Summertime, you cannot arrive soon enough.

The Spring Play Cometh Soon

Digital image. The drama group. Web. 24 Jan. 2010. .

For those who saw “The Diviners” know to expect something extraordinary. With superb casting, the show was a complete success. Expectations for the next show are, therefore, much higher.

The new show will be “City of Angels,” a musical comedy about an author named Stine whose entire life revolves around the adaptation of his detective drama into a screenplay, so much so, that the musical constantly moves back and forth between the real world and the one in the novel. With all the commotion, Stine cheats on his wife, losing her, and soon, his job. At this point, a real life Stone, the detective from Stine’s book, appears and is cast to play himself in the movie. As Stine’s life crumbles, Stone takes the typewriter into his own hands and writes a Hollywood ending for Stine, in which he gains back his integrity and wife.

Everyone is excited for this new production despite the numerous obstacles faced in the making of “The Diviners.” With practices that lasted past midnight and a last minute success, parents and students alike filed many complaints. Nevertheless, the enthusiasm for “City of Angels” is great.

The auditions and call backs have passed and any day now the cast will be revealed. Of course for some, the let downs came early as not everyone was “called back” as the rush to get the new production on the way continues.

Personally, I am anticipating for this show to “one up” the last show. I’ve seen the incredible talent Pali has to offer and am now unwilling to see anything short of near perfection. I don’t connect “high school production” to our shows anymore since they far surpass the accompanying connotation. The last show was worth the ten dollar ticket, so this one should as well. I will be there opening night, schedule permit, and I will review the performance; so you, my dear readers, can make an educated decision about whether or not to see the musical.

Spoken Word Arrives at Pali

Digital image. John G. Rives, Web. 24 Jan. 2010. .

The week immediately following winter break’s end, brought Palisades Charter High School a pleasant surprise. Two Brown seniors, Phil and Sarah Kay(e), performed and talked about spoken word poetry in Mercer Hall.

Through a mix of comedic and serious works, the audience learned of Phil and Sarah’s strange coincidences, their “Thelma and Louise” type friendship, and, most importantly, the art of spoken word. So what is spoken word? It is anything that cannot be simply read—it must be performed. It could be a speech, stand up comedy, poetry, a rap, a song…nearly anything.

A good rule of thumb to follow is to make sure the writing has concrete details. A reader or audience will be able to connect much better to the work and in effect, the performance would be that much more powerful. As an example, I’ve pasted an excerpt from one of my poems below.

Pupils rot in cages
Knowledge bounces off the walls
The desk feels smooth against my forehead

The concrete details, such as the walls and the desk, bring the poem to life. Nearly anyone forced to sit through hours of classes can empathize with the emotions in the passage.

Some of the best examples of Spoken Word are performed by George Watsky, John G. Rives, and of course, the great Robin Williams. This art is everywhere if one just takes the time to see it.

The Barber of Seville BUTCHERED in LA Production

Digital image. Dreadcentral.com. Web. 2 Feb. 2010. .

Opera goers all seek the same thing—an amazing musical experience coupled with some good acting and stage sets. The Los Angeles produced The Barber of Seville was such a horrible disappointment that words cannot possibly do it justice.

The Barber of Seville, or Il Barbiere di Siviglia, by Gioachino Rossini is a comedy about a lovesick Count, Almaviva, who invests in the help of a vivacious and egotistical barber named Figaro, to win over the object of his affection, Rosina. Unfortunately, Rosina is the ward of a greedy doctor, Bartolo, who is determined to marry her in order to inherit her large dowry. After many funny exchanges and schemes, Count Almaviva finally succeeds in marrying his love and the opera ends on a hopeful note.

The entire 2009 Los Angeles production performed at The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion began in the worst way possible. For whatever reason, the director decided it would be nice to have the set noisily moved into place as the overture began. So instead of being able to enjoy beautiful music, the audience was forced to have its pleasure constantly interrupted by stomping feet and moving scenery. Speaking of scenery: the plot is set in Seville, Spain—a lively, colorful town—with a rich culture. The scenery was a dull grey and white for the first half of the performance. And then, as if to make up for the lack of color earlier, the set looked as if a rainbow, high on psychedelic drugs, vomited all over it.

If that wasn’t enough, a key character was underdone as well. In the original, Figaro, the famous barber of Seville, is the very first main character that is introduced. Well-fed, to say the least, and as jolly as Saint Nick, Figaro struts onto the stage and begins singing about his importance and inflated ego. Figaro is very playful as he switches from falsetto to regular to back again, imitating various customers. His opening aria consists of very many quickly iterated syllables, all of which, like the rest of the piece, must be sung over a full orchestra without the aid of microphones. (This performance is a great example of how Figaro should be performed: YouTube - "Largo al Factotum" from Barber of Seville)The baritone at the 2009 version, failed miserably in encompassing Figaro’s unique persona and in singing the aria. Half the time the singer was drowned out by the orchestra, was not clear in his pronunciation of the words, and was never, not even once, interesting to watch. He walked around like a tired old man. Figaro is supposed to be jovial and light on his feet; but this man played him like a middle-aged couch potato!

