Sparkle, Lyric, sparkle!
It’s an old chestnut of a joke that applies even more to opera than to the theatre: A veteran actor is on his deathbed.
Recent Stories
The Philadelphia stories
As we also saw last year, Festival O19 ended on a sweetly quiet note, movingly connecting Opera Philadelphia with the larger city and our musical future.
Sleeper
As the Netrebko-crowned Macbeth took to the stage at the Met, just a few blocks away, Teatro Grattacielo presented its 25th Anniversary Gala Concert.
Star-flaming
On this day in 1791 Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte premiered in Vienna.
Martin Bernheimer 1936-2019
Critic Martin Bernheimer has died. He was 83.
If I had a photograph of you
I’m certain I wasn’t the only one thrilled to bits to see LA Opera’s production of La Bohème finally retired after 26 years and seven mountings.
Here I stand, the goddess of desire
Born on this day in 1942 actress Madeline Kahn.
Win a Free Ticket to Opening Night at the Met!
Quinn Kelsey and Lise Davidsen star in the Met's new Macbeth. We're giving away one ticket, so screw your courage to the sticking place and enter now!
I feel your thane
Bass-baritone Craig Colclough makes his Met debut tonight in the title role of Macbeth.
A strapping fellow with a plangent and sizable voice
On this day in 1968 tenor Plácido Domingo made his official Metropolitan Opera debut as Maurizio in Adriana Lecouvreur.
I’ll take the fall
The days are getting shorter, but you can keep the prattle going this fall’s Talk of the Town! You will, you can, you must join in the discussion about: Great mezzo soprano performances (October),
Gained in translation (November), Teleport me back to… (December).
The press representative doth protest too much, methinks
This overabundance of detail serves only to set La Cieca wondering who protested Ms. Davis.
Wait and see
Erwartung and Bluebeard’s Castle returned to Lincoln Center Thursday night in a musically scintillating if theatrically mild double-bill by the New York Philharmonic.
Roman holiday
A brace of Handel operas at the George Enescu International Festival.
Who’s that woman?
Born on this day in 1923 actress and singer Mary McCarty.
Slow curtain, the end
La Cieca has discovered a document of Plácido Domingo‘s faute de mieux Metropolitan Opera farewell performance.
Portrait of a Lady on fire
My blood sure boiled at this revival of the Met’s utterly punchable production of Macbeth.
Boy interrupted
Rising tenor TBA is now scheduled for the role of Alfredo in La traviata at the Met, replacing Vittorio Grigolo, who has been suspended for personnel reasons.
Pretty little lyre
Starring Jamie Barton, Orfeo ed Euridice returns to the Met next month for the first time in more than a decade so “Trove Thursday” offers two complete live versions of Gluck’s masterwork.
“It’s best when you improvise”
Born on this day in 1898 composer George Gershwin.
High flying, adored
Forty years ago today a new musical, Evita, opened at the Broadway Theatre, beginning a run of 1,567 performances.
When a man loves a woman
At the Met’s performance of Manon Tuesday evening, Michael Fabiano made as good a case as any for renaming the opera Chevalier des Grieux.
Domingo jumps (or was pushed?)
“The Met and Mr. Domingo are in agreement that he needed to step down”
