Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet has its official opening night at the Ahmanson Theater on Wednesday, January 31st where it will play through February 25th. Though the production was first staged in England in 2019, this marks the North American premiere of Romeo and Juliet. After Los Angeles it will be performed in Paris, Tokyo and Seoul.

Two weeks ago I spoke with composer Davies about his approach to adapting Prokofiev’s music (usually performed by a large orchestra) to a much smaller and more intimate ensemble to match Bourne’s concept for his ballet. We also discussed his process of collaborating with Bourne and how music is heard, not just by Davies, but by us all. What follows are excerpts from our conversation that have been edited for length and clarity. To see the full interview, please go to our YouTube channel.

Q: I read a story that was written about you around the time of The Red Shoes where you stated that you have two favorite parts of your collaborations with Matthew Bourne and the first is your early discussions about the works with Matthew. What do you remember about your earliest conversations about Romeo and Juliet?

Matthew’s projects can tend to come from the distant horizon. I kind of smell them coming. There’s no kind of one exposure of what’s going on, so things become clearer as time as time approaches. It’s a slowish process, to be honest. Before we start to work we talk – probably a comparable conversation to the one he has with Lez Brotherston about the sets – about what the concept is, what his take on the story is, and so on. Then when we start to work seriously, I banked a lot of information and then we talk through the drama. 

I interviewed Matthew Bourne in 2013. At that time he said, “At some point I’ve got to do Romeo and Juliet, which I’ve just never done.” Can you give me a sense of what that timeline might have been from 2013 to this work debuting in 2019? 

I think through those years, Matt usually had a couple of things that he’d like to do, and then it’s a question of what can be done with the various complications. The Red Shoes was a bit of a minefield in terms of rights and so on. So those sort of things play a part. What can we do and so on. I think really it was probably in the year and the year prior we were talking about starting to firm up ideas of how it was going to be.

What is there to do with Romeo and Juliet that hasn’t been done before?

Matthew always works from a character place. He wanted it to be very young. We had done an education project here involving amateur young people in their teens who just were cast. They weren’t dancers from dance schools. They were ordinary kids. It was a very fine experience. I think this was a kind of next step along from that, the people who were a little bit older, but they’re very young dancers. They’re all professionals, of course.

If it’s a more youthful approach, I would assume that is one of the mandates that you have is to give this this score, as beloved as Prokofiev’s work is, a younger sensibility. Could you talk about how you address that? 

Yeah. It’s young. When you see the setting this will make more sense. But the majority of the company is young. They are in some unspecified institution. Some of them are definitely mentally frail and they are incarcerated. The score is fantastic, but it’s also lush and routinely would be 75, 80 players. We’re talking about 15 [players], but I didn’t want to do reduction. I didn’t want to just cut down the score. The score is fantastic. It deserves better than that. I really like the idea of going very small and something that was very fragile, very brittle. Like the characters seem to me.

Matthew Bourne’s work requires absolute precision. How much does that influence what you’re doing in relation to his his choreography?

Not very much, to be honest. I don’t get too bound up with those things, really. Everything you just said is absolutely true. But in Romeo and Juliet, more than some of the other pieces, my approach is to lay out some firm boundaries and firm grid pattern for how things are going to proceed. He likes, and encourages, dancers to bring something of themselves to throw a sidelight on a character’s journey. That’s more the case in this than in some of the other productions.

I don’t think about anything physical when I’m working, unless he says I really want to build to something in this particular moment. Then I can I obviously structure it in that way. But I don’t get involved with actual movement. I don’t try to visualize it. What I do is tell the story of the scene that we’re working on,and it makes sense to me and invites movement.

When you’re dealing with a classic score like Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet and you’re working with Matthew Bourne, who innovates with everything that he does, where are the decisions made creatively about truncating a score to more expeditiously tell the story, and how much of that is planned out in advance, or is it a work-in-progress as the ballet progresses?

During the development process he has in his head sections that that he wants to work with for certain pieces. That’s very much him, really. Sometimes it isn’t quite practical to make it work exactly as he hopes snd then we have to just find a way. Those sort of decisions are really his and that’s fine by me.

Have you ever imagined what your own score to Romeo and Juliet might sound like instead of reworking Prokofiev’s? 

No, that’s a a good one. I’ve written for Romeo and Juliet twice on the stage, but as a play. There are various set pieces within the play. But no, I haven’t ever done it because I haven’t needed to. I do like to start from what story I’m trying to tell, what the real detail of it is. Those are the ingredients that I start from and I never approach any score for anything at all with a preconception.

Many of Matthew Bourne’s works have sound effects layered into the score. Many film composers with whom I’ve spoken have told me they often wish that their score didn’t have to do battle with sound effects. What’s your relationship to the marriage of score and sound effects in general, and more specifically in your collaborations with Matthew Bourne? 

In general, it is a bit of a nightmare within the film world because you never have no control over the mix. You might have some input, possibly, but that can be a very disturbing experience if you’re not careful. With Matthew’s stuff, the sound is a chap called Paul [Groothius]. He has done most of the most of the shows with Matthew. He knows what we’re doing and so he would never get in my way. It’s never a problem. There are a lot of sounds. It’s very filmic and on stage really. I’m very happy with that. But the music has to be there for the narrative. Structurally it’s very important. 

I mentioned earlier that you said that there were two things that you loved most. You said that your second favorite part was working with the musicians to record the score. What made recording this score for Romeo and Juliet unique amongst the other collaborations that you’ve had with your musicians for this work? 

It was different, actually. If you can imagine Romeo and Juliet for 15 musicians, they have to be all soloists and they are at the top of their game. So like any performing artist who’s good, they like to show off. They like to display their skill and they enjoy it. When the music is as good as Prokofiev’s then you can’t keep them away actually.

One of my favorite credits of yours is on set conductor for Florence Foster Jenkins. I bring it up is because it’s a whole different look at what music is and how we hear it. How do you think the way you personally listen to music has evolved over the years, and how do you think it might be different than the way Matthew Bourne or myself or anyone else hears music? 

I don’t know. I do remember I was completely baffled as a kid when people saw stories in the music. It’s really weird. I was studying and doing my stuff at school in my teens. It didn’t make a lot of sense to me. Now it sort of completely flipped the other way. It’s all about storytelling, but music has never given me images. What it does for me is give you emotions. For me music is about emotion. Nothing does it in the same way because it’s so abstract and it’s the abstract nature of it that makes it so powerful and, for what it’s worth, so dangerous for directors. It always makes an emotional impact for me. And that’s when it works. To sit in a theater and watch a thousand people responding to the emotions that we’re laying out, that’s enough for me. 

To watch the full interview with Terry Davies, please go here.

Main Photo: Monique Jonas and Rory Macleod in Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet (Photo by Jonas Persson/Courtesy Center Theatre Group)

The post Composer Terry Davies Reworks Prokofiev’s Ballet Music… appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

But that’s not all! There are operas both old and new; dance both modern and ballet; vocalists singing standards and show tunes; several jazz concert options; contemporary classical music and witty banter to start your weekend off just right. We have nearly two dozen options for you!

With so many plays available, one of them was destined to be my Top Pick this week. It’s almost as if it had been written in the stars. Topping this week’s list is the Public Theater’s radio play and bilingual version of Shakespeare’s Romeo y Julieta with Juan Castano as Romeo and Lupita Nyong’o as Julieta.

So here are the Four Days of Best Bets: March 19th – March 22nd. The list begins with my Top Pick and is followed by events in the order in which they become available.

*TOP PICK* RADIO PLAY: Romeo y Julieta – Public Theater – Now Available

William Shakespeare’s best-known play is certainly Romeo and Juliet. In this radio play version you’ll get to hone in on exactly what makes this play so riveting: the story and the words. But there’s going to be a difference: this is a bilingual version called Romeo y Julieta.

Director Saheem Ali and Ricardo Pérez González have adapted Alfredo Michel Modenessi’s Spanish-language translation for this audio only production.

Starring as the title characters are Juan Castano as Romeo and Lupita Nyong’o as Julieta. Ivonne Coll plays the Nurse, Hiram Delgado is Tybalt, Irene Sofia Lucia is Mercutio, Julio Monge is Friar Lawrence and Javier Muñoz is Paris.

The rest of the cast includes Carlo Albán, Karina Arroyave, Erick Betancourt, Michael Braugher, Carlos Carrasco, John J. Concado, Guillermo Diaz , Sarah Nina Hayon, Kevin Herrera, Modesto Lacen, Florencia Lozano,  Keren Lugo, Benjamin Luis McCracken, Tony Plana and David Zayas.

The Public is making closed-captioning available in both English and Spanish and are also providing a script to use to follow along for those who might want that. Just be prepared for a tragic story that ends with these words:

“For never was a story more of woe

Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”

There is no charge to listen to Romeo y Julieta, but donations are encouraged.

PLAY: The Picture of Dorian Gray – now – March 31st

Oscar Wilde’s classic story of a man who sells his soul in order that his good looks don’t fade gets a contemporary spin in this new version of the story by Henry Filloux-Bennett. This updated approach has Dorian as a social media influencer who doesn’t want to see his fame fade. It’s just as much a Faustian deal here as in Wilde’s original.

