Present prescriptive
“Director Christopher Alden destroys everything Strauss’s operetta stands for”
By
La Cieca
“Director Christopher Alden destroys everything Strauss’s operetta stands for…. the work’s underbelly may be serious, but on stage ‘bitterness must turn to bliss in sweet forgetfulness’…. Die Fledermaus should be as much an exercise in escapism for us today as it was for its first audience in 1874…. Above all it needs to make us laugh and go out humming its tunes.” [Financial Times]
La Cieca
James Jorden (who wrote under the names "La Cieca" and "Our Own JJ") was the founder and editor of parterre box. During his 20 year career as an opera critic he wrote for the New York Times, Opera, Gay City News, Opera Now, Musical America and the New York Post. He also raised his voice in punditry on National Public Radio. From time to time he directed opera, including three unsuccessful productions of Don Giovanni. He also contributed a regular column on opera for the New York Observer. James died in October 2023.
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Topics: christopher alden, cricket's notebook, must, needs, should
