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Articles by Karen Weinstein
Falstaff--LA Opera
Falstaff was Verdi’s last operatic composition. As a comedy, it was not the favorite genre of his contemporary audiences. Those were the days when operatic expectations were for star-turn arias, and bigger than life voices, often delivered by bigger than life stars who were not expected to actually act. Along came Falstaff which is an ensemble composition.
Akhnaten--LA Opera
I have to get it off my chest, I’m no fan of Phillip Glass. That said, I love the current production of “Akhnaten” at the Chandler. Visually it is all-enveloping. And the music buoys it along. Glass based his opera on the story of the pharaoh, Akhnaten, whose short reign is considered important because in his 17 years he briefly changed the religion of Egypt from polytheistic to monotheistic, though the change did not last.
La Bohème--LAOpera
“Breathes there a man with soul so dead, who never to himself has said, …” and here I depart from the patriotism of Sir Walter Scott, ‘oh to be young and free and living in Paris.’ This fantasy has fueled fans from the nineteenth century to the present, from Murger’s book “Scenes de la vie Bohème,” to Puccini’s “La Bohème.” This is the eighth presentation of the Herbert Ross production for LAOpera.
Paranormal Activity--the play.
If your tastes run to the horror genre just the title, “Paranormal Activity,” will bring to mind the Paramount Pictures “Paranormal Activity” franchise, a series built around couples, young and attractive, whose lives are turned upside down by, you guessed it, paranormal activity. The franchise petered out after seven iterations, but Paramount has blessed Levi Holloway with permission to interpret the format as he sees fit.
West Side Story at LA Opera
If the LA Times is your principle source of cultural information you might have missed the fact LA Opera is opening its fortieth season with an exuberant production of West Side Story based on the original Jerome Robbins production. Coverage didn’t happen for over a week. Despite that it took so long for the Times to devote attention to a review, and then only online, the audience on September 27, was full and thoroughly engaged.
&Juliet
Are you the kind of person who looks for splashy Broadway musicals when you go to New York? Or do you seek out more weighty drama? How you answer those questions has a predictive value for how you would likely feel about “& Juliet” currently at the Ahmanson after 10 years in London and New York. It is still on Broadway. Your demographic may also affect your feelings. Millennial and/or Gen Z might tip you in a more favorable direction. If Sondheim is your idol you will likely be disappointed.
Madame Butterfly
It is a rare treat to be able to critique an opera from a straight forwardly dramatic point of view. This year’s LAOpera’s production of Madame Butterfly nails the human side of this classic story. The casting matches outstanding voices with singers who look their part, fully act their part, and dazzle with their voices. What a pleasure to watch. For good reasons Butterfly is a warhorse for opera houses.
Rachmaninoff And The Tsar
You’ve gotta have a gimmick, or so goes the song. Pianist Hershey Felder has his. Over twenty years ago he began telling the stories of famous composers. He debuted with Gershwin. Just Felder and his piano on the stage. It was terrific. He seemed to embody their stories and character. As the years have gone by he has used his formula to tell the stories of multiple more classical composers. From time to time I sampled these productions. Their charm has worn off for me.
A Strange Loop
Here is the challenge: Is it possible for a self-described “mass of undesirable, unlovable, unemployable, unacceptable fat, Black homosexual molecules floating in space without purpose or meaning” to write a fast paced, humorous, no-holds-barred musical that wins both a Pulitzer and a Tony? In a word, YES, and it is at the Ahmanson Theatre until June 30, before taking off for a multi city tour. I have never been a fan of trigger warnings, but one is appropriate here.
Jelly's Last Jam
Right at the start, a gurney with a body draped in a coroner’s sheet; no question where the next two and a half hours are going. Jelly Roll Morton (John Clarence Stewart) is in Purgatory. But, let’s call it The Jungle Inn, a lowdown club “somewhere’s ‘tween Heaven and Hell.” He will be judged by the Chimney Man ( Cress Williams), a menacing figure who confronts Jelly at every turn about his braggadocio and exploitative history. Jelly’s Last Jam premiered at the Mark Taper Forum in 1991.
