Sunday, January 24, 2010
Stage Review: A witty, contemporary 'Mikado' at CMU
Post Gazette: "It isn't usual for me to get to shows by the CMU Music School (as opposed to Drama), but the current 'Mikado' offered three powerful attractions: it's Gilbert and Sullivan, and I'm an addict; it's directed by Gregory Lehane, an inventive director of comedy (disclosure: we work together on the annual 'Off the Record' spoofs); and it's designed by Peter Cooke, the new head of CMU drama, in what I'm pretty sure is his creative debut here."
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10 comments:
Couldn't agree more with this review. The show had its problems but was overall an extremely enjoyable night of theater. Operas often are serious, boring, long and not comprehendible. This was the opposite. The show was quirky, upbeat, happy and didn't take itself to seriously, so we as an audience didn't take it to seriously. We enjoyed it, unlike the last opera by the school of music, where I was confused and confused. It lacked comedy and wit, rather filled with death, beheadings, religion and other serious concepts, making me sort of depressed.
As I said before The Mikado was the opposite. The designs were great, well done and organized in a way that the addition of each piece made sense and again added a certain laugh to each scene as we as an audience waited for the surprise of the next piece.
Like Bryce, I was not a fan of the first Opera for a lot of the same reasons. However, I was a big fan of the Mikado. I liked the contemporary twist Cooke and Lehane took, and found myself laughing a lot and really enjoying the whole experience. The costumes, and the transformation they took was particularly fascinating for me. I also wondered if they had an anime influence. Considering the original point of the Mikado was to look at the Japanese in the way the english looked at the Japanese, I thought it would be fitting if Cooke decided to look at the Japanese in the way Americans look at Japanese; and what better way to express that than with anime. I asked him after the performance and learned that it was in fact an inspiration for the costumes. I also learned the Peter Cooke has an anime collection. Overall it was an entertaining and informational night for me.
I generally agree with this review. I really just had a very fun night of theatre with this play. I find it interesting the school of music chose to do an opera that really does have quite a bit of dialogue and moments for acting (as we all know, opera singers are often not the best actors). However, I thought acting and all, a few problems aside, this was a really wonderful world and experience.
I thought the design by Peter and Todd was wonderful and really accented the story. I especially loved how the opera took advantage of the fact this this is a college we are performing at, and threw aspects of that into the show. This really was a wonderful collaboration between the school of drama and school of music.
I also agree with this review. One thing in particular is that I agree that for as much as the design hints at being set in England, there is such an ambiguous/surreal quality to it, which really aids the concept. I also agree that the acting was not the greatest, but it added more comedy to the show, especially if the setting is viewed as a high school. I really have to disagree about the size of the orchestra. In many parts it became distracting, and on a few occasions overshadowed the singers to the point where they were nearly inaudible. Personally, I wish that it would have been toned down a bit.
I really enjoyed going and seeing this play, and also agree with the general gist of the review. While the acting wasn't the best, the music students did a pretty good job and their were a few performances and moments that stood out and were particularly enjoyable. The singing and orchestration was good, and the rewriting of various lyrics provided some extra wit which was nice. Was really interesting to see the designs of Peter in action here at CMU, and I also thought that Todd Wren did a good job with the lights, especially with integrating the Japanese lanterns into the show. Overall, a good production which was a lot of fun to see.
I agree with the reviewer in some respects, but not all. The Mikado as an opera is very well written and the music is beautiful. It manages to move beyond the heaviness that many operas find themselves stuck in. However, I do think the show took itself too lightly at times. The orchestra was very strong and sharp. They played what sounded to be tricky passages with easy and dexterity. The singers were strong, though at times hard to understand (Although kudos to them for even being intelligible without reinforcement). The concept of the show was confusing at times. With many of the aspects fit together nicely, I felt that the audience was asked to make several too many jumps, particularly into the start of act 2. It was not perfectly clear how the two worlds, the world of the school and the world of the show intersected. When the former was discarded during intermission, I was confused.
Though I don't think that Dialogues of the Carmelites was bad, I liked this production far more, mostly because the show itself is far more enjoyable. I'm not a huge Gilbert and Sullivan fan, but nevertheless I found the plot of The Mikado very amusing. I especially liked how the script was modified in certain songs to relate to the audience, many of them CMU students, and to the social, economical, and political events in the U.S. today. I thought that the production was very well designed, and overall made for a very enjoyable theatrical experience.
Of all of the School of Music operas that I've seen, The Mikado has definitely been my favorite. I was curious to see Peter Cooke's designs, and they did not disappoint. I think what I enjoyed most from this production is how well it embraced its comedic aspects. This opera was not written to be taken as seriously as its characters do, and the contrast in the portrayed emotion and the staging came across well. I also enjoyed the paper lanterns that hung over the stage. They helped to set the mood and feel of the play very well.
I too agree with this review. I was really excited to get to see Peter Cooke's designs and have them implemented at CMU. I also think Todd did a superb job with the lights; they really brought a lot to the show. In response to some comments about the orchestra, I don't think they were overpowering. If a score calls for fortissimo, that is how the orchestra is going to play. I think it’s the job of the performers to project over the music. If we are training students to go out and be professionals then I think it’s their job to project. That being said, they did a good job projecting for most of the show, and definitely a better job than was done for Dialogue of the Carmelites, but there were still some spots where they could have done better. I too agree with this review. I was really excited to get to see Peter Cooke's designs and have them implemented at CMU. I also think Todd did a superb job with the lights; they really brought a lot to the show. In response to some comments about the orchestra, I don't think they were overpowering. If a score calls for fortissimo, that is how the orchestra is going to play. I think it’s the job of the performers to project over the music. If we are training students to go out and be professionals then I think it’s their job to project. That being said, they did a good job projecting for most of the show, and definitely a better job than was done for Dialogue of the Carmelites, but there were still some spots where they could have done better. Overall, it was a good show and I really enjoyed it.
This review is dead on. It actually helped me understand the show better. I didn't really understand the huge painting of Queen Elizabeth at the end, but now it makes sense. I have to admit, though I really liked the show, it felt more like musical theater than opera.
Christopher Rawson's comments about the design were also dead on. I thought Peter and Tod's designs flawlessly played off each other.
There is only one major change I would have made with the show, and it's something no one would have seen or noticed. I wish the actors had more time to rehearse in their kimonos--the actor playing Nanki-Poo tripped over his own kimono, and that of Yum-Yum several times.
Aside from that, the show was really fun and upbeat, and a joy to watch.
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