Category: musical theater

Opera review: CCM’s ‘Mahagonny,’ ‘Les Mamelles’ double bill is a triumph

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CCM’s Opera Department mounted a double bill, including Poulenc’s “Les Mamelles de Tirésias,” shown above. Photos by Mark Lyons

In Poulenc’s surreal opera “Les Mamelles de Tirésias,” (The Breasts of Tirésias), Thérèse opened her blouse and two balloons popped out. As her “breasts” floated away, Thérèse, who decided to become a feminist, promptly popped them, grew a beard, changed her name to Tirésias and sang a ravishing waltz.

It was giggly, outrageous and in many ways, timeless.

Jose Maria Condemi, the new Associate Director of Opera at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, made his directorial debut over the weekend with an impressive double bill of Kurt Weill’s “Mahagonny Songspiel” and Francis Poulenc’s “Les Mamelles de Tirésias.”

Smartly staged and featuring a cast of fresh rising-stars and imaginative sets by students Luke Dufilho (Mahagonny) and EJ Goodman (Les Mamelles), it was an enchanting evening of theater. From the steamy, dissolute world of Kurt Weill’s Mahagonny to Poulenc’s surreal fantasy of Zanzibar — where a man could produce 40,049 babies in one day — the audience was alternately riveted and howling with laughter.

Condemi, who is an alumnus of CCM and has an extensive portfolio, joined the faculty in August of 2025. He’s familiar to Cincinnati Opera fans, who saw him stage “Ainadamar,” “Don Giovanni,” “La Traviata,” “Tosca” and “Lucia di Lammermoor.”

In the small orchestra pit, these two jazzy and bubbly scores received spirited readings by CCM musicians, conducted by William Langley, currently resident conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, among other titles. He’s a gifted and very busy maestro, and has returned several times to lead productions at his alma mater, CCM, where he earned a Master’s Degree with Mark Gibson.

The cast of Kurt Weill’s “Mahagonny Songspiel”

Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s “Mahagonny Songspiel” of 1927 is a 30-minute precursor to the full-blown opera, “Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny.” It offers a grim, cynical picture of Germany between the wars. I saw the Friday (Feb. 27) performance in CCM’s intimate Cohen Family Studio Theater (CCM has alternate casts).Read More »

Paul McCartney sending message to ‘Liverpool’ opening night audience

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Photo by Mary McCartney

Former Beatle Paul McCartney will not be attending the July 18 opening night performance of “Liverpool Oratorio,” the world premiere of it’s first-ever staged version presented by Cincinnati Opera in Music Hall. But he will send a personal message to Cincinnati opera audiences, officials said on July 15.

“While we’ve just learned that Sir Paul is unable to travel to Cincinnati for opening night, he wanted to be with us at Music Hall however he could. He’s shared an exclusive message intended just for Liverpool Oratorio audience members—only those in attendance at Music Hall will have the chance to experience it,” said artistic director Evans Mirageas, in a note to attendees of “To Sir with Love,” a party taking place after the opening night show.

An audio of Sir Paul’s message will be played for the opening night audience.

Don’t give up — McCartney could potentially appear for another performance during the run, which includes four addditional shows through July 27. That is not confirmed, however.

A city-wide “Get Paul to Music Hall” campaign has been mounted to invite him to the premiere. Tickets are nearly sold out for opening night, but some remain for the rest of the run.

McCartney — along with composer Carl Davis — penned the oratorio for the 150th anniversary of the Liverpool Philharmonic Society in 1991. It’s a love letter to Liverpool, with personal remembrances from McCartney’s boyhood there. The oratorio has never been presented with opera-style staging, sets, lighting and costumes before. There will even be ballet dancers.

You’ll find more information about the production here: I interviewed the creative team and two of the leading cast members. (Cincinnati Business Courier arts stories are free to read.)

For the full synopsis, performance times and tickets, click here.

 

Chicago: A tale of two opera companies

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Amanda Castro as Anita and the company of West Side Story, Lyric Opera of Chicago. Photo Todd Rosenberg

On one day in Chicago recently, I saw two “opera” productions that were at opposite ends of the spectrum. The first was really musical theater — “West Side Story” — mounted by Lyric Opera of Chicago. A couple of hours later, I was in the intimate Jarvis Opera Hall to see a historically informed, ravishing production of Johann Adolph Hasse’s “Marc’Antonio e Cleopatra” (really a serenade mounted as opera) at Haymarket Opera Company. Here are a few thoughts about each:

West Side Story — Cincinnati Opera has experimented with presenting musicals in the past, but after a few tries, let it go. In Chicago, Lyric Opera has made a full commitment to Broadway in the opera world. That was a topic of discussion for a panel moderated by Chicago critic Wynne Delacoma at the annual meeting of MCANA (see below). The participants were Lyric Opera’s director of artistic programs Cory Lippiello and James Lowe, the conductor for West Side Story. The company also presented the U.S. premiere of director Barrie Kosky’s production of Fiddler on the Roof in September.

