“In the forest scene, when, according to the libretto, Adolar is suddenly ambushed by a giant serpent, Mr. Newberry had a gnarled treelike structure slowly lowered onto the stage. Mr. Burden did his best to wrestle with what looked like a disused Dale Chihuly chandelier, but the effect brought to mind Bela Lugosi’s battle with the rubber octopus in Ed Wood’s film Bride of the Monster.” [New York Observer]
Campus radical
“Mr. Burden did his best to wrestle with what looked like a disused Dale Chihuly chandelier, but…”
By La Cieca 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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Tell us: What was the best of 2025?
Parterre Box concludes the thrilling first year of Talk of the Town by inviting your lightning rod opinions on several more categories of operatic argumentation.
