Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Streaming Diary: The Met’s hit production of PORGY AND BESS, Complexions’ rousing if repetitive BACH 25, and Richard Nelson’s eloquent finale to his APPLE FAMILY “Pandemic Trilogy”

• By drediman
• September 16, 2020
• No Comments

Here are my latest thoughts on my online performing arts viewings.

Eric Owens and Angel Blue in the Gershwins’ “Porgy and Bess” at the Metropolitan Opera.

PORGY AND BESS
Opera
The Metropolitan Opera

Last weekend, the Metropolitan Opera streamed, without charge, its hit production of the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (RECOMMENDED), which premiered last fall and was one the company’s biggest hits before the pandemic put a incisive halt to all live performances. Although the work is undoubtedly one of the great American operas, it’s not without it’s problems, especially today. The opera uses plot devices that can only be described as melodramatic, and some of its characters barely transcend two-dimensionality (particularly the case for the two villains of the piece, Crown and Sportin’ Life). Then there’s the issue that the work, which is set in a black fishing community, was concocted by a white creative team. What stands the test of time is the Gershwins’ ravishing score, as well as the sensitively etched romance at its core (tragic, turbulent, and hopeful, all at once). The Met’s solid production nevertheless triumphed, primarily on the strength of its music-making, as well as the authentic exuberance of Camille A. Brown’s choreography. Leading the way were beloved bass-baritone Eric Owens – who hasn’t sounded this robust in years – and voluptuous soprano Angel Blue, who infused the titular roles with vocal and dramatic grandeur that that translates beautifully from live performance (which I was lucky enough to have experienced last fall) to screen. Of the secondary roles, particularly effective were the women, notably Golda Schultz as a lovely Clara, Latonia Moore as a soulful Serena, and grand dame Denise Graves as mayoral Maria. Under the baton of David Robertson, the Gershwins’ glorious score sounded as lush and vibrant as ever.

Complexions Contemporary Ballet performs “Bach 25” at the Joyce Theater.

BACH 25
Dance
Complexions Contemporary Ballet / Joyce Theater

In terms of dance, I recently streamed the last of the Joyce’s free pandemic offerings Bach 25 (SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED) from Complexions Contemporary Ballet. The crowd-pleasing company debuted the work in New York at the Joyce Theater a little more than a year ago. Although I haven’t been exposed to many of the company’s performances in the past, I admire its pronouncedly bold aesthetic, which emphasizes hyper extensions and multi-disciplinary melding dance genres (e.g., classical ballet, jazz, modern dance, etc.). Given the dancers’ versatile training, it’s no surprise that the Complexions’ catalog of dances – many of which are set to popular music – is equally versatile. Given its title, choreographer Dwight Rhoden’s Bach 25 uses a recorded collage of compositions by Bach, which is a refreshing departure for the company’s contemporary mindset. There’s an unabashed joy to the dancing that’s immediately infectious. Certainly the frequent cheers of delight from the Joyce audience in the filmed capture thought so. However, my critical assessment of the ballet is that it relies just a tad too much on repetitive choreography; much of the work simply has its skimpily clad dancers moving in unison. And clocking in at over half an hour, the ballet feels a bit overlong, unfortunately running out of ideas before the curtain finally drops. But despite my misgivings, I would still somewhat recommend the piece on the strength of the athletic and often times rousing dancing of the admirably diverse company.

The company of Richard Nelson’s “Incidental Moments of the Day”.

INCIDENTAL MOMENTS OF THE DAY
Theater
Apple Family Productions

Then we have Incidental Moments of the Day (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), the third and final installment of Richard Nelson’s The Apple Family: Life on Zoom plays. Collectively, this “Pandemic Trilogy” represent the gold standard in Zoom plays; not once over the course of the three plays did I fee short-changed with this potentially limiting form of pseudo-theater (of course the beloved Apple family members would resort to Zoom calls during these trying times). Mr. Nelson’s conversational, neo-Chekhovian style translates beautifully to the more intimate specifications of the format, resulting in experiences that are actually more accessible than their onstage predecessors, which really required audiences to lean forward and focus on subtleties of the plays. But what really makes these plays special, in person or in Zoom, is how delicately yet concisely they’ve managed to gauge the mood of our nation (at least white middle-class America) in real time. This latest play finds the Apples adapting to the new normal and forging forward with their respective lives, despite the ongoing pandemic which has had to teach them tough lessons about sickness, loneliness, depression, and tight economics. As with the previous plays, Incidental Moments also eloquently finds a way to make the case for the paramount importance of art, the act of storytelling, and real conversation in our society. As the characters sort through the complications of pandemic life, the play offers no easy answers and perhaps raises more questions than answers. But although a quiet desperation pervades the piece, the overall tone is actually cautiously hopeful as the characters adapt and move on with their lives. Featured once again is the same impeccable ensemble that many theatergoers have come to know intimately over the last decade in roles they’ve compassionately made their own. In many ways Incidental Moments, which weaves in characters from Mr. Nelson’s Michael and Gabriel plays (as well as a deeply moving dance break), is the most expansive of the seven plays in the collective series. As such, it seems like a fitting way to bid farewell to the Apples (at least for now).