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.

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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

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Mozart’s Final Piano Concerto at Walt Disney Concert Hall (Fri-Sun)

After opening the 2017-2018 season with early compositions by Mozart, Gustavo Dudamel turns to Mozart’s final piano concerto which is being performed by Javier Perianes. Also included in the program is music from La Clemenza di Tito featuring four soloists and the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

Stupid Kid at the Road on Magnolia (ongoing)

In this play by Sharr White, a son returns him after serving 14 years in prison. He continues to profess his innocence. When he returns to his family, he finds a very different dynamic than he remembered. The highlight of this production is that it is directed by Cameron Watson who has proven himself to be one of the most adept stage directors in town.

Our Town at the Pasadena Playhouse (ongoing)

Deaf West Theatre, best known for their recent production of Spring Awakening (a production that ended up on Broadway), performs Thornton Wilder’s classic play.  In the pivotal role of the Stage Manager is Jane Kaczmarek. The cast, as per Deaf West tradition, is comprised of both deaf and hearing actors.

Monk Centennial Celebration at the Ford (Sunday)

One week after celebrating the 100th anniversary of Ella Fitzgerald, the Ford offers a centennial celebration for jazz pioneer Thelonious Monk. Presented by Angel City Jazz Festival, singer Dee Dee Bridgewater will be heading the celebration. And perfectly suiting a man whose music has regularly been sampled by contemporary artists, the second part of the evening will be a DJ celebration with DJ Logic and others. MONK’estra records will also be incorporated in the performances.

Last Chance this Weekend:  The Red Shoes (at the Ahmanson Theatre) and Carmen (LA Opera production at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion)

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The show is based on the classic 1948 film from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger and also the fairytale by Hans Christian Anderson. When it came to music for the film, Powell & Pressburger enlisted Brian Easdale to score this story of 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.

But Bourne went a different path. Instead of using that score, he opted to use various scores and compositions by legendary film composer Bernard Herrmann.  If the name isn’t familiar to you, his music certainly is. Many of Alfred Hitchcock’s films (Psycho, North by Northwest, Vertigo) were made even more compelling by Herrmann’s work. As were such films as Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and the landmark Orson Welles film Citizen Kane.

Parts of the score from Kane are used in The Red Shoes. Also adapted are selections from Fahrenheit 451, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and some non-film compositions such as Concerto Macabre and the Currier and Ives Suite. The music works so well that you’d think it had been written for this ballet.

It had me wondering, what other composers and their music would be right for such an undertaking. So Mr. Bourne, I recommend first and foremost the work of Elmer Bernstein. I’d love to see his scores for The Age of Innocence and Far From Heaven in a ballet. And if you have a particularly comedic moment may I recommend some of his work from Ghostbusters.

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“It was an unusual one for me. I entered into it without the usual big idea,” Bourne says over coffee in the lobby of a downtown hotel the day before opening. “I did it more through research and really working at it. On and off over eighteen years I’d say ‘Let’s have another listen to it and see what comes up.’ But the actual decision to do it was two-and-a-half years ago. It’s good to say it out loud because then you have to do it.”

Having done the other two ballets by Tchaikovsky, does Bourne feel like it’s the end of an era now that he’s finally doing the third? “I don’t know that it’s the end of an era. It was our 25th anniversary. I was looking to end that year, where we had revived several things like The Nutcracker and Play Without Words, with something new. The dance critic at the New York Times told me I’m the only one to do new productions of all three.”

With no more Tchaikovsky ballet scores left to interpret, Bourne has to look elsewhere for inspiration. “The composer I’d really like to work with is Bernard Herrmann because I don’t think [his work] has been used in that theatrical way. Film composers are quite interesting because they write music to tell a story. The difference is they work with two or three themes over the film. I’m not sure whether to develop a new story around his music or pick a specific film and go that way.”

Also on the drawing board is The Red Shoes, “because I love the surreal nature of it in a way,” he says.  “I think you can do something interesting with that.  And I love the theme of love versus art.  I think that’s quite a good dance topic.  The big emotions work very well for non-verbal story-telling.”

Though movies clearly inspire him and are influences in his work, he frets the time he’s spent away from Los Angeles.  “I’m a bit worried that we haven’t been here for too long.  I’d like to have come more regularly and I have tried.  We’re expensive to bring over.  We have big sets, lots of costumes, a big British company that has to be put up.  I absolutely love doing this.  But I’d also like to be doing a smaller experimental type of piece that maybe wouldn’t go out on a big tour.  You need help with those things.  If anyone out there wants to commission me to a do a quirky dance piece…here I am.”

Originally published at LAMag.com on November 25, 2013

Photo: Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty (Photo by Simon Annand/Courtesy Center Theatre Group)

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