This spring, Handa Opera will present U.S. based director Francesca Zambello’s new production of ‘West Side Story,’ the very first musical to take place outside on Sydney Harbor. The production, according to the press release, will bring “a gritty, urban New York landscape to a floating stage on the picturesque shores of Sydney Harbor, complete with graffiti-covered streetcars, a subway {…}
I’ve been listening to Renée Fleming and thinking about the recently deceased Montserrat Caballé. To my ears, Fleming is the only active soprano whose voice can match the ravishing beauty of the Spanish diva’s. Neither singer is beyond criticism, but if voices were tactile, these are the kinds that would be behind thick glass in museums. Fleming, though, is unique {…}
As their 2018 Festival season draws to a close, Central City Opera has announced a run of performances certain to end things with a bang. “Encore: A Musical Revue,” running August 8, 9, and 11, 2018, will offer audiences in the Colorado region a night of musical theatre, with old and new selections from Broadway and Off-Broadway’s most celebrated names. {…}
This week, opera and Broadway star Paulo Szot returned to 54 Below for his eighth appearance in his show “Salute to Broadway.” The set list, music directed by Billy Stritch, drew upon songs that have played a formative role in Szot’s life and career as an artist, including songs he performed for the first time that evening. After a jazz {…}
Who says opera singers can’t be fun? That is exactly what Paulo Szot has been showing audiences this past week as he pays homage to Broadway. In his seventh appearance at 54 Below, Szot showcased his comedic and dramatic sensibilities in a cabaret performance. Music director and pianist Billy Stritch began the program with a jazz piece; then Szot entered, walking through {…}
How do you balance a career in opera with a high-profile presence in musicals and cabaret? While crossover is frequent among many artists, it is rare to see a singer split his or her time between opera and musicals. However, that has not been a problem for Polish-Brazilian baritone Paulo Szot, as his work in opera has been met with critical {…}
Renee Fleming is set to return to Broadway. The New York Times is reporting that the people’s diva will perform in a revival production of Rogers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel.” Fleming, who will portray Nettie Fowler, is set to perform alongside Jessie Mueller as Julie Jordan and Joshua Henry as Billy Bigelow. Oscar-winning producer Scott Rudin and Roy Furman plan to revive the show next {…}
This Post is for the performance on March 18, 2017. For audiences expecting a normal night out to see cabaret sung by the usual voice types, this was no such night. The SubCulture, an underground performance venue near the East Village, was presenting an evening of musical theater composer, Jason Robert Brown (Tony-award winning composer of Parade and Bridges of Madison {…}
