Archives for November 29, 2012

Paul Moravec and I are now officially at work on our third operatic collaboration.
The King’s Man is a one-act chamber opera about the conflict between Benjamin Franklin and William, his illegitimate son, who were on opposite sides in the Revolutionary War–William, a Tory, remained loyal to the British government–and whose relationship was permanently sundered by their political differences.
The King’s Man will be a companion piece to Danse Russe, our second opera, which was commissioned by Philadelphia’s Center City Opera Theater and premiered by them last year. The two works will make use of near-identical vocal and instrumental forces and are meant to be performed there as a double bill. Kentucky Opera, which is based in Louisville, announced today that The King’s Man will be developed in the company’s composer workshop program, then premiered in tandem with Danse Russe in October of 2013 as part of the company’s new Contemporary Opera Series.
To learn more about The King’s Man and Kentucky Opera, go here.

Here’s my list of recommended Broadway, off-Broadway, and out-of-town shows, updated weekly. In all cases, I gave these shows favorable reviews (if sometimes qualifiedly so) in The Wall Street Journal when they opened. For more information, click on the title.

BROADWAY:

• Annie (musical, G, reviewed here)

• Bring It On (musical, G, closes Dec. 30, reviewed here)

• A Christmas Story (musical, G, closes Dec. 30, reviewed here)

• Evita (musical, PG-13, reviewed here)

• The Mystery of Edwin Drood (musical, PG-13, most performances sold out last week, reviewed here)

• Once (musical, G/PG-13, most performances sold out last week, reviewed here)

• Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (drama, PG-13/R, reviewed here)

OFF BROADWAY:

• Avenue Q (musical, R, adult subject matter and one show-stopping scene of puppet-on-puppet sex, reviewed here)

• The Fantasticks (musical, G, suitable for children capable of enjoying a love story, reviewed here)

• Tribes (drama, PG-13, closes Jan. 6, reviewed here)

• Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (comedy, PG-13, closes Jan. 13, reviewed here)

CLOSING SOON OFF BROADWAY:

• Giant (musical, G/PG-13, closes Dec. 16, reviewed here)

“And as for the critics, it is very rare that you get the reviews you want. I don’t think many interesting actors or good plays are every really ignored or dismissed, but critics see too many bad plays and always have to write in a hurry. If they are proud of their craft, they get more interested in their own writing style than what they are supposed to be writing about.”
John Gielgud (quoted in Sheridan Morley, John Gielgud: The Authorized Biography)