Turandot LAOpera 2024
If it seems like everyone in the opera world is performing Turandot, you are right. Not only is Turandot a perennial favorite, but one hundred years after Puccini’s death the Met, the Washington National Opera, and LA Opera, for starters, are all celebrating the centennial of this unfinished masterpiece. Yes, unfinished. Puccini died in the midst of completing Act III.
La Traviata--LAOpera
I love La Traviata. It may not be the most sophisticated opera passion, but Verdi’s score and his heroine Violeta, dignity, despite her rank in society, are a robust combination. Violeta (Rachel Willis-Sørensen) is based on a real person, Marie Duplessis. She was born into poverty and a violent home. She taught herself to read and write. Yes, she was a courtesan, but she hosted one of the most sophisticated and intellectual salons of Paris and bedded the likes of Franz Liszt and Alexander Dumas.
Funny Girl
True confessions of a theater critic: I saw neither the original production, nor have I seen the movie, Funny Girl. Therefore, I offer no in depth comparisons of the current production to the 1964 original or the movie. I cannot comment on how much the material originally benefited from having Barbra Streisand belting it out, nor how this one was altered by Harvey Fierstein’s recent revisions.
Highway 1 USA & The Dwarf
Chances are you have not heard of these two one act operas. You are forgiven but may regret it. Recovered Voices, a long time project of conductor James Conlon’s, has been about uncovering works of the past that have been unjustly overlooked. Prominent amongst them are works from victims of the Nazis, such as composer of The Dwarf, Alexander Zemlinsky who fled first from Berlin to Vienna and fled Vienna to New York.
Kate
I’ll be honest. I went to opening night of “Kate” with a chip on my shoulder. ‘Not another theater keeping the lights on by booking a standup comic,’ said I to said self, having been annoyed at the Taper in October for booking Alex Edelman. Funny guy but dressing his set up with a title does not convert it to theater in my book. (Spoiler alert: Edelman is coming back to the Taper in March). My apologies to Kate Berlant. My grudge was ill placed.
El último sueńo de Frida y Diego (The Last Dream of Frida and Diego)
So, you think you have a pretty good idea of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s life and art? Not according to Director Lorena Maza who has said she, “want[ed] to avoid the folkloric, cliché version of … these two artists” and the celebration of the day of the dead. The premise of El Sueño is that on La Dia de Los Muertos, the souls of the dead can be summoned by the living for a one-day visit. Diego who is dying is needy. He tries to summon Frida to help him make the transition.
Just for Us
In comedy timing is just about everything. “Just For Us” opened on Broadway last June. It is a one man standup woven around comic Alex Edelman’s going to a Queens apartment to observe a meeting of White Nationalists.
Inherit the Wind
“Inherit the Wind,” now at the Pasadena Playhouse, may be the best argument for continuing to teach history and literature, subjects that are increasingly being ejected from college curricula.
The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville has a well-earned position in the opera canon. Filled with delightful music – often familiar from its use in cartoons and other Hollywood productions – at its base it is an early 19th century rom-com. The current LAOpera production is perfectly cast as such from a theatrical point of view.
Don Giovanni
Call him Don Giovanni or call him Don Juan, he is a character on to whom the morality of a given age can be pinned. Always a rake, in this time of corporations and professions requiring mandatory training against sexual predation, Mozart and his librettist da Ponte can be seen as ahead of their time.
The Sound Inside
Wow. What a great start to the 23/24 theatrical season in the greater LA area. To get a ticket move fast. The run is over October 1. “The Sound Inside” is set at Yale where Bella (Amy Brenneman) is a tenured professor. In her role as narrator, she makes sure we get the tenured part, and the Yale part, straight out. We get that tenured and Yale are both impressive and important. They are her most valued assets. Her language is precise, unemotional.
