Vingt Regards:XVIII. It's Macbeth in a Box

1. Cut a hole in the box.

2. Put your junk in that box.

3. Make her open the box.

(I really have other things to focus on right now, but the reviews are in and I simply cannot believe no one else has used this joke yet.)

It is a terrible shame that the power of Hampson's absolutely magnificent performance as Macbeth is diluted by the most unacceptable singing I have heard in a long while, hurtling out of his counterpart. I concur with JKos's comment that Lukács has an "ultra-wide vibrato that often makes pitch a matter of guesswork." I'm guessing was that she was essaying an improv on Où va la jeune Hindoue where Vieni t'affretta was supposed to be; it would have borne just about as much resemblance. (I know I was not the only one wondering if Elza van den Heever was in blocking rehearsals on Monday after the dress.)

I'll leave it to others to analyze the typewriter. And I'm glad to hear they kept the terrifically amusing bit of staging where Lady MacB knocks down the door to Duncan's chamber with a Miss Piggy karate kick.

~~~~~~

Vingt Regards / I. Strange Bedfellows / II. A New Era, Indeed / III. Hommage à Paolo Conte / IV. Hommage à S. Bar. / V. They Speak According to the Book / VI. Overheard in New York / VII. In Rotation: August 2007 / VIII. LA Phil's New Housemate / IX. Apples and Amoebas / X. Sunday in the Park with Bert / XI. Epilogue / XII. Taking Stock / XIII. De Quadratis Magicis / XIV. TSR's Guide to SF Elections / XV. Good Vibrations / XVI. Found Object / XVII. By the Blue Purple Yellow Red Water

Comments

[kathryn]

my review of opening night comes out in Tuesday's SF Classical Voice....I didn't even touch the typewriter BS, but the Star Wars comparisons abound....

[kathryn]

oh, p.s.
I'm glad someone mentioned the misogyny, cuz SFCV only gives me 600ish words, and I didn't have room to rant about it.
Also, Elza killing L.M. with a gi-normous syringe? Was I the only one to think about the soprano being put down?? tee hee

[sfmike]

Thanks for the von Trapp Family Singers impersonating the dead Macduff family reminder. I also haven't seen anybody commenting on the stage crew in their Hazmat outfits moving around that clunky box. There are so many silly things in this production that it just keeps on giving.

[kathryn]

there were so many silly things that it's impossible to remember them all!! I'm sure there's bullshit that I've completely forgotten.

[The Opera Tattler]

My friend keeps threatening me with the Macbeth box, so I was much too scared to make fun of it. ;)

[sfmike]

"La Rondine" turned out to be a perfect palate cleanser after this production, the last thing in the world I ever expected to say. And the producers of "La Rondine" took the slight, silly opera seriously while the producers of the "Macbeth" production took a great, difficult opera and made it look exceedingly silly.

[Lisa Hirsch]

Kathryn - I never stick to SFCV's word-count limits when I review for them. :) Turn in what you think you need to say.

I saw the next-to-last performance and the syringe murder was gone by then.