The other characters were average and uninteresting…except for one. The soprano that played the part of Rosina was surprisingly talented in both her acting and singing. Her performance was believable as she impersonated a young and in love woman. Additionally, her strong voice was heard over the orchestra every time she sang.

Unfortunately for the show, one talented cast member could not make up for the utter failure of the other opera singers coupled with of the horrible scenery and direction. Over the years I have steadily lost my appreciation of anything produced in LA—it seems to get worse and worse every time I attend a musical production. I now restrain myself only to shows performed by touring foreigners, mainly from Europe. If you, the readers, are by any chance part of the opera scene and either direct these shows or are friends with someone who does, I challenge you to redeem yourselves.

Cirque Du Soleil’s Kooza Defies Imagination

Cirque du Soleil's KOOZA Opens In Atlanta Tonight. Digital image. Flickr. Web. 24 Jan. 2010. .

After some preshow, comedy antics, the show begins with a boy trying to fly a grey kite. To his dismay, there is no wind. Instead, the boy lets his imagination take flight as he pretends a creature with a magical wand jumps from a box. With a flick of its wrist, the creature lets loose an entire world of wonders: Kooza.

The stage bursts with activity—loud music fills every nook and cranny as creatures from this alternate universe swarm out into view. And so, the audience enters the Kingdom of Kooza.

The first amazing feat is tightrope walking—on a whole new level. There are two tightropes, one above the other, so that there are always at least two men walking across in either direction. But it isn’t just a duo…there are four men. They jump over each other and land on the rope as if it were as flat as the ground and keep walking. The most amazing trick, however, involves three funambulists, two specially made bicycles, a bar designed to sit on two of the men’s shoulders, and a chair. Two performers ride the bikes with a bar resting on their shoulders. A third funambulist tightrope walks on the bar as the other two ride their bicycles across the wire. If this were not enough, a chair is added to the equation, with the top most performer either sitting or standing on it…while juggling pins. Yes, the audience’s jaws are well past the floor by this point.

Kooza. Digital image. DC Theater Scene. Web. 24 Jan. 2010. .

Sometime after the three female body contortionists, who resembled slinkies as they bent their bodies in the most cringe-inducing ways, are two men and an act that illustrated the phenomenon of freefall (physics geeks unite!). In this performance, an intriguing contraption is lowered to several feet above the stage. It consists of two large circles connected by an intricate weave of metal. One man enters a circle and begins running in it, causing the entire set to rotate. After it gains significant momentum, the second man reaches out, as if it were nothing, and catches onto the second circle—sending himself flying with it. He performs various acrobatic tricks inside and outside the circle; each trick invokes the wildest cheers from the audience.


Another act included a man who balanced on a tower of chairs. He wore what I can only describe as specialized tidy-whities and had his legs completely covered in tattoos. Few dared to cheer in the suspense of every moment as the man balanced on one hand and slowly bent backwards, lowering his legs over his head.

Between nearly every breath taking performance, the clowns got their “funny” on. Surprisingly, many of the jokes were PG 13 and borderline R. One man pretended to molest various audience members while another, the King of Kooza, kept playing with a remote which controlled the show. The group of clowns filled the air with sarcastic jokes that kept the audience roaring with laughter as the other performers prepared.

At the end of the show, the little boy is crowned as the new King of Kooza and given a new, this time colorful, kite. As the boy reluctantly waves goodbye to the creatures of Kooza, he tries flying his kite one more time. This time, the wind picks up and the kite soars.

Classics Get SEXY

Digital image. Audrey Hepburn & Anthony Perkins, romantic scene, 1958. Flickr. Web. 24 Jan. 2010.

The lights dim and the air thickens with suspense. After all, one never truly knows what to expect when an opera, of all things, is rated R. The conductor takes his place—his bald spot angrily glaring at the light—and finally lifts his arms; the orchestra readies itself. Music cuts the tension as the curtains open to reveal a stage accented with crimson drapes and couches. A few performers drift onto the stage—the audience prepares for the opening ballet number. Instead, the dancers assume positions not native to dance. What ensues next is…a sex scene?!

Believe it or not, this was the opening to an opera at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. In its original form, the opening scene is a ballet that depicts the sensual world of Venus’s realm. However in its 21st century version, there are no ballerinas with sexual choreography—instead, there is an orgy filled with all kinds of positions and partner combinations. Of course no live porn scene would be complete without nearly everyone in the audience at the edges of their seats, whipping out their binoculars to get a better look.