Starring in this production are Fionn Whitehead (Dunkirk), Alfred Enoch (seven of the Harry Potter films), Joanna Lumley (Absolutely Fabulous), Emma McDonald (Hamlet), Russell Tovey (Angels in America) and Stephen Fry (Wilde).

Tickets are £12 which at press time was equal to just under $17. There is a warning that there is strong language and references to mental illness and suicide. The production is recommended for audiences age 16 and higher.

PLAY: Women Without Men – Mint Theater Company – Now – March 21st

This is the first of several plays that New York’s Mint Theater Company has started streaming. Set in Ireland in the 1930s, Hazel Ellis’ play depicts the unmarried teachers at an all-girls school. It is their interactions with one another that reveals petty jealousies and very different personalities.

This production was staged in 2016 and was directed by Jean Thompson. Appearing in Women Without Men are Mary Bacon, Joyce Cohen, Shannon Harrington, Kate Middleton, Aedin Moloney, Alexa Shae Niziak, Kellie Overbey, Dee Pelletier, Beatrice Tulchin, Emily Walton and Amelia White.

There is no fee to watch the play. Registration; however, is required.

PLAY: Katie Roche – Mint Theater Company – Now – March 28th

Also from Mint Theater Company is this 2013 production of Teresa Devey’s 1936 play. Katie Roche tells the story of a servant girl who has big dreams and finds herself torn between two men.

The play had its premiere with Ireland’s Abbey Theatre and made its first appearance in the United States in 1937.

Starring are Margaret Daly, Patrick Fitzgerald, Jon Fletcher, David Friedlander, Jamie Jackson, John O’Creagh, Wrenn Schmidt, Diana Toibin. Jonathan Bank directs.

There is no fee to watch the play. Registration; however, is required.

PLAY: How to Catch Creation – Goodman Theatre – Now – March 28th

Half a century after a young woman’s girlfriend hits her with some very surprising news, four artists are coming to grips with the ramifications of that fateful day. That’s the premise of Christina Anderson’s How to Catch Creation which Chicago’s Goodman Theatre will be streaming on demand for two weeks.

This is not a reading of the play. Rather it is a capture of their 2019 production directed by Niegel Smith. The cast features Karen Aldridge, Ayanna Bria Bakari, Jasmine Bracey, Bernard Gilbert, Maya Vinice Prentiss and Keith Randolph Smith.

How to Catch Creation runs 2 hours and 15 minutes. There’s no charge to stream the production.

PLAY: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike – Broadway on Demand – Now – April 18th

You might think you need to know a lot about the work of Anton Chekhov to appreciate Christopher Durang’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. While it certainly helps, it’s absolutely not essential. While the play does take place near a cherry orchard, there is familial conflict about what to do with a cherished home and the three siblings depicted all have names taken from Chekhov’s work, this comedy has proven popular around the world.

Durang had a rather circuitous route to Broadway with this play. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike had its world premiere at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton in 2012. One month after closing there it went off-Broadway to Lincoln Center’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre. Two months after closing there it opened on Broadway and ultimately was named the Best Play at the Tony Awards.

One thing this play was able to do was keep its cast intact for all those moves. So the film that Lincoln Center is making available for free on Broadway on Demand features David Hyde Pierce, Billy Magnussen, Kristine Nielsen, and Sigourney Weaver.

I’ve seen this play two times and strongly recommend you allow yourself the time to relax, sit back and enjoy yourself.  In 2014 I interviewed David Hyde Pierce about the play and his direction of it when it played the Mark Taper Forum. You can read that interview here.

OPERA: Breaking the Waves – Los Angeles Opera – March 19th – April 12th

The 1996 Lars von Trier film Breaking the Waves told the dark story of a husband, who is recovering from an accident at work, who encourages his wife to have sex with other men during his recovery. It was a bold film that featured a shattering performance by Emily Watson.

Composer Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek created an opera based on this film. Their work had its world premiere at Opera Philadelphia in 2016.

The work won universal acclaim including these comments by Alex Ross in The New Yorker:

“The opera created a world: it had a tone, a profile. There was an uncommonly strong relationship between libretto and music: the work felt urgent, driven by conviction, essential.”

Los Angeles Opera had scheduled a live production of Breaking the Waves, but the pandemic got in the way. In its place they are making a film of the opera directed by James Darrah available for free streaming (registration is required).

The original cast returns: Kiera Duffy, John Moore, Eve Gigliotti, David Portillo, Zachary James and Marcus DeLoach.

As you might imagine with this subject matter, a word of caution. This production includes explicit language, nudity and sexual content, some of a violent nature. Recommended for mature audiences only.

CONVERSATION: Virtual Halston – Cast Party Network – March 19th – 5:00 PM EDT/2:00 PM PDT

If you’re going to have an afternoon salon filled with ribald conversation and witty repartee, it helps to have two masters participating. In this week’s edition of Virtual Halston with Julie Halston, she’s got a great guest: playwright/author/screenwriter Paul Rudnick.

His plays include I Hate Hamlet, Jeffrey, The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told and the upcoming book for the musical adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada. His screenplays include The Addams Family, The First Wives Club and In and Out.

Actor Peter Bartlett, who received a Drama Desk nomination for his performance in The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, will also be joining.

JAZZ: A Night in New Orleans – Derek Douget – Lobero Theatre – March 19th

When winter turns to spring and Lent is approaching many people immediately think of New Orleans and its grand tradition of Mardi Gras. Even later in spring thoughts turn to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Mardi Gras didn’t happen this year and JazzFest is postponed until the fall.

So what’s a fan of that glorious music supposed to do?

Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara is riding to your rescue this weekend. Saxophonist Derek Douget and his band will bring all that wonderful music into your home beginning Friday evening with A Night in New Orleans.

Joining Douget are Victor Atkins on piano; Ashlin Parker on trumpet; Herlin Riley on drums and vocals; Jason Stewart on bass and Don Vappie on banjo/guitar and vocals.

Tickets are $15, but you’ll have to provide your own beads!

JAZZ: Cindy Blackman Santana and Guests – SFJAZZ – March 19th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM EDT

Drummer Cindy Blackman Santana is well connected. She’s recorded and toured with Joe Henderson, Pharoah Sanders, Joss Stone, Cassandra Wilson and more. She spent many years on the road as the drummer for Lenny Kravitz. She also toured with Santana and in 2010 Carlos Santana proposed to her.

But those aren’t the friends or guests that are part of this weekend’s Fridays at Five concert from SFJAZZ. She has recent Oscar-nominated composer/musician Terence Blanchard (Da 5 Bloods), guitarist Bill Frisell, the Kronos Quartet, saxophonist Joe Lovano and members of the SFJAZZ Collective joining for this concert from 2017.

There will be an encore presentation of this concert on Saturday, March 20th at 1:00 PM EDT/10:00 AM PDT. Tickets are available with a monthly digital membership ($5) or an annual membership ($60).

OPERA: Renée Fleming Live from the Met – PBS (check local listings) – March 19th from 2021

If you are a regular reader of Cultural Attaché you know that Renée Fleming is one of the most beloved sopranos in opera. Whether seen and heard in productions or recitals, she is regularly a fan favorite.

PBS is airing a recital Fleming gave from Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C. last August.

The program includes works by George Frideric Handel, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Jules Massenet, Giacomo Puccini and Richard Strauss. Robert Ainsley serves as her accompanist.

BROADWAY VOCALS: Andrew Rannells Live from Lincoln Center – PBS (check local listings) – March 19th from 2018

In December of 2017 Andrew Rannells performed in The Appel Room at Lincoln Center. The concert was filmed and first broadcast on PBS in 2018. The show returns to PBS this weekend.

Rannells is best known for his Tony Award-nominated performance in The Book of Mormon and for his appearance on the HBO series Girls. He was recently seen as Whizzer in Falsettos (his second Tony Award nomination) and in Ryan Murphy’s stage production and the subsequent film of The Boys in the Band.

This is a fun concert that shows the boy can sing more than just show tunes! Fans will want to check it out.

BALLET: The Red Shoes – Ahmanson Theatre – March 19th – March 21st $10

As part of their continuing Digital Series and their relationship with Matthew Bourne, Center Theatre Group and the Ahmanson Theatre are offering up a filmed performance of Bourne’s ballet The Red Shoes.

The ballet is inspired by the Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger film from 1948 (which in itself was inspired by a story by Hans Christian Anderson).

Bourne uses the music of legendary film composer Bernard Herrmann (Citizen Kane, Psycho) for this ballet.

Ashley Shaw stars as a ballerina torn between her love for the composer who wrote her a ballet and the impresario who runs the ballet company and controls her career.

There will be five opportunities to stream The Red Shoes. Friday, March 19th at 8:00 PM PDT/11:00 PM EDT; Saturday March 20th at 5:00 PM PDT/8:00 EDT and 8:00 PM PDT/11:00 PM PDT and Sunday, March 21st at 1:00 PM PDT/4:00 PM EDT and 5:00 PM PDT/8:00 PM EDT.

Tickets are $10. This program will not be available for streaming outside the United States.