A Soldier's Play
A Soldier’s Play, winner of the 1981 Pulitzer and the 2020 Tony for a revival, set in the segregated army of 1944, is as fresh and relevant today as it was over 40 years ago. It may even be a more honest portrayal of race relations than could be presented in today’s era of trigger warnings and safe spaces. While the theme is segregation and race relations in the Army and the South, the story is a whodunnit. And one’s focus is on the story while the underlying themes are ever present.
Otello
No spoiler alerts necessary here. Even if you did not study Shakespeare’s Othello in high school, certainly you have picked up a whiff of the ending somewhere else. Hint, it does not end well for Otello or anyone else. Verdi wastes no time on an overture introducing us to themes to come. The curtain rises. James Conlon’s baton is at the ready. The full chorus of Cypriots lifted by the magnificent LA Opera orchestra holds forth in celebration of Otello’s victory over the Ottoman Turks and a raging sea.
Pelléas & Mélisande
In 1902, when Pelléas & Mélisande debuted, impressionistic painting had already come to a head. The impressionists had produced hazy canvasses, awash in light and mood. Claude Debussy’s opera was so out of the musical mainstream, more focused on tone and mood than on melody, he was quickly called an impressionistic composer, a label he eschewed. Furthermore Debussy broke with custom by using Maurice Maeterlinck’s play almost word for word; there are no specific arias or duets.
Twilight, Los Angeles, 1992
Let me refresh your memory. March 1991 Rodney King, a black man, was pulled from his car and savagely beaten by four Los Angeles policemen. All of America saw it in grainy video on the evening news. During the ensuing year a frightened Korean convenience store shopkeeper fatally shot a black teenager under the mistaken notion that the younger woman was stealing the orange juice she carried. That incident was captured by the store’s security camera.
The Secret Garden
Not too many stories have the legs of Frances Hodson Burnett’s 1911 novel, The Secret Garden. As a child you may have read it as a classic; or maybe you have read it to a child. The first movie adaptation was in 1914; there have been several more since. Television has had adaptations, and the current musical first hit the Broadway boards in 1991. Despite tepid reviews it was a roaring success: three Tonys, 700 performances. One criticism was that it was too long.
Marriage of Figaro
Mozart may be the master of opera buffa. The current cast in LA Opera’s production of The Marriage of Figaro may well be the masters of operatic comic delivery. The music, the libretto, and the cast deliver a frothy concoction, but underlying messages are deadly serious and in their eighteenth-century way, expose the vulnerabilities of humanity. Figaro debuted in 1784. The Age of Enlightenment was well underway but old traditions die hard.
Tosca
Opera stories are often based upon mythological fables making it very hard to relate. Not so “Tosca.” “Tosca” is replete with themes such as free speech and autocratic excess. Floria Tosca (Angel Blue) is a young celebrated singer, torn between her passion for the artist, Cavaradossi (Michael Fabiano), who is repairing a painting of Mary Magdalene, the church, and her own piety. She cringes in shame when in an embrace she spies a statue of the Madonna. Scarpia (Ryan McKinny) is the Chief of Police.
Clyde's
Come ye, come ye to Clyde’s Truck Stop for mouthwatering descriptions of sandwiches served up in 90 minutes of fast paced and funny dialogue. The undercurrent of social commentary comes from your own thoughts. Lynn Nottage is too busy writing the sharpest dialogue seen on the Taper stage in quite a while; she trusts audiences to get the point without smashing theater goers over the head with barbed commentary. There are four ex-cons at the prep table in the dive’s kitchen.
Omar
Omar, a triumph of the Spoleto Festival, USA, has landed on the Chandler stage with a bang. The first things that strikes you are the voluptuous production and costume design. Yards of fabric imprinted with Arabic calligraphy—Omar’s own words– and miles of heavy rope are variously draped to loosely signify everything from Omar’s West African homeland to indignities of Jail and two plantations. Omar (Jamez McCorkle) stands center stage in khaki shorts and a black Alice in Chains tee shirt.
