by Fred Baumgarten Every generation, it seems, must have its “Chalk Garden.” Major revivals pop up every decade or so like crocuses sprouting in spring. And then there’s the popularity the 1955 Enid Bagnold play enjoys in regional theater, perhaps owing to its meaty dialogue and eccentric characters. Is it…
by Fred Baumgarten Comedy, arguably one of the two greatest human gifts – the other being music – is a timeless art. Picture an arrow pointed on two sides, flying through spacetime, picking up a Greek comedy here, a courtly farce there, a Gilbert and Sullivan here, a Seinfeld there,…
by Fred Baumgarten At the risk of stating the extremely obvious: it’s 2019. American goods are manufactured in Mexico, Vietnam, and China. Something called “Democratic Socialists” are making a political stir. The wealth gap continues to grow to obscene proportions. I mention this not to start an argument, but because…
by Fred Baumgarten In this era of social media and spoofy news shows – John Oliver, Trevor Noah, Saturday Night Live, the Onion, Andy Borowitz, etc. – when political jokes travel the world faster than you can say “Trump,” how does a musical revue that “puts the mock in democracy”…
by Fred Baumgarten Panopera’s presentation of La Traviata at the Academy of Music in Northampton straddled the line between professional quality and amateur production. On the strength of some good singing, sincerity, and charm, let’s call it a win. La Traviata (roughly, “The Fallen One”), arguably Giuseppe Verdi’s most popular opera and certainly…
by Fred Baumgarten For nearly three hours last Saturday afternoon, you could hear a pin drop inside the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield at the Berkshire Opera Festival’s presentation of Verdi’s classic tragedy, Rigoletto. That, and the sounds of splendid music, which the audience drank in with rapt attention. So good was…
by Fred Baumgarten The best way to appreciate Leonard Bernstein’s 1983 opera, A Quiet Place, is through the music. At Tanglewood last week, this infrequently performed work was given a spirited defense by the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra and Vocal Fellows under the baton of Stefan Asbury, in a 2013 version…