OPERA: Siegfried – San Francisco Opera – March 20th – March 21st

Conducted by Sir Donald Runnicles; starring Daniel Brenna, Greer Grimsley, Iréne Theorin, Ronnita Miller and David Cangelosi. This revival of Francesa Zambello’s 2011 production is from the 2017-2018 season.

This third opera in Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen had its premiere in Bayreuth in 1876 where it was seen at the first-ever performance of The Ring Cycle.

The title character is front and center in the third opera in the Ring Cycle. He matures throughout the opera via the choices he makes. He encounters an enigmatic Wanderer, but doesn’t know this is Wotan in disguise. When Siegfried is able to reassemble pieces of Siegmund’s sword (Siegmund is his father) he uses it to kill Fafner who has the responsibility of protecting the gold that was stolen from the Rhinemadiens in Das Rheingold. He also comes into possession of the ring. But what will he do with it and how will that impact his pre-destined love for Brunnhilde?

Lisa Hirsch, writing for the San Francisco Classical Voice, said of the production:

“…perhaps the greatest strength of the production remains: a splendidly staged and remarkably sympathetic Siegfried that flew by. In 2011, part of its charm was the surprisingly sweet Siegfried of Jay Hunter Morris, a handsome man with a beautiful voice. With the young heroic tenor Daniel Brenna stepping into the role this year, some of the sweetness and charm is lost to a more conventionally brash portrayal of the character. Still, the opera really did come off as a scherzo, a comparatively light moment in the Ring despite the deaths of Mime and Fafner. The encounters between the Wanderer and Mime, Alberich, Erda, and Siegfried retain their tremendous emotional power and depth.”

VOCALS: Songs from the Heart – Ute Lemper – March 20th – 2:00 PM EDT/11:00 AM PDT

Whether in concert halls, recording albums or gracing the stage of a musical, Ute Lemper has easily become of our most passionate and accomplished performers.

That wide range of material she handles will be on display in Songs from the Heart on Saturday. The concert will be streaming from Europe and includes songs from the musicals Cabaret and Chicago; from The Threepenny Opera; songs made famous by Édith Piaf and Marlene Dietrich, a song Lemper composed and also a song by Joni Mitchell.

I’ve seen her in multiple concert performances and also in the Broadway revival of Chicago. She’s absolutely amazing.

Joining Lemper for this concert will be Vana Gierig on piano; Tim Ouimette on trumpet; Matt Parrish on bass and Todd Turkish on drums and percussion.

Ticket are $24.99 and allow for 48 hours of access.

JAZZ: Jeremy Pelt Quintet – Vermont Jazz Center – March 20th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

You’re probably asking yourself how often will I recommend a performance by Jeremy Pelt? As long as he keeps putting out great music like Griot – This Is Important! I will do so as long as possible.

This concert from the Vermont Jazz Center will focus exclusively on music from this new album.

Joining Pelt for this concert are Vicente Archer on bass; Victor Gould on piano; Chien Chien Lu on vibraphone and Allan Mednard on drums.

There is no charge to stream the concert; however donations are encouraged.

ONE PERSON PLAY: Anyone But Me – IAMA Theatre Company – March 21st – April 18th

Sheila Carrasco’s Anyone But Me is the first of two one-person shows by Latinx-American women that Los Angeles’ IAMA Theatre Company will start streaming this weekend. Carrasco stars in this show in which she depicts multiple women struggling to define themselves and realizing that where they are is not where they want to be.

Anyone But Me is directed by Margaux Susi.

Tickets start at $15 (based on your ability to donate to IAMA).

ONE PERSON PLAY: The Oxy Complex – IAMA Theatre Company – March 21st – April 18th

The second play, The Oxy Complex, is written and performed by Anna LaMadrid. The play is set in the not-too-distant future – specifically the 500th day of quarantine. They Oxy of the title is not Oxycontin (source of opioid addictions), but rather Oxytocin.

What is oxytocin? It is defined by Medical News Today as:

“…a neurotransmitter and a hormone that is produced in the hypothalamus. From there, it is transported to and secreted by the pituitary gland, at the base of the brain.

“It plays a role in the female reproductive functions, from sexual activity to childbirth and breast feeding.”

So what is LaMadrid exploring in her show? All the things a woman might miss while being quarantined for so long. There is a reason, after all, that Oxytocin is called the “love hormone.”

Michelle Bossy directs. Tickets begin at $15 (based on your ability to donate).

CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL MUSIC: Bang on a Can Marathon Live Online – March 21st – 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT

For their spring live online marathon, Bang on a Can is showcasing performances from New York and Berlin.

Here’s the line-up:

3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT

Daniel Bernard Roumain Why Did They Kill Sandra Bland? performed by Arlen Hlusko; Arnold Dreyblatt; Mazz Swift and Rohan Chander △ or THE TRAGEDY OF HIKKOMORI LOVELESS from FINAL//FANTASY performed by Vicky Chow

4:00 PM EDT/1:00 PM PDT

Kristina Wolfe Listening to the Wind performed by Molly Barth; Miya Masaoka; Aeryn Santillan disconnect. performed by Ken Thomson and Adam Cuthbert

5:00 PM EDT/2:00 PM PDT

Ken Thomson Birds and Ambulances performed by Robert Black; Tomeka Reid Lamenting G.F., A.A., B.T., T.M. performed by Vicky Chow; Steve Reich Vermont Counterpoint performed by Claire Chase; Christina Wheeler and Molly Joyce Purity performed by David Cossin

6:00 PM EDT/3:00 PM PDT

Tyshawn Sorey; Jeffrey Brooks Santuario performed by Mark Stewart; Moor Mother and Bill Frisell

BROADWAY VOCALS: Jackie Hoffman – March 21st – 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Jackie Hoffman in the original companies of Hairspray and Xanadu on Broadway. She’s always a joy to watch. Sadly I didn’t get a chance to see her in The Addams Family, On the Town or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

But you’ll get to see what makes Hoffman such a delightful and witty performer on Sunday.

She is Seth Rudetsky’s guest as part of his Concert Series. I can only imagine what stories she’ll have to tell and what songs she’ll choose to sing. We can all find out either in the live broadcast or in the encore showing (also on Sunday) at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT.

Tickets are $25.

DANCE: Uncharted Territory: Dancers in Isolation – Eryc Taylor Dance – Premieres March 21st – 6:00 PM EDT/3:00 PM PDT

Eryc Taylor has conceived a new work born out of the crisis that has hit us all in the last year. This work, Uncharted Territory: Dancers in Isolation, was created via Zoom, and focuses on New York City dancers.

The company features Nicole Baker, Chris Bell, Taylor Ennen, AJ Guevara, Eryc Taylor and Alex Tenreiro Theis. Each dancer choreographed their own work. The film is revealed in five separate segments which explore themes of death, mental instability, paranoia, sexual frustration and stillness.

The music was composed by Daniel Tobias.

There is no charge to watch the premiere, though donations are encouraged. Uncharted Territory will remain available online through March 28th.

PLAY: Yours Unfaithfully – Mint Theater Company – March 22nd – May 16th

Though written in 1933, Miles Malleson’s Yours Unfaithfully remained unperformed until Mint Theatre Company produced the show in late 2016.

It seems strange that a story about a married couple exploring an open relationship came from 1933. The all-too-virtuous husband (Max von Essen) is a writer seemingly unable to get inspired. His wife (Elisabeth Gray) runs a progressive school. She suggests opening up their relationship.

Alexis Soloski, in her review for the New York Times, said:

“Under the polished direction of Jonathan Bank, and in the hands of a fine team of designers, its arguments remain provocative, while its structure feels familiar, its tone decorous. Maybe that only makes it more unusual. It’s a bit like a sex farce with real sorrow instead of slammed doors, and something like a drawing room comedy with moral conundrums peeking out beneath the cushions. It is often very funny; it is also very nearly a tragedy.

There is no fee to watch the play. Registration; however, is required.

BROADWAY AND JAZZ VOCALS: Jim Caruso’s Pajama Cast Party – March 22nd – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

Jim Caruso celebrates 50 episodes of Pajama Cast Party with this Monday’s edition. Which makes the absence of his usual venue for his weekly in-person Cast Party, Birdland, all that more palpable.

But this is a party and the show will celebrate turning 50. Joining this week are singer/songwriter Ben Clark, Broadway/pop singer Joshua Colley (Les Misérables), singer/artist Jared Wayne Gladly, Broadway’s Jason Kravits (Relatively Speaking), Brazilian singer/songwriter Denise Reis and Braodway’s Dee Roscioli (Fiddler on the Roof).

That’s this weekend’s Four Days of Best Bets: March 19th – March 21st. But a few reminders before we go:

Los Angeles Philharmonic releases a new Sound/Stage episode entitled A Pan-American Musical Feast with special guest Chef José Andrés. The episode features performances of works by Tania León; Paul Desenne and Aaron Copland. For details on this episode and the whole series please go here.

The 92nd Street Y is still streaming last weekend’s performance by violinist Gil Shaham with The Knights. You can read details about their entire series here. Check out my recent interview with Shaham here.

The Metropolitan Opera concludes their Viewer’s Choice week with a 2006-2007 season production of Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia on Friday; a production of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin from the same season (and strongly recommended) and a production of Handel’s Agrippina from the 2019-2020 season on Sunday (also recommended). You can see details and clips from all three productions here.

