Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Streaming Diary: Highlights include MacMillan’s MANON, Glass’s SATYAGRAHA & AKHNATEN, and the stage adaptation of SMALL ISLAND

• By drediman
• June 28, 2020
• No Comments

Happy Pride Weekend! Here are my thoughts on this past week’s batch of viewings …

Joseph Caley and Alina Cojocaru in English National Ballet’s production of Kenneth MacMillan’s “Manon”.

DANCE

This weekend, I caught a performance of English National Ballet’s production of Manon (RECOMMENDED), Kenneth MacMillan’s 1974 full-length ballet. The work is not to be confused with the operas Manon and Manon Lescaut by Massenet and Puccini, respectively, although all three share the same plot about a young woman who is equally seduced by romantic love and worldly luxuries. Suffice to say, things don’t turn out quite so well for the flawed heroine. The last time I saw the ballet was this time last year, courtesy of American Ballet Theatre at the Metropolitan Opera House. ENB’s production (which was captured on film in 2018 at the Manchester Opera House) actually comes across quite similarly to its ABT counterpart, despite featuring different designs. Particularly, Mr. MacMillan’s staging turns brutally dark in the final act, which both ballet companies embrace and dance with memorable abandon. The ENB webcast featured Alina Cojocaru (Manon), Joseph Caley (her adoring lover), and former ABT principal Jeffrey Cirio (her scheming cousin). All three gave impassioned, beautifully detailed performances without hamming it up, a frequent drawback to story ballets.

Speaking of ENB, I also recently watched its much-publicized production of Akram Kahn’s 2017 radical reinterpretation of Giselle (SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED). Although the ballet highlights ENB’s impressive versatility – Khan’s Giselle is more modern dance than classical ballet – the less said about this thematically oppressive, blandly repetitious, and frustratingly vague production, the better. But this is just my opinion; I know folks who loved it.

Anthony Roth Costanzo in the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Philip Glass’s “Akhnaten”.

OPERA 

The main event this week was the streaming of a pair of Philip Glass operas – Satyagraha and Akhnaten (both HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) – which were presented on consecutive nights via the Metropolitan Opera’s wildly generous Nightly Opera Stream programming. Both Phelim McDermott-directed productions were first seen across the pond courtesy of English National Opera (I’m happy to brag that I saw both productions’ original London runs in 2007 and 2016, respectively) and arrived at the Met with a slew of adoring critical notices in 2011 and 2019. Both turned out to be two of the Met’s more notable successes of the past decade, and rightfully so. Mr. McDermott is fully in tune with the the hypnotic cadence and time-shattering sensibility of Mr. Glass’s music, resulting in a progression of ravishing visual tableaus that culminate in powerful experiences unlike any other in opera. Of the two, I slightly prefer Satyagraha (the opera tracks the evolution of Gandhi’s philosophy), which strikes me as the more profound, perhaps because social change is currently front-of-mind for many of us; the opera is a kind spiritual journey that transcends time and space. Akhnaten (which tells he story of the short but revolutionary reign of the titular pharaoh), on the other hand, works brilliantly simply as poetic, deeply-felt spectacle. All around, the performances were stellar, led by tenor Richard Croft as Gandhi and countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo as Akhnaten, both of whom must be commended for producing vocal performances of ethereal beauty and extraordinary stamina.

This past week, I also streamed another “minimalist” opera, John Adams’ Doctor Atomic (RECOMMENDED). Although not the Met blockbuster that the Glass operas (nor  Adams’ own earlier opera, the seminal Nixon in China) were, the piece, which features libretto and direction by Peter Sellars, nonetheless provided a gripping and thoughtful meditation on the moral quandaries surrounding the concoction of the atomic bomb (as such, the opera is a companion piece of sorts to Des McAnuff’s production of Gounod’s Faust for the Met).

To compliment the aforementioned Manon ballet, I should also mention that I also streamed a 2019 Met performance of Massenet’s opera Manon (RECOMMENDED), which featured a much-buzzed-about performance by wonderful up-and-coming American soprano Lisette Oropesa (a performance that I missed in person). She didn’t disappoint; it was a thrill to behold her sparkling and versatile voice evolve as her character did.

Leah Harvey and CJ Beckford in the National Theatre’s production of “Small Island”, adapted for the stage by Helen Edmundson after Andrea Levy’s novel.

THEATER

In terms of theater, the highlight of the week for me was the opportunity to revisit Helen Edmundson’s stage adaptation of Andrea Levy’s novel Small Island (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) for London’s National Theatre via NT at Home. I was lucky enough to have caught the sold-out, well-reviewed production in person during my last visit to London, and I fell in love with the rich depiction of the Jamaican immigrant experience in 1940s Britain. I’m happy to report that on the small screen, the piece is as sweeping and unflinching as I remembered it on the expansive Olivier Theatre stage. The direction by Rufus Norris – the National’s Artistic Director – elegantly fits a lot of plot into an eventful 3-hours without rushing the arc of Ms. Levy’s compelling narrative, which manages to be both panoramic and achingly personal.

Also this week via the weekly “The Show Must Go On” showcase, I was able to finally watch The Sound of Music Live (RECOMMENDED), NBC’s 2013 made-for-television presentation that subsequently spawned a series of elaborately-staged musicals filmed live for television. The good news is that it isn’t the train wreck that many have made it out to be. Rob Ashford competently directs the “staging”, smartly favoring fleet theatrical pacing over self-important cinematic loungers. Additionally, the live singing refreshingly adds an element of spontaneity and warmth to the project that’s often missing from traditional movie musicals, which often utilize pre-recorded tracks. As Maria, the role iconically associated with Dame Julie Andrews, the spunky Carrie Underwood gives it the good old college try, although to mixed results. Her vocals are decidedly labored relative to Ms. Andrews’ sweet, effortless stylings. Nevertheless, she emotes with a spirited directness that’s often infectious. Surrounding Ms. Underwood is a bevy of Broadway veterans – e.g., Lauren Benanti, Christian Borle, and the great Audra McDonald – who threaten to but don’t quite capsize the whole endeavor with their shining talent.