This review aired on KBAQ April 11, 2011

ARIZONA OPERA BRINGS STRONG SINGERS BUT PRODUCTIONS ARE WEAK

ARIZONA OPERA 40th SEASON IN REVIEW
Symphony Hall
Phoenix, AZ

Arizona Opera’s just concluded 40th season brought some remarkable opera singers along with sold out performances, strong ticket sales, and the company’s first financially profitable season.

Unfortunately, the penny-pitching that helped finances took its toll on “Carmen,” “Turandot,” “Otello,” and, last week’s season closer, “The Abduction from the Seraglio.” Lackluster stagings didn’t showcase the fine singing talent and the visual impacts were dismal. The season’s opener, Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta “The Pirates of Penzance,” was reviewed earlier.

In “Carmen,” fiery … Continue Reading

This review aired on KBAQ February 1, 2010

BROADWAY PLAYS GOOD AND BAD; MET OPERA’S “STIFFELIO” WELL SUNG

“STIFFELIO,” The Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, New York

“A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE,” Cort Theatre, 138 W. 48th Street, New York

“TIME STANDS STILL,” Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 W. 47th Street, New York

“RACE,” Ethel Barrymore Theatre, 243 W. 47th Street, New York

The economic downturn is impacting Broadway. Last October, things on Broadway were still robust. Now, most Broadway shows have good crowds but discount tickets are readily available and restaurants around Broadway that recently required reservations now take walk-ins. And several Broadway shows closed while … Continue Reading