On Monday the Met begins a weeklong celebration of Myths and Legends with a production of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice from the 2008-2009 season. We’ll have full details on Monday with our preview of the the week’s full line-up.

I trust you’ll find something amongst the Four Days of Best Bets: March 19th – March 22nd to keep you entertained! Have a great weekend.

Photo: Artwork of the balcony scene from Romeo y Julieta by Erick Davila (Courtesy The Public Theater)

Correction: The name of Eryc Taylor Dance program is Uncharted Territory and not Unchartered Territory as we originally listed. Cultural Attaché has corrected the post above and regrets the error.

The post Four Days of Best Bets: March 19th – March 22nd appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

My top pick is the world premiere of Death by Tyshawn Sorey. Los Angeles Opera is giving the work its debut through their digital shorts program. The work will begin streaming on Friday, February 19th at 11:00 AM.

Those interested in modern dance, ballet, jazz, classical music, plays and musicals will also have plenty to watch his weekend.

Here are my Best Bets: February 19th – February 21st:

DANCE: Evidence – Ronald K. Brown – The Joyce Theatre – Now – March 4th

In 1985 Ronald K. Brown formed a new company called Evidence. On the occasion of its 35 anniversary, the Joyce Theatre is streaming a program of six works for solo dancers and couples. Included in the program are For You, which served as a tribute to Stephanie Reinhart, the late co-creator of the American Dance Festival; Grace, a solo that put Brown on the map when it was performed by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre; March, a duet set to a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; Mercy set to music by Meshell Ndegeocello; Palo y Machete, from One Shot, which was inspired by photographer Charles “Teenie” Harris and She is Here.

Tickets are $25 per household and allow for on-demand streaming through March 4th.

CLASSICAL MUSIC: Soundwalk – Multiple Locations – Now Available

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ellen Reid has created a musical landscape to accompany walks through many public parks and spaces in some of America’s cities. Her goal, as stated on the website, is to “inspire us and make us feel connected to something larger than ourselves. It is meant to serve as artistic nourishment – a place to recharge, reconnect, and re-energize.”

You download an app, put on your headphones and talk a walk through designated areas and listen to the music she’s created. Right now it is only available in Los Angeles and New York, but additional cities will be added throughout the year.

For Los Angeles, presented in association with CAP UCLA, The Kronos Quartet performs the music to accompany walks through Griffith Park as does the Soundwalk Ensemble. For New York, presented in association with the New York Philharmonic, musicians from the orchestra perform the music to accompany walks through Central Park. The Soundwalk Ensemble, members of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City and Poole and the Gang also perform.

There is no charge to download the app and the Soundwalk experience will remain active into 2023. Additional locations roll out beginning in April.

JAZZ: Kenny Barron – SFJAZZ – February 19th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

In this fall of 2018 concert, legendary jazz pianist Kenny Barron is joined by violinist Regina Carter, trumpeter Eddie Henderson and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington. Any one of them would be compelling, having them perform with Barron will offer great music.

Barron is an 11-time Grammy Award nominee (how is it possible he’s never won one?) whose career began as a member of Dizzy Gillespie’s quartet. His recording career began in 1967 and his most recent release was 2020’s Without Deception with bassist Dave Holland.

Tickets are $5 (which allows for a one-month digital subscription) or $60 (which allows for a 12-month digital subscription). There is only the one showing on Friday.

DANCE: Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet – Ahmanson Theatre – February 19th – February 21st

Ivo Váňa-Psota was the first choreographer of a ballet of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It was set to the music by Sergei Prokofiev. The work had its world premiere in 1938.

In 2019 Matthew Bourne presented to the world his new Romeo and Juliet ballet, also set to Prokofiev’s music as interpreted by composer Terry Davies.

Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles is making the ballet available for rent this weekend only. Unlike other Bourne productions, Romeo and Juliet has never been performed in Los Angeles. Cordelia Braithwaite dances the role of Juliet and Paris Fitzpatrick dances the role of Romeo.

There are seven available performances this weekend. On Friday at 5:00 PM PST and 8:00 PM PST; Saturday at 2:00 PM PST, 5:00 PM PST and 8:00 PM PST and Sunday at 1:00 PM PST and 6:30 PM PST. Tickets are $10.

*TOP PICK* OPERA: Death – LA Opera – February 19th – May 4th

This is our third week in a row with Tyshawn Sorey on our list of best bets. This week his work Death will have its world premiere from LA Opera. Sorey sets the poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar to music for solo voice and piano.

Dunbar is considered America’s first great Black poet. Sorey uses his poem of the same name from Dunbar’s 1903 collection Lyrics of Love and Laughter.

Performing Death are mezzo-soprano Amanda Lynn Bottoms and pianist Howard Watkins. Nadia Hallgren (Becoming) directed the film.

Sorey is obviously exploding with his inventive mix of jazz, classical and experimental music styles. With Save the Boys and Death, 2021 is clearly turning out to already be a remarkable year for the 40-year-old who was awarded a MacArthur “Genius Grant” in 2017.

There is no charge to watch Death, but you do need to register with LA Opera.

CLASSICAL MUSIC: Michelle Cann plays Florence Price – Philadelphia Orchestra – February 19th – February 25th

June 15, 1933 was a pivotal day in the life of composer Florence Price. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed her Symphony in E Minor. This marked the first time the work of a Black woman had her composition performed by a major orchestra in America.

The other important date happened well after Price had passed away. In 2009 a couple, while renovating a house they purchased in Illinois, came across manuscripts, books and other writings by Price. More than half of the works she composed were found. The rediscovery of Price had begun.

Pianist Michelle Cann, who has made Price’s Concerto in One Movement a regular part of her repertoire, joins The Philadelphia Orchestra and music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, for a performance of the work in a film available through February 25th. They are using the original orchestration of the concerto. The website indicates this may be the first time since the 1930s that this orchestration has been performed.

Also on the program are Rossini’s Overture to La scala di seta and Schubert’s Symphony No. 4 (“Tragic”).

Tickets are $17.

DANCE: New Bach – Dance Theatre of Harlem – February 20th – February 27th

The second half of Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Winter 2021 Virtual Ballet Series takes place on Saturday with New Bach which will be posted on their YouTube channel on Saturday.

Robert Garland created New Bach which had its world premiere in 2001 just after the 9/11 tragedy. Anna Kisselgoff, in her New York Times review, said of the work upon its premiere (with specific names from that performance): “Mr. Garland has used the Balanchine model in the best sense in New Bach,’ and alludes to the jazzy syncopation of the Bach-Balanchine masterpiece Concerto Barocco. Bach’s Violin Concerto in A minor, (conducted here by Joseph E. Fields with Deborah Wong as the violin soloist), has impelled him into formal patterns studded with occasional pelvis swivels, limp arms descending from rotating shoulders and wiggles in plié. Nothing is overdone, however, as four couples are in frequent interplay with the leads — Donald Williams, wittily assertive in a noble style, and Tanya Wideman-Davis, eye-riveting in her robust but refined classical silhouette.”

There is no charge to watch New Bach.

OPERA: Puccini’s La Rondine – San Francisco Opera – February 20th – February 21st

Conducted by Ion Marin; starring Angela Gheorghiu, Gerard Powers, Anna Christy and Misha Didyk. This Nicolas Joël production is from the 2007-2008 season.

Puccini’s La Rondine had its world premiere in Monaco in 1917. The libretto, based on a libretto by Alfred Maria Willner and Heinz Reichert, was written by Giuseppe Adami.

Multiple people collide in this opera about love. Magda is Rombaldo’s kept mistress. While entertaining friends, including the poet Prunier, she realizes how much she misses being in love. Prunier is in love with Lisette, who is Magda’s maid. A young man enters their group, Ruggero, who falls in love with Magda. Could he possibly provide the true love she so desperately desires? Who will end with whom and will they all live happily ever after?

This production marked Gheorghiu’s debut with San Francisco Opera. Joshua Kosman, writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, said, “Gheorghiu’s company debut is long overdue, but her performance in the signature role of Magda was worth the wait. Her tone was strong but tender, with an irresistible blend of earthiness and purity, and when she lofted the high notes of “Chi il bel sogno di Doretta,” her breath control and flawless intonation seemed to make time stand still.”

JAZZ: Jason Marsalis and the K Love Experience – Snug Harbor (on Stage it) – February 21st – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

You know Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, the late Ellis Marsalis and perhaps even Delfeayo Marsalis. But do you also know drummer/vibraphonist Jason Marsalis? If not, Sunday’s performance from New Orleans’ Snug Harbor will give you a great opportunity to hear the youngest of the Marsalis brothers.

This concert will feature music with Afro-Cuban, funk, samba, reggae coursing through its veins. This won’t just be music to sit and listen to, you’ll want to get up and dance.

Tickets are $15.

CLASSICAL MUSIC: Daniil Trifonov Recital – Shriver Hall – February 21st – 5:30 PM EST/2:30 PM PST

Are you tired of me constantly having a recital by pianist Daniil Trifonov on my best bets? I hope not, because there’s a reason his performances regularly appear on my list, he’s that good.

