of the play comes from the incredible horse puppets designed by the Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa. The designs for the puppets are minimal, leaving the operators completely exposed. The operators are easily ignored as they bring to life the life-sized puppets that have as much personality, if not sometimes more, than the human actors on the stage. If only for the puppetry, this show is worth seeing.

The set design by Rae Smith couldn't be more minimal. With what looked like a large scrap of paper across the length of the top of the stage, beautiful images were projected that artistically conveyed the scene while the lower half of the stage was left to a few set pieces at best, usually propped by actors. This constant presence of actors holding a few small set pieces is not a distraction whatsoever, proving the true genius of the design.

Throughout the show, which takes place in Europe, the actors spoke in accent. This unfortunately proved difficult to understand what they were saying. Whether or not it was the sound system or the thick accents, the difficulty in understanding them resulted in a lack of personal connection to the human characters. At times I felt more attached to the perfectly adorable goose (a puppet pushed around like a toy) than the humans.

One of the most charming things about War Horse, is it's lack of special effects. In a show that could have easily turned to pyrotechnics and flashy effects to show the drama in the war, it uses dynamic lighting (by Paule Constable) and sound and music to make a transformative experience that passionately draws the audience in. It is surprising how intense and dramatic some of the scenes of war are conveyed when only these puppets are on stage with impressive lighting. It had me on the edge of my seat!

The greatest drawback of War Horse is it's lack of delving deeper into some interesting points. For example, it is only briefly touched on that throughout the show, the audience feels a deeper connection to the animals than to the people. We shout in terror and weep in pain as the horse is caught in a barbed-wire fence, and are truly heart-broken when one horse is "put down" after an injury. While humans are dying more frequently, we attach ourselves more to the animals: a point that deserves some deep discussion. Secondly, "Joey," the main character in War Horse, is at different times a tool of war for different sides. This usage of him as a tool with no particular allegiance to anyone also deserves discussion. Being that the source material is a children's book, it is easy to understand why the show doesn't get much deeper.

All-around, War Horse is a fabulous theater experience everyone should have. The cast is strong, but most impressive is the all-around visceral experience. Each scene is seamlessly weaved into the next through beautiful lighting, powerful songs and music that serve as framing devices, and a epic story with stunning puppetry. A wonderful show for all ages that is a theater experience that should not be missed.