The Prom
Can you remember yours? Does it matter to you now? My first reaction to the announcement that “The Prom” was coming to the Ahmanson was decidedly tepid, despite its having won the 2019 Tony for musical comedy. As the grandmother of four late adolescents with a recent memory of spending three hours at a mall helping one find a tie for the PROM that would “SEND A MESSAGE,” I figured I should give the musical a chance.
The Old Man and the Pool
Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles So, is “The Old Man and The Pool” theater or is It stand up? Does it matter? ‘The Old Man” is fully entertaining. It is not scatological; audience members are not put to shame, and it is not really about an old man, although one pops in a couple of times. Through a neurotic but hilarious examination of his own medical history and the local YMCA pool, Mike Birbiglia confronts his real terror. It is a mid-life crisis.
King James
Two guys from Cleveland yammering away about LeBron James and the Cavs. For the better part of two hours. Now if you told me that, it would not have drawn me in, but not so fast. The yammering is first rate, written by Rajiv Joseph who brought us the very creative “Bengal Tiger in the Baghdad Zoo.” The dialogue has much the cadence of his first offering. However, this quotidian investigation of male friendship cuts more closely to life as we know it.
Aida
Looking for a true grand opera experience? You could not be blamed for expecting Aida to deliver the goods. You have no doubt heard about productions with horses on stage, even outdoor productions featuring elephants. Sorry to inform you that the closest the current LAOpera’s Aida will come to grandeur is a troop of aging boy scouts who pop off some handsprings and cartwheels.
Hadestown (on Tour)
After a 13 year incubation, during which time gestation began with a single song, Hadestown came to fruition in 2019 as a two and a half hour, full-fledged Broadway production. It is a big baby. Nominated for 14 Tonys and winning 8, it also garnered a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. Whew. Toes do tap. There is no question but that Hadestown is a crowd pleaser. The kind of production that is guaranteed to bring in the tourists wanting to see a big new Broadway musical.
St. Matthew's Passion
So what is Bach’s St. Matthew Passion? It is presented this month at the Dorothy Chandler by the LA Opera. But it is not an opera in the true sense. It is an oratorio. Like an opera there is a story, ‘The Gospel according to Matthew’. There are four hours of beautiful voices, with soloists, originally written to be part of the service before Easter.
Lehman Trilogy
Es Devlin’s set is a stark, post-Bauhaus, glass cube of an office piled with cardboard file boxes and a modern New York skyline projected behind. With only the projected background scene changing as the story goes through the years it becomes all that is necessary to carry the story through time.
Slave Play
On Broadway “Slave Play” earned twelve Tony nominations – the most of any play ever — but did not take home a single award. What is going on? Playwright Jeremy O. Harris is yet another extraordinary talent to emerge from the Yale School of Drama. He deftly juggles multiple themes while never losing track of the goal to entertain. He is wok, all right, yet he manages to skewer bits of the party line. All but one of the actors currently on the Taper stage come from the Broadway production.
Everybody's Talking About Jamie
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is close to three hours long and what was my first instinct to write? Honestly? It was, “Eh” … Seriously … but Eh, does not constitute a review. Let me put some meat on those bones. Eh is not all bad. Eh is an expression of mild disappointment after almost two years of not having set foot in a theater, of having gotten all of my entertainment from the den couch. Here I was going to what has been billed as a Westend hit. My hopes were high.
Cinderella (La Cenerentola)
Rossini’s Cinderella is LAOpera’s holiday bon bon for this year. There is enough cotton candy on stage to give a diabetic pause, and yet, it is amazing how much can be consumed and still enjoyed. Do not expect a fairy godmother, a glass slipper, a pumpkin that magically turns into a carriage, or rats that transform into horses to pull the pumpkin-cum-carriage.
Tannhauser
Much has been written about the divisive world we now live in. Which team are you on, Democrats or Republicans? Social Justice Warriors or Libertarians? Wagner Fans or Anti Wagnerians? There is a tell-tale method to identify the pro-Wagnerians. Mention the composer’s name and see how long it takes for the fan to boast of the number of Ring cycles he has attended. Those numbers can be impressive.