This performance, filmed at New York’s 92nd Street Y, finds Trifonov performing Szymanowski’s Sonata No. 3, Op. 36 and Debussy’s Pour le piano.

He concludes with Brahms’ Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5.

Tickets are $15 and allow for on-demand streaming through February 28th.

CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL MUSIC: Bang on a Can Marathon #5 – February 21st – 1:00 PM EST/10:00 AM PST

Fans of contemporary classical music will not want to miss this Sunday’s Bang on a Can Marathon. All you have to do is look at the line-up:

Hour 1: Jakhongir Shukur’s Potter’s Wheel performed by Robert Black; Jennifer Walshe performing her Happiness Starts Right Now; Maria Huld Markan Sigfusdottir’s Pending, performed by Chi-chi Nwanoku and a new work by Amir Elsaffar performed by Ken Thomson

Hour 2: A new work by Gregory Spears performed by David Byrd-Marrow; a new work by Kristina Wolfe performed by Molly Barth; Gabriel Kahane’s Hollywood & Vine performed by Arlen Hlusko and a new work written and performed by Bora Yoon with video by R. Luke Dubois

Hour 3: Matthew Shipp performs his Spaceman’s Blues; Joel Thompson’s Supplication and Compensation performed by Anthony Roth Costanzo; Rohan Chander’s △ or The Tragedy of Hikkomori Loveless from FINAL//FANTASY performed by Vicky Chow and a new work written and performed by David Cossin.

HOUR 4: Eve Beglarian’s A Solemn Shyness performed by Lara Downes; a new work written and performed by Ingrid Laubrock; Molly Herron’s Canon No. 4 performed by Maya Stone and a new work by Alvin Lucier performed by Mark Stewart.

There is no charge to watch the marathon, but donations are encouraged.

OPERA: Sole e Amore – Lyric Opera of Chicago – Begins February 21st – 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST

Fans of Italian opera will want to check out Sole e Amore which will feature arias by Bellini, Donizetti, Mascagni, Puccini, Rossini and Verdi. Members of the Ryan Opera Center Ensemble will be performing.

They include baritones Leroy Davis and Ricardo José Rivera; bass Anthony Reed; bass-baritone David Weigel; mezzo-sopranos Katherine Beck, Katherine DeYoung, and Kathleen Felty; sopranos Maria Novella Malfatti and Denis Vélez; tenors Martin Luther Clark and Lunga Eric Hallam and pianist Chris Reynolds.

Enrique Mazzola, who will become the Lyric’s music director in the 2021-2022 season, curated the program and will also play piano for much of the recital.

The program is free and will be available on the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s YouTube channel.

PLAYS/MUSICALS: TruSpeak…Hear Our Voices – February 21st – 5:00 PM EST/2:00 PM PST

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) has assembled a very impressive line-up for their gala event, TruSpeak…Hear Our Voices on Sunday.

Maggie Baird, Brendan Bradley, Brenda Braxton (Smokey Joe’s Cafe), Jim Brochu (The Big Voice: God or Merman?), Nick Cearley (one half of The Skivvies), Robert Cuccioli (Irish Rep’s A Touch of the Poet), Andrew Lynn Green, Ann Harada (Avenue Q), Dickie Hearts (Grace and Frankie), Cady Huffman (Tony Award-winner The Producers), Crystal Kellogg (School of Rock), Will Mader, Lauren Molina (the other half of The Skivvies), Jill Paice (An American in Paris), Tonya Pinkins (Caroline, or Change), Jana Robbins (Gypsy), Dominique Sharpton, Haley Swindal, Regina Taylor (I’ll Fly Away), Crystal Tigney and Tatiana Wechsler are all participated.

The gala will feature monologues, plays and an online musical.

TRU is a non-profit that helps in the development of new theatre companies and new works.

Tickets are $55 with VIP tickets also available (this is a fundraiser after all) that will include virtual meet-and-greet opportunities.

BROADWAY/CABARET: Santino Fontana with Seth Rudetsky – February 21st: 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

One of my favorite movies of all time is Tootsie. When the musical was announced Santino Fontana was cast in the role of Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels. (If you don’t know the movie, please do yourself a favor and watch it.) I purchased a ticket to see the show only to find out Fontana was out after the birth of his daughter. I held onto my ticket in hopes that I could see Fontana’s Tony Award-winning performance, but sadly the show closed before I had a chance to do so.

Luckily we can all see how talented he is when he joins Seth Rudetsky for this weekend’s concert. He’ll share music and stories from his career that has included being Prince Topher in Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella and Tony in Billy Elliot. Filmgoers will recognize him as the voice of Prince Hans in Frozen.

If you are unable to watch the live performance on Sunday, there is an encore showing of the concert on Monday, February 22nd at 3:00 PM EST/12:00 PM PST.

That is my list of my Best Bets: February 19th – February 21st. But before I go, I have a few reminders:

The Metropolitan Opera’s weeklong look at the work of Franco Zeffirelli concludes with the first-ever streaming of his 1989-1990 season production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni on Friday; the first-ever streaming of his 1996-1997 season production of Bizet’s Carmen on Saturday and concludes with the 2009-2010 revival of his 1987 staging of Puccini’s Turandot on Sunday.

Irish Repertory Theatre’s @Home Winter Festival continues this weekend. There are five different productions available for viewing. You can find out details here.

Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Icons on Inspiration with Julie Andrews, Common, Katy Perry, Yuja Wang and more is still available for free streaming (though donations are encouraged)

There you have it. The complete list of Best Bets: February 19th – February 21st. I hope you enjoy the culture, you enjoy the weekend and for those of you struggling with the aftermath of the winter storms this week, I’m sending you my best.

Main Photo: Tyshawn Sorey in a still from Death (Courtesy LA Opera)

The post Best Bets: February 19th – February 21st appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Wouldn’t it be ironic if I had selected thirteen Best Bets? Relax…I didn’t. I fifteen options for you this weekend. Our top pick is Long Beach Opera’s 2020 Songbook. We have dance, classical, cabaret, jazz, ballet and two opera productions for your consideration.

Here are our Best Bets at Home: November 13th – November 15th:

Chicano Batman – Los Angeles Philharmonic – Starts November 13th

A performance by Los Angeles band Chicano Batman is featured on this penultimate episode of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Sound/Stage series. Along with (still-available) performances by Andra Day and Kamasi Washington, their performance does not feature the LA Phil.

Chicano Batman released their self-titled first album in 2010. They followed that up with 2014’s Cycle of Existential Rhyme, 2017’s Freedom Is Free and this year’s Invisible People. The members of the band are Eduardo Arenas, Carlos Arévalo, Bardo Martinez and Gabriel Villa.

There is no charge to watch the performance. Donations are, of course, encouraged.

Sierra Boggess Streamed from Birdland! – November 13th – 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST

Broadway star Sierra Boggess made her Broadway debut as “Ariel” in the Broadway musical version of the Disney animated film The Little Mermaid. She appeared as “Christine” in the long-running musical, The Phantom of the Opera in 2013. She went on to originate the role of “Rosalie” in School of Rock – the Musical.

Boggess has filmed a concert at New York’s Birdland. She will be joined by her sister, Summer, on cello and by her music director Brian Hertz. This marks the first time Boggess has performed since the quarantine was put in place in New York.

Amongst the songs she’ll be singing are “Come to My Garden” from The Secret Garden, “Think of Me” from The Phantom of the Opera, “Beyond My Wildest Dreams” from The Little Mermaid and the title track from Andrew Lloyd Weber’s sequel to Phantom, Love Never Dies. Boggess received an Olivier nomination for her performance in the latter show where she originated the role of “Christine.”

Tickets (including the service charge) are $23.50 and can be purchased here.

Chris Thile and Madison Cunningham – New Jersey Performing Arts Center – November 13th – 7:30 PM EST/4:30 PM PST

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s fall virtual programming includes this conversation and performance with Chris Thile and Madison Cunningham.

Cunningham recently received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Americana Album for her 2019 record “Who Are You Now.”

While it might seem strange to have her listed on Cultural Attaché, Rolling Stone hailed her “jazz-school chord changes” when it included her in a July 2018 story about “The 10 New Country and American Artists You Need to Know This Month.” Frankly, her music speaks for itself.

Cunningham’s new EP, “Wednesday,” was released one week ago and features a cover of Tom Waits’ song “Hold On.”

Which makes the pairing of her with 3-time Grammy Award winner and MacArthur Genius Grant winner Chris Thile a natural fit. His collaborations range from Yo-Yo Ma to Brad Mehldau.

Mehldau told me two of Thile’s qualities as a musician he admires: “First, I knew from hearing and seeing him that he is a true improviser – and that is what I like to do a lot. Second, his singing really affects me, and I was excited about the idea of making music with that kind of vocal expression.”

You will find this show on NJPAC’s Facebook page. There is no charge to watch the show.

Sons of Kemet – SFJZZ – November 13th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

You don’t immediately think of dancing when you think of jazz music. Saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings forces you to reconsider that combination with his band Sons of Kemet. They will be performing on this week’s Fridays at Five concert from SFJAZZ.

Formed in 2011 in London, they fuse jazz, afro-beat and world music influences into a mix that yielded a 2013 MOBO Award as the Best Jazz Act.