Part of the appeal for opera companies is that musical theater brings in a whole new audience. For Fiddler, 50% of the audience was new to Lyric Opera, said Lippiello, who was unclear about how many returned to see an opera. The other appeal is that the last time Lyric Opera presented West Side Story, it took in $10 million at the box office. Although officials don’t think they’ll meet that number this year, as everyone is still emerging from Covid, that kind of money can be likened to the annual Nutcracker at the ballet. It helps pay for the rest of the season.Read More »

Weekend in Chicago

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Muti and Palumbo taking bows following a superb performance of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis.

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to visit Chicago for the annual meeting of the Music Critics Association of North America. It’s always eye-opening to revisit a city with exceptional arts. On this occasion, we visited Orchestra Hall for the final — and deeply moving — program led by Chicago Symphony Orchestra music director Riccardo Muti, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. We also went to Haymarket Opera Company at DePaul University for a rare mounting of Johann Hesse’s Marc’Antonio e Cleopatra. And on the lighter side, there was Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story at Lyric Opera of Chicago. All of that in two days, as well as our own panel discussions … Below are some of my random impressions.

Muti and Missa Solemnis –It’s interesting that with his distinguished career, Muti, 81, had not felt “ready” to conduct the Missa Solemnis until recently. (His only other performance was with the Vienna Philharmonic in Salzburg in 2021.) “I felt not worthy even to touch the score,” he said in an interview with program annotator Phillip Huscher. He quoted Carlos Kleiber, who said, “There is some music that is better if it stays on the paper.”

Whether because of Muti’s solemn view of this work, or because it was his final set of concerts, Muti’s reading was deeply reverent, even meditative at times. I was instantly struck by the warmth and stunning ensemble of the strings in the opening Kyrie. The sound of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, prepared by the Met’s Donald Palumbo, was hushed but full. The four excellent soloists (Erin Morley, Alisa Kolosova, Giovanni Sala and Kyle Ketelsen) phrased seamlessly in a flowing legato. The Gloria was an exuberant contrast, with short attack in orchestra and chorus and an electrifying fugue. The clarity in the acoustical space of Orchestra Hall was stunning — I could hear every word. Powerful outbursts had a kind of controlled brilliance. Muti moved little as he conducted, and the music breathed from beginning to end. (I invite you to read the full review by my MCANA colleague Arthur Kaptainis on Classical Voice North America.)

I was thinking during the performance of the many connections between Cincinnati and Chicago. There was, of course, Theodore Thomas, who founded the Cincinnati May Festival in 1873 and was founding director of the College of Music (later CCM) before becoming the founding music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1891. Fritz Reiner was CSO music director before going to Chicago. The current principal cellist, John Sharp, was formerly principal cellist of the Cincinnati Symphony. (I’m sure that some of you will think of other connections.)

And the Chicago Symphony’s current president Jeff Alexander was formerly with the Cincinnati Symphony. Alexander praised Muti’s 13-year tenure and he and the board chair announced that he will be “Music Director Emeritus for Life.” To the audience’s delight, Muti spoke engagingly about his time in Chicago, displaying quite a sense of humor.

It will be interesting to follow Chicago’s music director search, even as the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is also searching.

Thoughts on the operatic productions I saw in Chicago to follow…

 

 

 

 

Why we needed opera this year

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“Aida” photo by Philip Groshong

Cincinnati Opera returned to its Music Hall stage this summer after a two-year hiatus due to Covid. I’m sure there was trepidation in the company about whether the audience would return, just as new variants were emerging. Happily, audiences came. In fact, the total attendance for three grand operas in Music Hall and two new operas in a smaller venue at SCPA was higher than that of the 2019 season before the pandemic hit.

“We count our ‘return to Music Hall’ season a great success,” said general director and CEO Chris Milligan.

  • The company saw extraordinary national media coverage with reviews in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal and a story on NPR’s All Things Considered. Here’s a column about the international buzz surrounding this production.
  • Attendance exceeded that of the 2019 Summer Festival at 20,747, compared to 19,736 pre-pandemic.
  • The company met its revised revenue goal with $1.65 million in ticket sales.
  • Attendees from 42 states came to see performances.
  • There were zero canceled performances thanks to Covid-safety protocol.

Read More »

UC Hillel’s singing competition to honor Lauren Shmalo Berg

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The University of Cincinnati Hillel’s “Campus Superstars,” a collegiate singing competition, 7 p.m. Sunday, April 3, will feature local students competing for a $5,000 cash prize.

