"The Tree" An Urbane Opera Will Melt Your Soul
Add to Favorites
Print
Send to a Friend
Publish this on your site
Send to a friend by YMLOS ANGELES MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA/THE LATINO ARTS COMMUNITY AND BAYSHNIKOV DUO MERGE TO PRESENT "THE TREE" AN URBANE OPERA WITH A SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT MESSAGE HITS BIG IN LOS ANGELES
"The Tree" an urbane opera, is the Los Angeles Theatre Center's last and final production before being transformed into The Latino Museum of History, Art and Culture and The Latino Theatre. We are grateful for this transformation, to see the loss of a theater is a punch in the gut to theater lovers. It is wonderful to know that the Latino Arts Community is stepping forward to offer such a rich history to explore and a renewed arts life shall emerge.
"The Tree" is a fantastically worthy farewell to this glorious but neglected theater house. "The Tree" is overall a magnificent production, with just a couple of suggestions here and there that prevent me from a total gush. Don't let the word "opera" pigeonhole your thoughts or preconceive your notions to scare you away from a melting pot of creativity that draws you into this poignant, poetic, clever, witty and moving storyline. This production is as contemporary as they come, with bejeweled and eclectic costuming by Karen Kiisel, who adds a nutmeggy kind of visuality that will delight and surprise. Feng Sheuish set design by Tanya Kovaleski, Max Hendler and Claire Keith will tickle your imagination. Extravagant lush libretto written and directed by Peter Wing Healey, is nothing less than stunningly brilliant. Mr. Wing Healey, a world renowned expressive, prophetic, distinctive, ballet/modern dance master, choreographer/librettist/writer/ director/ visionary and founder of "The Mesopotamian Opera Company, whose operas have been performed in such venues as The R.A.P.P. Arts Center and Alice Tully Hall, (to name a few), has gotten much notice in various prestigious theater publications, the dance, theater and opera world worldwide. His operas and plays include "The Mummy" "Jane Heir" "Sunset Salome" "The Ben Franklin Opera "Thyestes' Feast" and now "The Tree''. Mr. Wing Healey, worked both as primary dancer and rehearsal director for the infamous Mark Morris Dance Group, known for their stunning modern dance works and The White Oak Project with legendary Mikhail Bayshnikov, as balletmaster, and on the John Adams/Peter Sellers opera "Nixon in China" at The Houston Grand Opera. (Need I say more.) His screenplay "Grand Central" was given a rare reading and "Thyestes' Feast" was published (in part) after winning The Papotage Writer's Competition.
"The Tree"The re-telling of an important ancient Shinto myth is the premise of this unusual show combined with the Americans' view point of our present day ,"gotta have more", "gotta have it now","nothing is ever good enough", egoist attitude, "The Tree" will surely turn your thoughts inward as you feel the pathos for the spirit of the tree, Jessica, an aging oak, rooted on a ridge, outside a small town. The soul of this wondrous tree falls in love with a poetic young man Frank, an architect (convenient?) trying to find their way in the reality of the present day urbane mall sprawl, Jessisa and Frank together, struggle for survival on many levels. To give away all the twists and turns of this plot would be unfair, but I do suggest reading the synopsis in the program before curtain, as with any opera or show to help prepare your mindset. From the moment I heard the dissonant overture with its' moving chordage of acoustic piano and punchy percussion, I knew I was in for an emotional ride. Funky, bold, operatic, jazzy, Baroquey to Broadway influenced, Linda Dowdell, would make every major musical songwriter and arranger proud. She is a powerhouse of musical expression and uses her talents as a serious playground of musical stylings, from classical-like, witty marches, sprawling waltzes, musical theatre chattiness, and operatic ballads. Using rich, complex, multi- harmonies and chordal modulations that know how to manipulate an emotion, you will marvel at the musical diversity.(Is there nothing this woman can't write?) Ms. Dowdell, a New York based composer/arranger/musical/director conductor, clearly is versatile in many musical stylings. She is best known for her ten years of performances with artists such as (too many to name) Yo -Yo Ma and Mikhail Baryhnikov, for The White Oak Dance Project, original pianist and musical director, tenured pianist and musical director of the Mark Morris Dance Group and worked with The Mesopotamian Opera with her 1991 opera "Norma" ( seems like Wing Healey and Dowdell were destined to create something grand.) Dowdell is a recipient of "Performa" and "Meet The composer" grants, a Tribecca Performing Arts Center Artist - in - Residence 2004-2005 (New York). If that doesn't grab you, meet the trees, who anthropomorphize, come alive, and express themselves through a combination of lyrical and modern dance movement creating the many moods and wittiness of these uprooted foliage. The cast, Superb magical voices! Soaring! Chill inspiring! Most of the actors played two and three roles, save for the leads, Mathew Edwardsen, as the architect and Lucia Lynn (sharing with Khorshed Dastoor) as the Spirit. The duets between Edwardsen and Lynn were breathtaking. Mayra Bassaraba as the tree Tolorosa Dellaroyo is also to be singled out for her alto work. "THE TREE" spearheaded by Peter Wing Healey and Linda Dowell has also given "growth" to the continuation of collaboration between Ms. Dowdell and Peter Wing Healey. Their shared backgrounds in dance and opera, have inspired both of these virtuoso creatives towards a rhythmic, moving, modern innovation, theatrical extravaganza of a grand storytelling and a message that will melt your heart, open your eyes and spirit to a world message of the possiblities of our future. This show has all the potential of becoming a classic!
Rate : "The Tree" An Urbane Opera Will Melt Your Soul
| Rating: 0 Votes: 0 Visits: 22 |