This operatic version of an American classic gets better the more it's performed.
Karren LaLonde AlenierMusicDC, The Washington National Opera production of “Moby-Dick” is a crowd pleaser. Jake Heggie’s music is tonal, sometimes glancing off Puccini, but ventures out with touches of Philip Glass minimalism and other occasions of atonality that make it satisfyingly contemporary. Maestro ...
This lively staging of Brecht's masterpiece gets its punch from the magnetic Kathleen Turner.
Karren LaLonde AlenierTheaterDC, Masterful, magnetic, and entertaining best describe the outstanding performance seen Feb. 6 by stage and screen star Kathleen Turner in the uniquely engaging Arena Stage production of Bertolt Brecht’s masterpiece “Mother Courage and Her Children.” With lines like “No one ...
The Folger's new production leaves the audience engaged, if not breathless.
Karren LaLonde AlenierTheaterDC, The Folger Shakespeare Library’s Elizabethan theater has been transformed from its usual proscenium stage to theater in the round for Robert Richmond’s extraordinary production of “Richard III.” Every element — actors, costumes, scenic design, lighting, sound design and music — ...
Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. Jan. 26, 2014
Karren LaLonde AlenierMusicDC, In the opening program of its 40th anniversary season, the Verge Ensemble, the performance group of the Contemporary Music Forum, presented 90 minutes of distinctive contemporary classical music with commentary. While the program included five short computer-generated pieces by Paul ...
Synetic Theater cleverly updates Shakespeare's comedy to the Roaring Twenties.
Karren LaLonde AlenierTheaterDC, Synetic Theater’s brand of physical theater emphasizes speechless Shakespeare. For this adaptation of “Twelfth Night,” the company advanced the setting to the Roaring Twenties, inclusive not only of flappers but also silent film and the specter of Charlie Chaplin. It ...
The pianist wows both sides of the classical divide with innovative performances of Scarlatti and Cage.
Karren LaLonde AlenierMusicDC, Making his Kennedy Center debut, pianist David Greilsammer is not only a talented musician but also a man with engaging ideas that reach out to audiences across a wide spectrum of musical history. As part of its Hayes Piano Series, ...