The production is of “Tannhäuser,” a German opera about sacred, profane love and redemption. After the overly graphic opening scene, Venus and the main character Tannhäuser appear for their opening duet. Venus, being the goddess of love and desire, is dressed in a provocatively see-through, lingerie gown and sings with her beloved Tannhäuser about his desire to leave her world and reenter ours. She tries to seduce him into staying, but is unsuccessful. The rest of the opera remains PG-13. The advertisements warned about an opening that was rated R for nudity—it failed to specify that the nude people wouldn’t just be dancing.

One self proclaimed opera critic, going by the alias of Astrafiammante, blogged about her experience at the LA opera. Astrafiammante at first complained about Wagner’s ability to write good librettos and when commenting on the opening scene she said, “Still, I think I’d prefer to see that original singing contest than a 15 minute orgy.” In reflection on the opera’s content, Astrafiammante said, “In ‘Tannhäuser’, the gates of hell are clearly shaped like a ‘V.’” Upon hindsight, and taking into account the sexist times of Richard Wagner, she was correct. Everything Tannhäuser was condemned for in the entire opera included desiring and getting sex.

In contrast, the San Francisco Opera audiences had a different experience with “Tannhäuser.” In a review in the New York Times, Anthony Tommasini said, “During the first scene, an extended ballet of frenzied cavorting among the denizens of Venusberg (in the 1861 Paris version of the opera, used here), wiry, bare-chested men dance wildly with lithe young women in lacy white dresses. There are even moments of same-sex coupling, which would have rattled Wagner’s audiences but seemed to resonate in San Francisco.” Why San Francisco managed to keep the same level of eroticism without excessive nudity or actual sex positions that were included in the Los Angeles production will remain a mystery.

The human obsession with procreation has always existed, but lately, it has become less and less subtle. With implied sexual themes now brought out into the open, even some classical music is no longer appropriate for people under the ages of 13 and sometimes even 17 years old. On one hand, it is better that modern society accepts something as natural as making love instead of condemning it as sin. On the other hand, however, being too open with sex one can taint the subject matter and actually lessen its value. Just like the chase is what can attract one human being to another, so too can the pursuit of the underlying meaning of music and lyrics entrap the audience in a tale.


In the transition from a time period of oppression to one of freedom, more and more classics are being modified to sexier versions that aren’t necessarily any better than the originals. An example of all this is “Phantom of the Opera” by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

This musical is the heart lurching story of a disfigured musical genius, hidden away in a Parisian opera house, who falls in love with a woman he can never have—Christine. In attempts to seduce her, the Phantom sings her a provocative song about the dark music he writes. The Phantom persuades her, “Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation…” At one point, the Phantom wraps his arms around her waist from behind as she bravely strokes his mask. Just when it seems that the Phantom has her under his spell, Christine makes the horrible mistake of removing his mask—and revealing his horridly deformed face. As the musical moves on, Christine is courted by another man, Raul. In the last scene of Act I, Christine and Raul share an innocent kiss after professing their love for each other.

On Movie Fix, Mark Beirne commented, “Christine's heart is torn in two directions and her journey of sexual awakening begins.” Christine cannot choose between the Phantom to whom, despite or maybe because of his dark side, she is unmistakably attracted to, and Raul, for whom she seems to hold an innocent crush. When the Phantom holds Christine and Raul captive in the last scene, it is Christines compassion that persuades the Phantom to let them go. The scene ends with the Phantom’s proclamation that only Christine can make his “…song take flight. It’s over now, the music of the night.” With that, he disappears.

In the modernized adaptation, the fact that the entire plot is set in 19th century France is completely ignored. Now the seductive scene between the Phantom and Christine involves the Phantom’s hands bravely roaming Christine’s body as he nuzzles her neck and she molests his mask. In a review of the movie version of the musical, Charity Bishop wrote, “…while …[The Phantom] encourages his visitor [Christine] to give way to her senses and embrace the quiet, tranquil darkness that is his realm, he runs his hands over her in a briefly lingering caress.” This move is quite a step higher than that in the original theater production. The innocent kiss with Raul evolves into a wanton make-out session. All this in a time when holding hands was shameful. To clear things up, yes, the sex and erotica are written in between the lyrics of “Music of the Night.” The title itself is a metaphor for sex. In the end, when the Phantom sings that only Christine can make his “…song take flight. It’s over now, the music of the night,” what he’s really saying is that only Christine can arouse him for he can love no other. Now that Christine has left him, the Phantom’s composing days are over and so are his chances of ever making love. Nevertheless, this theme is meant to stay hidden, not flaunted shamelessly.

It seems that as the years pass, every classical production gets sexier than before. All the eroticism that has previously been cleverly hidden in between the lines is now violently burst out into the open. No more subtle hints, ambiguity, and mystery. Although sex is now accepted in society as something natural and not some sinful “act of darkness,” it can taint an otherwise brilliant plot if used in excess. There is something magical about a story when certain intimate details are left to the imagination—when the audience gets to interpret just what the composer meant and what is hidden behind the words and music.