This concert is from the summer of 2019 and finds the band supporting their 2018 recording, “You’re Queen is a Reptile.” The album was nominated for the 2018 Mercury Prize.

As with all Fridays at Five concerts, you will need either a one-month membership ($5) or an annual membership ($60) to watch the concert.

Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles – PBS Great Performances – November 13th – check local listings

You’ll be forgiven for not knowing all the nominees for Best Musical at the 1965 Tony Awards. After all, Golden Boy, Half a Sixpence and Oh, What A Lovely War! haven’t had remotely the same impact as the musical that won. Not only did Fiddler on the Roof win Best Musical, it won nine of the 10 awards for which it was nominated.

This musical about a milkman who finds his homeland of Russia changing just as his three daughters are leaving home to pursue their own lives ran for 3,242 performances. There have been five Broadway revivals. The lead role of Tevye has been played on stage by Zero Mostel, Herschel Bernardi, Alfred Molina, Harvey Fierstein, Danny Burstein and Topol, who played the part in the 1971 film.

Why has this musical resonated so profoundly for 55 years? That is has is celebrated in the documentary Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles. Filmmaker Max Lewkowicz features interviews with composer and lyricist Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, librettist Joseph Stein, original producer Harold Prince, filmmaker Norman Jewison, multiple cast members from the various productions, Stephen Sondheim, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Joel Grey and many more.

Grey directed the most recent production of Fiddler on the Roof. The musical was performed completely in Yiddish and ran for over a year-and-a-half off-Broadway. There had been discussions about a possible transfer to Broadway prior to the pandemic.

As with all PBS programming, check your local listings.

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake – Center Theatre Group – November 13th – November 15th

Center Theatre Group’s Digital Stage program includes a selection of programming that falls under the category Digital Stage Plus. These are select events that are free for subscribers and $10 for non-subscribers.

The first program they are showing is a film of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake. The show was performed most recently at the Ahmanson Theatre in 2019.

The film features the 2018 cast which appears to be some of the same performers including Will Bozier as The Swan/The Stranger. Liam Mower dances the role of The Prince.

If you are wondering if you read that correctly, perhaps you didn’t know that all the swans in this production are male. For more information about the production, read my interviews with Will Bozier and Max Westwell who alternated the roles of The Swan/The Stranger when the show was in Los Angeles.

The performances are on November 13th at 11:00 PM EST/8:00 PM PST; November 14th at 5:00 PM EST/2:00 PM PST and 11:00 PM EST/8:00 PM PST and November 15th at 4:30 PM EST/1:30 PM PST and 9:30 PM EST/6:30 PM PST.

Boris Godunov – San Francisco Opera – November 14th – November 15th

Conducted by Vassily Sinaisky; starring Samuel Ramey, John Uhlenhopp, Vladimir Ognovenko and Vitalij Kowaljow. This Stein Winge production is from the 2008-2009 season. This is the original 1869 version of the opera.

This opera by Modest Mussorgsky had its world premiere in St. Petersburg in 1874. The libretto, written by the composer, was based on Aleksandr Pushkin’s Boris Godunov. Mussorgky completed an earlier version of the opera in 1869, but it was rejected. He revised the opera and included elements from History of the Russian State by Nikolay Karamzin to gain approval and ultimately a production in 1874.

In the opera, a retired and very reluctant Boris Godunov assumes the throne as Tsar. He is bedeviled by a constant foreboding and hopes his prayers will help him navigate what lies ahead. An old monk named Pimen discusses the murder of Tsarevich Dimitri with Gregory, a novice. Had he lived, Dimitri might have ascended to the throne. Godunov was implicated in his murder years ago. What follows is one man’s pursuit of forgiveness, his being haunted by the Dimitri’s ghost and the Russian people who demand justice.

Joshua Kosman, writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, explained the differences in his review of this production. “The lack of any romantic element – or even of women – seems to have been the reason that government bureaucrats denied the piece access to the stage. In revising “Boris” for its eventual 1874 premiere, Mussorgsky added a female love interest for Grigory, the ex-monk who claims to be the rightful heir to the throne, as well as two major sequences (the so-called “Polish” act and the final scene in Kromy Forest).

“But Mussorgsky went even further, making the new work more formally balanced, more conventional in tone, and more musically integrated. He sprinkled little songs and character pieces around, the better to contrast with the moments of greatest dramatic charge; he arranged his acts to move with assurance toward a surefire curtain.”

He later said in the review that, at least in this production, “the rewards are great.”

Blue 13 Dance – LA Soundscapes at The Ford – November 14th – 2:00 PM EST/11:00 AM PST

With this free program you can watch Blue 13 Dance perform Bollywood, Bhangra, and Classical Indian Dance and also receive some instruction on how you can bust out some of the same moves.

Founded in 1999, Blue 13 Dance celebrates and preserves the cultural and classic forms of India. They are lead by Artistic Director Achinta S. McDaniel.

The 8 person company brings to joyous life the rich tradition of the Indian culture from the past and guides it fully into the future.

The program is free to watch on LA Soundscapes at The Ford’s Facebook page. Thirty minutes before this program starts there is a crafts program with Nasimeh B.E. If you RSVP at theford.com/crafts you can get a free Craft Box.

Dee Dee Bridgewater – JazzAid Live at the Banyan Bowl – November 14th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

South Florida’s Pinecrest Gardens launches a series of live streaming concerts on Saturday, November 14th with Tony Award and Grammy Award winner Dee Dee Bridgewater. The shows fall under the umbrella of their new program, JazzAid Live.

Regular readers of Cultural Attaché know how much I love Bridgewater and the music she performs.

Her most recent studio album was 2017’s Memphis…Yes, I’m Ready! Earlier this year Dee Dee’s Diamonds was released which is a compilation of songs from some of her earliest recordings. The Tony Award came for her performance as “Glinda” in the musical The Wiz.

Other concerts in this series are Kurt Elling (December 12th); The Glenn Miller Orchestra (January 16th); Wycliffe Gordon (February 13th); Grace Kelly (February 27th); Joey Alexander Trio (March 13th) and The Manhattan Transfer (April 10th).

Each concert will stream live and only once at the announced start time.

Tickets for each individual concert are $15. You can buy all seven concerts in a bundle for $87. Part of the proceeds from the JazzAID Live concerts will go to Chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen which, in addition to providing assistance to impoverished and hungry communities worldwide, is providing assistance to families impacted by the pandemic.

Save Tip’s: A Benefit for Tipitina’s – November 14th – 9:00 PM EST/6:00 PM PST

Like many a venue that has had to suspend operations due to the Pandemic, New Orleans institution Tipitina’s is struggling to stay alive. So they are holding an online fundraiser that will feature new and archived performances from many of the legends who have played on their stage since it opened in 1977.

Amongst the performers that will be shown are Professor Longhair, Fats Domino, Willie Nelson, Dr. John, Widespread Panic, Wilco, Billy Strings, Jon Batiste & Stay Human feat. Trombone Shorty, Dinosaur Jr, Manu Chao, The Radiators feat. Gregg Allman, Michael Franti and Spearhead, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Funky Meters, Preservation Hall Jazz Band feat. Allen Toussaint, Galactic feat. Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph, Les Claypool’s Flying Frog Brigade, The Revivalists, Big FreediaTank & The Bangas, Rebirth Brass Band, Zigaboo Modeliste, Juvenile, Samantha Fish, Dumpstaphunk, George Porter and Runnin’ Pardners, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux + Donald Harrison Jr., Anders Osborne, Ivan Neville, Cha Wa, James Andrews, Papa John Gros, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Kermit Ruffins, Corey Henry, Roger Lewis, Leo Nocentelli, The Soul Rebels, Davel Crawford, John Cleary + Walter “Wolfman Washington”, The Naughty Professor Horns, Taj Mahal, North Mississippi Allstars + Big Sam and tributes to Art Neville, Dr John and Allen Toussaint.

The show is free to watch. But donations are encouraged by texting “SAVETIPS” to 24365.

Rachmaninoff and Chopin – Pasadena Symphony – November 14th

Pianist Inon Bartanan is featured in this Pasadena Symphony concert. He will start the program with his own transcriptions of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances. He will then be joined by a string quartet of Pasadena Symphony members for a performance of Frederic Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 11.

The musicians joining Bartanan are Amy Hershberger and Nancy Roth on violin; Suzanna Giordano Gignac on viola; Nadine Hall on cello and Peter Doubrovsky on bass. David Lockington conducts.

Tickets are $25.

2020 Songbook – Long Beach Opera – November 15th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

Like many an organization, the Long Beach Opera had to be creative when it came to raising money for its work and finding a suitable replacement for an annual gala. The result, a fascinating idea, is 2020 Songbook.

Hosting the show is one of opera’s most exciting performers, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo.

He can be seen on November 14th in the Metropolitan Opera’s 2019-2020 production of Philip Glass’ Akhnaten.

Here’s what makes this show exciting: Donors this year commissioned new art songs instead of purchasing gala tables. All the commissioned works had to follow a few rules:

They had to be 3-5 minutes long, feature voice plus accompaniment and thematically had to address or reflect events or experiences from the year we all know and love, 2020.