A panel of celebrity judges — Kim Mann, Deondra Means, Pamela Myers and Kathy Wade — will narrow 11 finalists down to three. Then you — the audience — will vote for the winner. This year’s competition, held at the Aronoff Center’s Jarson Kaplan Theater, will showcase our region’s superb musical talent. All contestants are full-time, local undergraduate students who have passed multiple auditions for the chance to compete.

They’ll be singing in every genre, including opera, musical theater, jazz, country and spirituals.

This year’s event will honor Lauren Shmalo Berg, an original member of the show’s staff. In October 2021, Lauren suffered a devastating spinal cord injury as the result of a fall. Before the accident, she was a talented singer, dancer, actress, Pilates/Zumbini instructor, preschool teacher, and competitive figure skater who was featured on the classic MTV show “Made.”

After multiple surgeries and 3-1/2 months at the Shepherd Institute in Atlanta, Lauren is now home with her husband and two small children. She is impressing her doctors and therapists and making remarkable progress.

Of course, Lauren’s journey to recovery comes with an exorbitant price tag, much of which is NOT covered by medical insurance. As a result, Cincinnati Hillel will be giving Lauren 50% of all new gifts and gift increases for this year’s event. All contributions made to Help Hope Live (Helphopelive.org) are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law and are used specifically for Lauren’s uninsured medical and injury related expenses.

About the show

The team of professionals to support the contestants includes Susan Winters- assistant director, Pat Kelly-Musical Director, orchestrator, conductor; Steve Hoskins–Woodwinds; Michael Scharfe- Bass; and John Taylor-drums. Also, Andrew Wright, of CCM, is the lighting designer; and Clear Sound Design will be doing the sound.

The competition’s past competitors have gone on to get advanced degrees at some of the nations most prestigious universities including Julliard, Eastman School of Music, Rice, Yale School of Drama and Indiana. Others have starred in or appeared in Broadway and touring productions including Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, The Prom, Miss Saigon, The Book of Morman and Wicked.

Tickets to the show: Cincinnatihillel.org/campussuperstar-tickets

 

Hamilton County Commissioners and ArtsWave Announce COVID Relief Grants for Hard-hit Arts and Cultural Nonprofits

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Melissa Gelfin De-Poli and Cervilio Miguel Amador dancing The Nutcracker from a previous Cincinnati Ballet season. Photography: Peter Mueller

Thanks to Covid-19, this has been a terrible time for everyone, including workers and performers in the arts, who have been among the hardest hit in the nation. And the new variants have not made their comeback any easier.

Hamilton County has teamed up with ArtsWave to announce that it will award $2 million in nonprofit arts and cultural grants funded through the County’s allocation of American Rescue Plan (ARP) dollars.

The grants will be awarded to combat the negative economic impact of Covid-19 on the local arts community and to fuel the region’s economic restart. Links to the applications and funding guidelines are available on the County’s Covid relief site – https://513relief.org/ and https://www.artswave.org/apply.

The Covid-19 relief grants will cover costs incurred due to business disruption, in a two-year period in which performing arts venues and museums lost significant box office and admissions revenue. The grants can also cover costs of mitigation expenses for re-opening and adaptations required for digital programming. Total grant amounts will be based on operating revenue from the prior fiscal year.
ArtsWave will host a virtual information session on Wednesday, February 3, 2022, from 12–1 p.m. answering questions and outlining the eligibility and application process. To join the information session, visit artswave.org/apply and click on “Hamilton County ARP Arts and Culture Grants Information Session.”

Read More »

Cancellations, digital programs, relief funds: How Cincinnati’s arts organizations are coping with COVID-19

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A previous production of The Magic Flute/ provided by Cincinnati Opera

Cincinnati Opera’s news yesterday that it must cancel its 2020 Summer Festival — the company’s 100th anniversary — was just the latest in an ongoing wave of arts cancellations due to COVID-19. Because of extended stay-at-home orders and closures, it was literally impossible to begin set-building and rehearsing, let alone fly in the international stars who were coming from Italy and the Czech Republic.

I doubt that entire seasons have ever been canceled for such a plague, although world wars have interrupted some. Of the many arts organizations that I have interviewed this month, a few leaders have predicted to me, that, until people feel comfortable being with other people in a theater, museum or a concert hall (and you can add to that, restaurants and stadiums), they will not return. And that won’t happen until there is a vaccine.

As Ensemble Theatre’s D. Lynn Meyers tells me in Friday’s Business Courier, we all thought things would be closed for a weekend, and then it would be back to normal. Now we talk about the “new normal.”

The Blue Wisp Big Band at Caffe Vivace last month.

I began observing how the coronavirus was impacting our city’s freelance musicians about a month ago, when restaurants closed, and musicians began streaming their music live from empty bars, for tips. That article, “Virtual Reality,” on April 3, included some jazz musicians, as well. Trumpeter Matt Anklan, an adjunct at Miami University, said that 60 percent of his income is from freelance jobs — now completely gone.

