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May 17
She wanted a kiss.
He gave her a look that said: I'd rather sacrifice a limb. Read more →May 10
Today we honor the women who expended an astonishing number of calories bringing each of us into the world. In their honor, I present a collection of Mother's Day musings:
May 04
From the opening notes of the famed overture, you realize why the music in "Candide" has remained so beloved over the years. There's a shoulders-back, ready-to-strut, nearly giddy feel of adventure ahead. But there's also something about Leonard Bernstein's music that hints at danger and complexity: a sense that the way forward won't be nearly as bright and carefree as you'd like to think.
Frankly, after watching the Fresno Grand Opera production of "Candide" that opened Friday at the Shaghoian Hall, I'd rather listen to a concert of music from the show than watch the staged version. This production features accomplished singing from a cheery cast of principals. Director Joseph Bascetta finds some creative ways to stage the action in a small space, and he keeps the bewildering plot barreling along at a brisk pace. But the line between satire and slapstick in "Candide" is difficult to navigate. What comes across as brilliantly acerbic and biting on the page, as penned by Voltaire in his classic work on which this operetta is based, becomes on the stage overly broad and bloated. I felt as if I were watching more an academic exercise, a historical salute, and less an emotionally fulfilling operatic experience. Read more →May 03
The first thing Barbara Nurmi notices in Maestro Theodore Kuchar's music room is the boxed set of 100 Leonard Bernstein CDs plopped on the floor next to the coffee table.
April 05
My friend was aghast.
"You're going where?" she asked. Read more →March 30
I ask Christian Marriner, who plays the diminutive role of Lord Farquaad in the touring production of "Shrek the Musical," how he's doing.
March 23
I didn't realize it at the time, but my own connection with celebrated Broadway director Des McAnuff started long before 2006, the year I saw his production of the hit musical "Jersey Boys" in San Francisco.
January 17
In the annals of the arts in Fresno, it’s hard to imagine a more rotten couple of weeks.
We lost the Fresno Metropolitan Museum on Jan. 5, of course, and the community still reels. Read more →August 16
This and that from the culture beat:
Defying the conventional wisdom that small/serious films in Fresno wither in the hot summer months for one or (at the most) two weeks before flitting off to greener pastures, “The Hurt Locker” is holding strong at Regal Manchester. Read more →June 07
A is for “accommodate.”
That’s the word I imagine having to spell as I look into my bathroom mirror. I practice saying the letters slowly and clearly: a-c-c-o-m-m-o-d-a-t-e. Yes! The audience murmurs its approval. I am a double-letter king. Bring ’em on, baby. Read more →
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