Il Trovatore
It has been a long dry fast for theater, music, and opera aficionados. OK, that was not the worst suffering of the pandemic, nonetheless, many of us were starved for the beginning of normalcy on those fronts. “Il Trovatore” by the LA Opera is a feast to break the fast and ring in the new performance year. I will grant you, it is a creaky old story anchored by a woman accidentally killing her own son instead of a royal scion.
Los Angeles Archives - CultureVulture
Roberto Devereux LA Opera Karen Weinstein Music March 1, 2020 Los Angeles, Don’t think that the movies have exclusive title to making bio-pics. Opera has been at it for years. Donizetti set a brilliant example in 1837 with “Roberto Devereux,” third in a trio of works about the Tudor monarchy. I ... Eurydice LAOpera Karen Weinstein Music February 5, 2020 Los Angeles, It’s still the same old story, a search for love and glory. Okay, so I paraphrased it.
Roberto Devereux
Don’t think that the movies have exclusive title to making bio-pics. Opera has been at it for years. Donizetti set a brilliant example in 1837 with “Roberto Devereux,” third in a trio of works about the Tudor monarchy. I am not a big fan of old fashioned operas, but “Roberto Devereux,”’ soars with lyrical music and breathtaking voices. Why he entitled it “Roberto Devereux” Rather than Elizabeth I will never know. Is it a guy thing? Elizabeth I (Angela Meade), reigned for 44 years.
Eurydice
It’s still the same old story, a search for love and glory. Okay, so I paraphrased it. To hear playwright Sarah Ruhl and composer Matthew Aucoin tell it, Orpheus (Joshua Hopkins) is a god when he is creating music, but uncommunicative while wooing Eurydice (Danielle de Niese). She is certain she likes the good parts of him, but could make a few improvements. You know, get him to communicate more.
CultureVulture Music Archives - CultureVulture
Philip Plass’ Akhnaten at the Met Music: Philip Glass Libretto: Philip Glass in association with Shalom Goldman, Robert Israel, Richard Riddell, Jerome Robbins Conductor: Karen Kamensek Production Phelim McDermott Set/Production Designer: Tom Pye Costume Designer: Kevin Pollard Lighting Designer: Bruno Poet Choreographer: Sean Gandini Cast: Zachary James; Richard Bernstein; Aaron Blake; Will Liverman; Anthony Roth Costanzo; Disella Larusdottir; J'Nai Bridges; Lindsay Ohse; Karen Chia-Ling Ho;...
Latin History for Morons
In what can be construed as a forward or prelude, John Leguizamo announces he is about to “undue your entire education.” Had you used some of that education to peruse the program you would have come across a daunting bibliography and reading list with 56 entries and nine “extracurricular readings.” Not to worry, Leguizamo will manage to fill close to two hours with a maniacal history lesson freeze dried from the reading list and set in a convincing school room designed by Rachel Hauck.
Lackawanna Blues
“Nanny was like the government if it really worked.” That pretty much sums up the story of Nanny, the heart of Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s 2001, autobiographical spoken ballad currently playing at the Taper. The story is a loving and humorous homage to a woman with innate goodness and proof that with the right support and encouragement someone can overcome the bleakest of backgrounds.
Come From Away (National Tour)
‘Tis the season to fill theaters with feel good productions, or so the masters of theater scheduling reason. We curmudgeons may grumble and skip our 47th Nutcracker. Or we may suck it up and take a youngster or a visiting fireman to one of the better ones. Such is “Come From Away.” Of course you remember 9/11; and you probably recall that American airspace was closed for an indeterminate amount of time.
Hansel and Gretel
No, Hansel and Gretel is not a children’s opera per se, but it is an opera, and a production, you can take children to. This hypothesis was well tested opening night when the audience was full of members of the under ten set. A very young child sitting near me (maybe 7 years old) was overheard asking her mother if they could stay after the intermission. Adults, too, applauded vigorously at the final curtain. So what distinguishes this LA Opera production? Is it scary?
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