A spot check of Cincinnati’s major arts organizations, “Critical Stage” on April 10, told stories of how groups are struggling to hang onto their staffs even as they tally their losses. Losses will be big. ArtsWave — which was just midway through its annual, $12.4 million campaign when the virus hit — predicts that losses in Cincinnati’s arts community could top $30 million if there is no arts activity all summer.

Van Gogh’s Undergrowth with Two Figures at Cincinnati Art Museum

Still, there was a note of optimism, despite the expected red ink. Cincinnati Art Museum’s Cameron Kitchin told me, “The arts are about connecting and inspiring. What greater time of need do we have for inspiration and connection than right now, in this time of social distancing and flickering hope? If we look at what the arts to able to provide for humanity, this is a moment where we are called to action.”

Friday’s article (April 17) is about how small and mid-sized arts groups in our region are coping. There will be more stories to come, including some with good news of how people are stepping up in a time of crisis.

As I wrote in a column at the very beginning of the trickle of online arts offerings — now a tsunami — the arts offer escape, joy and comfort. Don’t forget, these organizations can’t wait to welcome you back, live and in person, when we all reach the other side.

As all theaters, museums close, Zoo closes and Aquarium is next in precautionary measures against COVID-19

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With museums, theaters and even the Zoo closed, and the Aquarium closing Monday, I’ll be posting some virtual entertainment options. Cincinnati Museum Center, above, is also closed.

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden announced yesterday that it will be completely closed for the foreseeable future due to Covid-19, starting today, for the safety of the public, staff, volunteers and also the animals. Click here for more info.

“We know you have concerns about our staff and animals and want to reassure you that our animal team will continue to provide excellent care for our animals,” Zoo Director Thane Maynard said in a news release. “We have a surplus of food and essential medical supplies, so we can take care of them while we’re closed.”

​In an effort to keep its loyal members and community connected to their favorite animals while the Zoo is closed, Home Safari Facebook Live sessions will be offered weekdays starting on Monday, March 16 at 3 p.m.  Each session will highlight an animal and provide an activity that you can do at home.  The first safari will feature everyone’s favorite hippo, Fiona.

At the same time, the Newport Aquarium, another big draw for families, announced that it is OPEN TODAY but will close tomorrow, March 16, through March 27. The Aquarium’s website has information on refunds if you have already purchased tickets. Click here for more information.

Of course, all of Cincinnati’s theaters and museums are closed, too. (Scroll down this blog to see the major announcements.)

So — I’ve been listening to a lot of Cincinnati Public Radio — WGUC-FM 90.9 classical radio and WVXU 91.7 and WMUB 88.5. You can live-stream it at cinradio.org.

Watch for my upcoming posts about VIRTUAL OPTIONS of concerts and operas that are being aired to the international community to watch during the pandemic.

Year in review: Lists and more lists

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Danill Trifonov with the Ariel Quartet: For these performances, Trifonov collaborated with the celebrated Ariel Quartet, faculty quartet-in-residence at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. There was great anticipation to hear this 28-year-old Russian-born virtuoso, whose name is on everyone’s lips.

People often ask me why my reviews of local concerts are generally positive. The answer is this: The quality of Cincinnati’s performing arts compares favorably to anywhere I’ve traveled (and lived) in the world. It’s remarkable to consider the longevity of Cincinnati’s arts institutions, such as the Cincinnati Symphony, marking 125 this year, Cincinnati Opera, turning 100 this summer and the May Festival, founded in 1873.

It’s always difficult to pick just 10 memorable performances, because there were many more that should be included. You can read the list here.

There was also some arts news in 2019 — one even happened at the peak of the holiday season, when Cincinnati Opera announced that Chris Milligan will succeed Patty Beggs as general director and CEO. Click here to read the news.

And there was other arts news — such as the success of “Blink,” the four-day art and light festival in October. Looking back, several important people in the arts left us in 2019. Read that column here.

Cincinnati May Festival 2019

I hope you had a chance to catch some holiday shows this month. Some, such as Cincinnati Ballet’s magical Nutcracker, are still running. See the list here.

Handel’s ‘Messiah’ was given an intimate, authentic performance by Collegium Cincinnati.

I attended several shows. The performance I reviewed of Collegium Cincinnati’s “Messiah” performance illustrates the breadth and depth of local talent that we have across the region. Many of the performers were familiar as they appear with organizations such as Cincinnati Opera, CCM, the Vocal Arts Ensemble and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra.

Watch for my list of upcoming performing events as well as art exhibitions that you won’t want to miss in 2020.

Don’t forget that the Business Courier’s Arts Front page is sponsored by ArtsWave, and therefore FREE to read. I’ve you’ve read three stories, you may be asked to sign up for a free subscription.