Profilanmeldelser
3”Some 80 years ago, The Cradle Will Rock, a blazing pro-union anti-capitalist opera written and composed by Marc Blitzstein was banned by the New York Police Department. Director Orson Welles and the entire ensemble did find a theater that night. But it says so much about this Brechtian/Weill-ish masterpiece, that today, America still stands on the cusp of censorship... It also says a lot that Opera Saratoga–an ensemble in a town which was once known as the home of Gilded Age plutocrats–should produce this opera. And produce it with all the veracity, the energy and the fun which good protests deserve... Lawrence Edelson, a kind of Wellesian talent himself, is not only Artistic Director of Opera Saratoga, but both directed and choreographed his massive cast with volition and the most muscular vigor. The ensemble of cellmates prance and dance inside their cells, they each come out to offer their hypocritical sermons. The stage is not in continuous movement, but Moll and the Druggist, a kind of sideline Greek Chorus, the jailed ensemble propelling their art and the soloists selling themselves on stage, give that energy which one supposes Welles gave to the original cast. More essential, Mr. Edelson never stoops to Camp or even anachronisms. Yes, his characters verge on the burlesque, but this was exactly where Blitzstein in his Agri-Prop opera meant it to be.”
“There is only one problem with Opera Saratoga’s terrific production of Man of La Mancha: it ran for just three performances. That’s more than enough to be grateful for in these perilous times for performing arts organizations, but the show deserves to be seen far and wide… Lawrence Edelson, Opera Saratoga’s artistic and general director, has repeatedly demonstrated his knack for staging opera in the intimate confines of the Spa Little Theater. With Man of La Mancha, he brings the same integrity, cogency and dramatic urgency to a massive stage (the Saratoga Performing Arts Theater seats 5200 people in the amphitheater alone). His concept for Man of La Mancha is traditional, but technology imbues it with freshness and wonder. Barry Steele brought Edelson’s vision to life through video and projections that create the walls of a huge prison; the vast vistas of the arid plains of La Mancha, complete with windmills; and the inn where Don Quixote meets Aldonza. The velvety blue sky dotted with thousands of twinkling stars is magical. Most impressive of all was the entry of the Knight of the Mirrors with his men, most of whom were digital creations. The cast that Edelson assembled reminds one of the pure joy of hearing popular musicals sung with classically trained voices. He could have done no better."
Tidligere produksjonsanmeldelser
3”Some 80 years ago, The Cradle Will Rock, a blazing pro-union anti-capitalist opera written and composed by Marc Blitzstein was banned by the New York Police Department. Director Orson Welles and the entire ensemble did find a theater that night. But it says so much about this Brechtian/Weill-ish masterpiece, that today, America still stands on the cusp of censorship... It also says a lot that Opera Saratoga–an ensemble in a town which was once known as the home of Gilded Age plutocrats–should produce this opera. And produce it with all the veracity, the energy and the fun which good protests deserve... Lawrence Edelson, a kind of Wellesian talent himself, is not only Artistic Director of Opera Saratoga, but both directed and choreographed his massive cast with volition and the most muscular vigor. The ensemble of cellmates prance and dance inside their cells, they each come out to offer their hypocritical sermons. The stage is not in continuous movement, but Moll and the Druggist, a kind of sideline Greek Chorus, the jailed ensemble propelling their art and the soloists selling themselves on stage, give that energy which one supposes Welles gave to the original cast. More essential, Mr. Edelson never stoops to Camp or even anachronisms. Yes, his characters verge on the burlesque, but this was exactly where Blitzstein in his Agri-Prop opera meant it to be.”
“There is only one problem with Opera Saratoga’s terrific production of Man of La Mancha: it ran for just three performances. That’s more than enough to be grateful for in these perilous times for performing arts organizations, but the show deserves to be seen far and wide… Lawrence Edelson, Opera Saratoga’s artistic and general director, has repeatedly demonstrated his knack for staging opera in the intimate confines of the Spa Little Theater. With Man of La Mancha, he brings the same integrity, cogency and dramatic urgency to a massive stage (the Saratoga Performing Arts Theater seats 5200 people in the amphitheater alone). His concept for Man of La Mancha is traditional, but technology imbues it with freshness and wonder. Barry Steele brought Edelson’s vision to life through video and projections that create the walls of a huge prison; the vast vistas of the arid plains of La Mancha, complete with windmills; and the inn where Don Quixote meets Aldonza. The velvety blue sky dotted with thousands of twinkling stars is magical. Most impressive of all was the entry of the Knight of the Mirrors with his men, most of whom were digital creations. The cast that Edelson assembled reminds one of the pure joy of hearing popular musicals sung with classically trained voices. He could have done no better."
“A wonder of a Werther... more daunting than an opera about the hyperbolic nature of unreciprocated love, is to get the audience to suspend disbelief and buy it. Florida Grand Opera accomplished just that on Saturday, April 27 at Miami’s Arsht Center with its new production of Massenet’s tragic opera. When the performers, text, score, orchestra and creative team are all top-shelf and brought together to render a single production, you are going to be included in one magical night of opera. This is what happened on the opening night of FGO’s production of Werther... It is a difficult assignment to direct characters who are constantly in a heightened state of emotion. That line between performer’s becoming melodramatic rather than believable can easily get fuzzy. Stage director Lawrence Edelson skillfully kept his players from being overwrought, effectively keeping them honest. The taking of hands, the turning-aways, the conflicted hesitations, rang true. The staging of several couples dancing (including the newly acquainted Werther and Charlotte) was simple, elegant and tasteful... This opera is about character not spectacle. Feelings were expressed at all times. Tender moments, speaking substance. Edelson’s direction was measured with lovely pacing, nothing rushed, so the romance could build from innocence to something possibly profound. He drew natural reactions out of his performers, the only way to sell this story as believable with emotions in such a consistently heightened state... It is refreshing to recognize how Massenet scored the opera as a vehicle for a competent director to nurture honest relationships and feelings unforced by the constraints of time... Applause doesn’t lie. This production rang true.”