Composers Anthony Davis (2020 Pulitzer Prize for Music winner for The Central Park Five which premiered at Long Beach Opera); Annie Gosfield (The War of the Worlds with Yuval Sharon and the Los Angeles Philharmonic); David Lang (2008 Pulitzer Prize for Music winner for The Little Match Girl Passion); George Lewis (his opera based on the W.E.B. Du Bois short story “The Comet,” will be paired with Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea in a world-premiere production in collaboration with Anthony Roth Costanzo and Yuval Sharon in the 2021 Long Beach Opera season) and Du Yun (2017 Pulitzer Prize for Music Winner for Angel’s Bone).

Tickets are $25 and $75 and includes the ability to watch the show for 72 hours.

Modern Beauty Part 3 – Pittance Chamber Orchestra – November 15th – 6:00 PM EST/3:00 PM PST

Part 3 of Modern Beauty from Pittance Chamber Orchestra features the world premiere of Austrian composer Gernot Wolfgang’s Decisions.

This eleven-minute work was composed in 2016 and was written for piano and oboe. There are three movements in the piece. Joining Gloria Cheng, who curated all three concerts that make up Modern Beauty, is Jennifer Cullinan.

There is no charge to watch the performance, but donations are encouraged.

The Anonymous Lover – Los Angeles Opera – November 15th – November 29th

Born nearly 11 years before Mozart was composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Not only was he a composer, he was a violinist and quite the fencer. More importantly he was, particularly for the time, one of just a few Black composers. (George Bridgetower and Francis Johnson were two other important Black composers from around this era.)

LA Opera is presenting a newly-filmed performance of his third opera, L’amant Anonyme (The Anonymous Lover). The work dates back to 1780, written when the composer was in his mid-30s and has a libretto inspired by a play by Caroline-Stéphanie-Félicité, Madame de Genlis. The opera had its premiere in Paris.

The Anonymous Lover tells the story of Léontine, a woman who has eschewed love. She is young and is a widow. Her good friend, Valcour, also has sworn off love – or so he claims. Secretly he’s been in love with Léontine. Unable to express his feelings, he chooses to anonymously send her letters and gifts. Can two friends become lovers when Valcour finds the nerve to reveal himself to Léontine?

James Conlon conducts the LA Opera Orchestra. The production stars Tiffany Townsend, Robert Stahley, Alaysha Fox, Michael J. Hawk, Gabriela Flores and Jacob Ingbar.

The film was directed by Bruce Lemon, Jr. and incorporated social-distance guidelines during production. Press notes indicate that the staged setting blends both modern film and traditional opera staging.

The Anonymous Lover is free to watch beginning at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT on November 15th.

Lillias White with Seth Rudetsky – November 15th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST $25

I personally find it hard to believe that Tony Award winner Lillias White made her Broadway debut in 1981 (replacing Terri White in the musical Barnum.) Roles in Dreamgirls, Cats, Once on This Island, the 1995 revival of How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying and the never-ending revival of Chicago all lead to her role as Sonja in The Life.

Following her Tony Award win for The Life, she spent time doing concerts (both her own and fundraisers including an incredible turn singing “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from Funny Girl) before returning to Broadway for 2009’s Fela! She received a Tony nomination for her role as Fela’s mother.

White will join Seth Rudetsky for his concert series this weekend. If you can’t watch the live performance on Sunday, there is an encore performance on Monday, November 16th at 3:00 PM EST/12:00 PM PST. Tickets for either showing are $25.

That’s our list of your Best Bets at Home: November 13th – November 15th. But you know we won’t leave you without a few reminders:

Metropolitan Opera‘s streaming productions this weekend are the 2007-2008 production of Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes on Friday, Philip Glass’ Akhnaten on Saturday and Thomas Adés’ The Exterminating Angel on Sunday.

Don’t forget Laura Benanti’s Live from the West Side: Women of Broadway concert on Saturday.

Table Top Shakespeare: At Home wraps up this week with The Comedy of Errors rather appropriately on Friday the 13th; Timon of Athens on Saturday and The Tempest on Sunday.

That does it. With so many wonderful opportunities to get lost inside these wonderful programs, who has time to be superstitious?

I hope you enjoy our Best Bets at Home: November 13th – November 15th.

Photo: Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo (Courtesy Opus 3 Artists)

The post Best Bets At Home: November 13th – November 15th appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

During the 15-minute intermission you have to switch from being what is now a very sweaty swan into The Stranger. How would you describe your time making that transformation?

MW:  It’s a complete reset. We come in and we’re completely sweaty and exhausted. You have to shower and change costumes and make-up. It’s almost like a completely different show. You get half a second to sit down and resent. It’s quite a short amount of time. I have to get into stranger mode. Getting the costume on changes your demeanor.

WB: I like to sit in the wing and have a little stretch and think about The Stranger and think about how he’d be. The music always helps me get in the mindset. I have a moment and think about him and how he would shock people to show the big difference between the two.

What toll do these parts take on your body and how much longer do you want to continue to dance at this level of intensity?

MW: It can be really hard on your back and lot of the movement is heavy on the quads because it is contemporary and down in the floor. The sheer level of cardio you have to do is hard to maintain your fitness. The day after I’m pretty tired until we do another one. I’m not sure [how much longer.] It depends what comes up. As I get older I learn more sports science and get better with food. I can keep going for another couple years.

WB:  I’d like to say that I could do it forever, but the body doesn’t tell me that. I take it day by day. Hopefully I have a good ten years in me, but you never know. The good thing is there are so many aspects of dance you can explore after your career is over.

These roles were made famous by Adam Cooper when the ballet first premiered. He’s also credited as a Principal Coach for this production. What influence did he have on your when you were coming of age as a dancer?

MW: I was always very aware of Adam because his career path has been the same as mine – from a classical company to musicals and now New Adventures (Matthew Bourne’s company). I was massively inspired by him and his versatility. His input on this role was hugely interesting. He came in and gave original intentions. Aside from that, he can still do it. 

WB: Massively. I saw it many years ago when I was a young boy. It was incredible to see all these men on stage and how powerful they can be. Especially Adam and his movement quality.  Having him there and having him go through the movement and explaining how and why we should do it just upped our game massively.

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake originally debuted in 1995 and was considered shocking at the time. How has social perspective changed and how do you think Swan Lake is viewed now versus how it was back then?

MW: Interestingly I had a conversation with Matt about this. The audiences laugh at completely different places and a lot of what was shocking is not shocking anymore. There are still fundamental things that hit home which is what makes the production so good. The fact the animal is a man has provocative ideas behind it. It’s not the main point, but there is a connection between two men you are watching. Audiences are much more accepting of the concept and the idea.

WB:  It has changed massively. Everyone is a lot more accepting of things and sex and everything like that. Back in the day it was shocking to see two men dancing in such quarters. It wasn’t done. Now they find it amazing. Two big strong men lifting each other and dancing and celebrating. I think Matt changed all that.

Tchaikovsky, the composer who wrote the music for this ballet, one said, “To regret the past, to hope in the future and never to be satisfied with the present; that is what I spend my whole life doing.” Does that sum up the life of a dancer and how much does this represent how you look at your own life?

MW:  I try to adapt to the moments and the opportunities I have in front of me and stay positive and forward-thinking. I try to enjoy as much as I can. At the moment I’m really enjoying the show I’m in and being here and everything that’s happening.

WB: I totally agree with that. You can’t regret the past because it is the past. I’ve never heard that before. It’s amazing. We strive for perfection as performers. When [your performance] is under, it bums you out, but then you come in the next day and get into the studio and hope it doesn’t happen again. 

Swan Lake continues at The Ahmanson Theatre through January 5th.

Main photo:  Max Westwell and James Lovell in Swan Lake (Photo by Craig Schwartz/All photos courtesy of Center Theatre Group)

The post Dancers Max Westwell & Will Bozier: Swan Lake’s Quick Change Artists appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

I spoke to each dancer separately by phone. I spoke to Max while Will had a rehearsal. Five minutes after hanging up I was talking to Will while Max had a rehearsal. These are edited excerpts from both conversations.

Not only is the part of The Swan/The Stranger double cast, but so is the role of The Prince (James Lovell or Andrew Monaghan). Is there a difference when you are paired with one dancer versus another?

WB:  It is very different because you have two amazing guys who are different in ages, height, in pretty much everything. It’s refreshing to do this with both dancers. Every show is different and they bring different stuff to the role.

MW: This is actually what makes it really enjoyable and allows us to do it so many times. It depends on my mood and their mood and you have to really watch and  be present and respond to what’s happening in the moment. It’s a great way to make each show organic and authentic. It’s a bit of a gift.

Which part is most like you of the two and what are the challenges of creating a distinct  different between The Swan and The Stranger, but still allow for a discernible link between the two?

WB: I think I’m more like The Stranger as he’s confident with himself and his abilities. I think the swan stuff is the hardest because you are playing The Swan and to put that across is quite a hard thing.

MW: Oooh, I would say there are parts of me in both of them. You have to draw on your own experiences. As a person I’m high energy and personable. The Swan is beautiful and ethereal, which is not very much like me. I would say The Stranger but with less malice.

How do you approach the two roles?

