It is done

Well, what a wild ride this has been! Our show has opened and closed, and my friends, I must say, I thought it came off really really beautifully. It was such a thrill for me to sit back and see all these things that I have imagined for the last year and a half in "the little theatre of my mind" ACTUALLY COME TO LIFE! As a director, I have this picture...almost more of a feeling than an image...of what I want to convey, but especially as a person so young in the biz, there is a worry that what I imagine will not be as wonderful when it is "live".... but it really was!
The ensemble sounded great, they looked great, they acted like "real people", the dancers were breath-taking, the costumes were beautiful and gleaming, the lighting was lovely, the witches were creepy and wierd, and when the set piece turned around for the first time (with Dido lying on it) I heard audible gasps in the crowd.

THIS IS WHY I LOVE THEATRE!

I am going to share with you an email that was forwarded to me by one of our performers.... I don't even know the person who wrote it, but truly, it is one of the most special "reviews" I have ever received, by an ordinary audience member.

Last night's performance of "Dido" was exquisite. I can't stop thinking about it. So beautiful visually and musically. The combination of modern dance and Baroque music was surprising and powerful, especially in the last lament. I have a short list in my memory of performances throughout the years -- maybe half a dozen which were really momentous. "Dido" has joined that list.

Ok, enough gushing. I hope you were able to see the show and if you enjoyed it half as much as I did, then you had a great night at the theatre! I will share some of the "official" photos when they are available, but here is one more amateur shot to send you off on your day...


(why do men have a need to hold their boobs?)

Your counsel all is urged in vain

Still in tech for Tosca (decidedly different than the Dido!) but have something interesting to offer today: there is a minor maelstrom in blog world regarding "Historically Informed Production"

An interesting article from Yugen of American Opera Theatre entitled "Baroque and Authenticity":

For various reason I think "authenticity" is rather like a phantom. It is something that gets a lot of hype and belief, but it doesn't really exist. That isn't just because there is so little historic truth about performance practice we can know for certain (most of what has become accepted as "baroque performance practice" is actually not so clear cut when one looks at the sources). No, authenticity doesn't exist because the whole notion of authenticity, the primacy of the composer and his epoch's "intentions", is completely a modern concern, one that would not have concerned the 17th or 18th century musician.

Read the entire article here.

Brian Dickie of Chicago Opera Theater weighs in as well:

So please let us not get so stressed out with the idea of "authenticity". Its all about the music making please...

Full article here

And what is my humble opinion?
I am thrilled to be working in a craft that offers so many opportunities for creative expression. It is exciting to live in Houston where there are so many groups striving to recreate period sounds and "rediscover" old works. And it is wonderful to me that they might be presented in a more traditional way, but that there is room for exploration of uncharted waters, too. I love that my production of Dido will feature modern dance. I would love to do a "traditional" Dido sometime too but I couldn't be happier with the way our version is shaping up. For me it is about uncovering the emotional truth of the piece. If that means a lavish costumes, realistic set and Historically Informed gesture and dance, GREAT, but for me, it is not essential. There is such a strong emotional throughline in Dido (and delivered in such a beautiful musical package), I believe it stands well regardless of the packaging.
I hope you will agree in May!

Great minds against themselves conspire...

Antoine Plante called me well over a year ago to ask me if I might be interested in directing a show for Mercury Baroque, and I must say, I leapt at the opportunity. I am a huge fan of Baroque music, and in fact, the very first full length show I directed was Scarlatti’s Cain: Il primo omicidio for Ars Lyrica Houston. From a director’s perspective, there are just so many things to love about Baroque opera.
Primarily for me, it is the music…passionate, intense, exciting, sensual, vulnerable… sometimes all in one aria! In Houston we are particularly blessed with a great Baroque performing community, and often may experience in one season the full spectrum of the period from the early works of Monteverdi to the pinnacle of Italian, French and English Baroque schools. However, unlike more “mainstream” compositions like Boheme or Carmen, chances are the piece will be new to the audience. True, Dido & Aeneas is one of the more regularly performed Baroque works, but it is no Traviata. This means that hopefully both the artists and the audience can come to the table with open eyes. We have a chance to do, see and hear something fresh, without the inevitable comparisons to past productions, or simple fatigue from over-familiarity. Directorially, this is wildly exciting.

So where do I begin?.... stay tuned...