WB: I’m trying to thing of examples. It’s very different. You react off how [the other  dancers] they act. Acting is reacting we always get told. It’s different for me.

MW: I would say lines-wise I make slightly different shapes. I would say I’m more fluid in The Swan. My Stranger is coming from a different place. I’m more provocative and he’s more aggressive. It’s more to do with intention and how we do the movement.

Are there more similarities or differences in how you each dance the part?

WB: Me and Max are very different performers. I’m more from musical theatre and he’s more about ballet. We do bring something different to it and it’s great to watch what Max does. It helps me build my swan.

MW: Over time it has evolved that we both do The Swan and The Stranger very differently now. It’s almost like two separate shows. It’s a specialized performance. We have every single aspect down for our particular versions.

How long did it take your bodies to get used to moving your necks and heads like a swan might?

WB: To be honest it took a good three months to feel good and to make sure we were showing that we were a swan. It’s quite delicate and subtle. Your neck gets used to it, but  it took a good three months to get it in my  body.

MW: We did a lot of research and I looked at previous people doing it. It feels hugely unnatural. I felt severely strained in my neck and I had to get a lot of help. It took a lot of time to embody the swan, but it took a good couple weeks in rehearsal to really understand the movement.

What did you learn about yourself as a dancer over the time you’ve been dancing the parts?

WB: I think this role has definitely made me physically stronger, mentally stronger. It made me realize how many different characters you can do within the  show and show the difference between the two. It’s made me mature as a person and grow up. It’s a big responsibility to have this role.

MW: That I love to express. I kind of knew it before – I’ve played other animals. To express a swan is hugely rewarding. I love contemporary movement to express story. It has no limitations at all. It’s a very freeing way of expressing  story.

Will, you said in a  promotional video for Swan Lake that your interpretation is that the Swan is part of The Prince’s imagination and what he wishes he could be without being able to do so. What, then, is your interpretation of The  Stranger and his relationship to The Prince?

WB: I think The Stranger is a real person and what the Prince sees in The Stranger is what he sees in The Swan. The Stranger is rugged and free and can do and say what he wants. That’s the representation of The Stranger in the eyes of The Prince.

Max, you spent five years trying to join this company (New Adventures). Now that you have accomplished your goal, how has the experience been?

MW: I’ve absolutely loved it. It’s been a big development for me physically and movement-wise. I’m used to doing ballet class every day and doing contemporary dance every other day. It has broadened my mind to all sorts of way of moving. The company has been amazingly welcoming.

We continue our interviews with Will Bozier and Max Westwell here. We’ll talk about their intermission routines changing from The Swan to The Stranger, the influence Adam Cooper (who originated these roles) has had on their careers and this production and whether or not this once controversial approach to Swan Lake is still controversial.

Main Photo: Andrew Monaghan and Will Bozier in Swan Lake (Photo by Craig Schwartz/All photos courtesy of Center Theatre Group)

The post How Will Bozier & Max Westwell Become Swan Lake’s Swans appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Changing the gender of the swans added a layer of repressed homosexuality that, no doubt, mirrored that of the ballet’s composer, Tchaikovsky. Critics were divided on whether or not the Oedipal longing the Prince character had for his mother, which, when unfulfilled found him running to The Swan, was more of a 1950s view of homosexuality. Perhaps the 21st century updating will address those concerns.

Nonetheless, audiences were swept up in the inventiveness of this Swan Lake. As did Tony voters who awarded the production three Tony Awards for Best Costume Design, Best Choreography and Best Direction of a Musical in 1999.

Casting for this production is as follows:

The role of ‘The Swan’ is performed by Will Bozier and Max Westwell.

‘ThePrince’ is performed by James Lovell and Andrew Monaghan

‘The Queen’ is performed by Nicole Kabera and Katrina Lyndon.

‘The Girlfriend’ is also performed by Katrina Lyndon. She is joined by Freya Field and Carrie Willis.

The production will run at the Ahmanson through January 5th.

For tickets go here.

Photo:  Will Bozier and company in Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake (Photo by Johan Persson/Courtesy of Center Theatre Group)

The post Matthew Bourne’s “Swan Lake” appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Not only does she dance the lead story of the girl who dreams of going to the Castle Ball in hopes of meeting the Prince, she also serves as Dance Captain for the production.  (Cordelia Braithwaite also dances the role at select performances.)

Local audiences had a chance to see her most recently as Vicky Paige in Bourne’s The Red Shoes. Shaw’s additional roles with New Adventures include Princess Sugar in Nutcracker!, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, Kim Boggs in Edward Scissorhands and Lana in The Car Man.

I recently spoke with Shaw about her work with Bourne, learning to be an actress and her passion for leotards.

In 2010/2011 you were the understudy for Cinderella. Now you have the star role. Can you compare the pressure of trying to prove yourself as understudy to the pressure you now have being the lead of the show?

They are two very different pressures. It’s very hard to be a cover in a way because you don’t get to do it very often so every time feels like the beginning and you are at square one. But as a cover you get a lot of support and everyone is excited. On the other side being the main Cinderella is a different pressure about consistency and expectations are much higher. That’s something I’ve had to develop with age and being in the company for a long time. 

Sarah Wildor, who was one of the originators of this role, talked about the joy of living with a role over a long period of time and being able to grow with you. Do you share her observation?

That is one of the really wonderful things about New Adventures. We do so many performances. We’re at 260-some shows right now. We’ve done it a lot. We filmed Cinderella on, I think, our fifth show. But even watching that show it’s almost a completely different performance than what I do now.

What have you learned most about yourself in the 10 years you’ve been with Bourne?

I think one of the biggest things for me would definitely be that I am actually an actress as well as a dancer. In my training you never really learn acting as intensely as technique. That’s something I’ve learned and developed by being in the company. Matt’s work is very story-based and without the acting you couldn’t be in the company.

But acting is so much a part of the expression of emotion. There’s no real acting training for dancers?

I don’t think it is enough as it should be. I was trained pretty much strictly classical ballet. Most of my life you learn these mime elements: crossed arms is death, doing a crown means royalty. It’s more symbolism than actual acting and emotion. I think we should do more acting in dance school since all dance requires that.

You played Vicky Paige in The Red Shoes. Is that role more like you or are you more like Cinderella?

Ooh, interesting. In all honestly, Vicky Paige is more like me than Cinderella. Both have elements of my personality, yet some are very different from me. But The Red Shoes, being about dance and her ambition to be a famous dancer, parallels me a bit more.

Which of these roles challenges you more and why?

I think physically Vicky was challenging. Stamina-wise that show is so big and very hard. Our company doesn’t usually wear pointe shows. What’s hard about Cinderella is she’s two people: downtrodden, meek and shy and the other is glamorous, dreamy and passionate. That’s hard to tap into both sides. I love them both.

You’ve said that when you saw your first ballet at age six or seven that you wanted to be one of the girls in the tutus. How did you develop your obsession for leotards?

I do have an obsession with leotards! I love them! When you are growing up it’s almost your uniform and when you grow up people rebel from them. I love dressing up. I love tutus and costumes and sequins. In my day-to-day I love to dress up. But I love leotards.

Dancer/choreographer Martha Graham once said, “Think of the magic of that foot, comparatively small, upon which your whole weight rests. It’s a miracle, and the dance is a celebration of that miracle.” What’s the miracle of your career and what type of dance would you use to celebrate it?

I think the miracle of my career is, so far, how long and exciting it has been. I hope that it continues and I’m so grateful to be in this company and to be in these roles. This is my dream company. If you had told that 14-year-old girl I’d be at New Adventures for ten years, she’d never have believed it.  I couldn’t be happier or more grateful.

And the dance you would do?

I would do the dance I’m doing. That’s what I like is you can’t pinpoint one style to New Adventures. We tend to do all styles.

All Production Photos by Johann Persson/Courtesy of Center Theatre Group

The post Dancer Ashley Shaw Discovers She’s Not Just a Dancer… appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Bourne made a name for himself with his daring production of Swan Lake in which all the swans were male. He takes risks with this production by radically changing the setting and incorporating war news reels, bombs and air raid sirens into the story. In other words, don’t expect a pumpkin to turn into a carriage.

In the program Bourne dedicates Cinderella to his father, Jim Bourne, “who was there and lived to tell the tale.”

Given the number of performances for this engagement, roles are double-cast. The title character is danced by either Cordelia Braithwaite or Ashley Shaw (who danced the role on opening night.) Harry, the pilot (aka the Prince role) is performed by either Andrew Monaghan or Edwin Ray.

If you are seeking a traditional ballet, Bourne’s work is not for you. What makes his projects compelling is he is constantly seeking out new ways of telling familiar stories. Bourne has had a long relationship with Center Theatre Group with many of his other projects, including The Car Man, Edward Scissorhands and The Red Shoes having appeared here.

The one change from the production in 1999 is there is no live orchestra for this production. The show runs two-and-a-half hours with two intermissions.

Go here to read our interview with Ashley Shaw who, in addition to dancing the title role, serves as Dance Captain for Cinderella.

Photo by Johan Persson/Courtesy of Center Theatre Group

The post Cinderella appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

The post “The Red Shoes” opening night appeared first on Cultural Attaché.