I saw the classic Phantom of the Opera musicalseveral years ago at the Kennedy Center (read that blog post here). I really enjoyed it, so I was excited to see the Synetic Theater putting on their own version. Their productions are always a little dark (and without dialogue!), but I knew the biggest twist was that the phantom was a woman instead of a man, so I was interested to see what that dynamic would be like.
This new version starts with the female phantom's younger self (Lottie Guidi) dancing as a ballerina. When she gets burned in a fire, that's when she becomes the Phantom (Irina Tsikurishvili). As an older woman, she discovers Christine (Maryam Najafzada), another talented dancer, and takes her under her wing as her protégé. While the original is clearly a love story, this take has a teacher-tutee feel, as well as a sense that the Phantom sees her younger self in Christine; there's that longing of what could have been had she not been disfigured.
The chemistry between Tsikurishvili and Najafzada was very strong onstage. The way the Phantom would use a baton to gracefully move Christine's body into proper position was beautiful and a dance in and of itself. And when the Phantom would grow frustrated and even hit Christine with the baton, the young dancer would forgive her teacher, almost like a child with a reprimanding parent. I think it would be fair that there is love between the characters, just not the romantic kind.
I should also talk about the set. Like the Kennedy Center version I saw, there were moving staircases to give the illusion of going into the depths of the Opera House. The staircases were also hollow with openings in them, so they were used throughout the set as doorways, changing rooms, etc., so that was pretty cool. But a lot of the set was actually created with the use of a screen in the background. Sometimes the graphics would give the illusion of falling down into an abyss; other times the screen showed a brick backdrop or a performance stage. And of course the lighting was very effective; I really liked the strobe lights that came on when the chandelier fell. Synetic seems to use a lot of technology in their productions, and that was no exception.
I also enjoyed the moments of comic relief in the show. Christine's lover, Raoul (Jacob Thompson), is a clumsy man, literally falling for her. And while at times the Phantom's demon minions were very scary (especially when they wore multi-faced masks), they were funny at times, like when they were holding flowers and wine glasses for a special "date" between the Phantom and Christine.
And the costumes were beautiful! The Phantom's mask was much prettier than the original one, and of course I loved the ballerinas in their tutus. And the outfits during the masked ball were amazing! They were so colorful and ornate. The Phantom wore a red dress with a skull mask surrounded by sun beams (my friend Jen leaned over and said, "It's the Sun God!"). And like I mentioned above, the Phantom's minions wore headpieces that featured multiple masks, so it was like they were always watching you, even when their backs were turned or their real faces were looking down at the ground. I thought the costumes really fit the set and the story well.
I still had some questions after the show, though. Is the black lake really an ocean? Because the way the fabric that represented the water was moving, it looked like crashing waves. And at one point the demons brought out several large mirrors. The Phantom removes her mask and sees her reflection; she essentially has a nervous breakdown. I just want to point out that someone who is disfigured in that way probably wouldn't keep a lot of mirrors around. And in the end, when the Opera House is burning, the Phantom jumps off a ledge, as if killing herself. But we're left with the Phantom's younger self putting on her mask, and that's the finale. How should I interpret this?! I need closure!
If you want more of a sneak-peek, the trailer is great:
There is still time to see this show! Buy your tickets here!
If you're interested, here's a review from DC Theatre Scene (I agree with the author's point that the ballet in this production is sub-par if you are used to watching professional ballet dancers like those of the Bolshoi.).
Last week there was a cooking demo at work. Not only as the food delicious, but these vegan recipes seem pretty easy to make (I am not a cook my any means), and I learned a few new facts!
Here are the recipes:
Not a picture from our lunch, but this is something similar. Image found here.
Black Bean Butternut Squash Stew Ingredients
-1 tbsp coconut oil
-1 medium onion, chopped
-1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-2 green onions, chopped
-2 cups butternut squash, peeled & cut into small cubes (raw)
-1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained & rinsed
-1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
-2 sprigs thyme
-1 cup coconut milk
-1 cup vegetable broth
-1 vegan boiullon
-1 cup greens (kale, spinach, collard greens), chopped
-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Directions
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add onions and bell peppers; cook until onions are soft (~3 minutes)
3. Stir in garlic and green onions and cook for one minute; add butternut squash, black beans, Italian seasoning, and thyme; stir.
4. Stir in coconut milk, vegetable broth, bouillon cube, and cayenne pepper; bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes.
Not a picture of the salad we ate, but pretty close! Image found here.
Roasted Corn Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette Ingredients for salad
-1 lb cherry tomatoes, halved
-3 cups roasted corn kernels
-2 avocados, peeled and diced
-1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
-1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
-1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
-2 tsp olive oil
-2-3 tsp lime juice
-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
-2 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp pepper
Ingredients for vinaigrette
-1/4 cup champagne vinegar
-3/4 cup olive oil
-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
-3 tbsp fresh orange juice
-1 tbsp honey or agave
-1/4 tsp salt
The directions for these are pretty much to mix everything together! For the vinaigrette, it might be easier to use the blender and add the olive oil slowly.
There are male and female bell peppers. I guess I knew that plants had both male and female counterparts, but I never thought about if both would bear fruit, if the fruit would look or taste different, etc. For bell peppers, they are distinct! The female peppers will have four lobes, while the males have three. The female peppers are slightly sweeter, while the males might be a little spicy.
Original image on left found here; image on right round here
Tongs are the new citrus reamer. You know that wooden tool your mom used to juice lemons? No more! Tongs can be multipurpose when it comes to juicing citrus fruits. You can use the tip to juice them (like the reamer), or squeeze half the fruit in between the tong handles to really get a lot of leverage. And if seeds fall into the bowl? Pick them out with the tongs!
Homemade dressings don't have to separate. You know how you usually have to shake the dressing because the ingredients have separated? You don't have to if you add a little bit of vegan mayonnaise or Dijon mustard (depending on your taste). As emulsifying agents, they help bind the other ingredients together.
I am looking forward to making these recipes on my own!
Last night I went to the Kennedy Center to see the American Ballet Theatre perform Giselle. This is a classic ballet, and is actually the oldest continually-performed ballet, having premiered in the summer of 1841. ABT performed it for the first time in 1940, and they have done several productions of the show ever since. The music, composed by Adolphe Adam, is the epitome of the score (?) of a classic ballet; I enjoyed just listening to the music itself!
I had never seen this ballet before, so I was thankful for the synopsis in the program. Not much actually happens in this story. Count Albrecht (Cory Stearns) pretends to be a villager because he is in love with Giselle (Hee Seo), a villager herself; they get engaged, but later she finds out that he's already engaged to a noblewoman, and Giselle dies of a broken heart and becomes a wili, or a restless spirit who has died of unrequited love. So, the plot isn't complicated, and honestly the ballet kind of drags along because there isn't a lot of action. It's not particularly exciting. It's beautiful but very slow paced. I couldn't help but doze off here and there because it's just a lot of the same for most of the performance.
Villagers dancing as Giselle is crowned queen of the Wine Festival. Image found here.
Most of the first act centers around the wine harvest and the Wine Festival, so it's a lot of villagers dancing. This was the part that I thought was particularly slow. But I did like when the Court ladies and gentlemen arrived. Their costumes were so opulent and were a great contrast to the villagers' costumes (and I think they brought salukis or Afghan hounds on stage!). And of course this is where we meet our main characters and where the relationship drama happens. Giselle goes a little crazy in the end once she finds out the bad news, pulling at her hair, shaking, running around the stage. But I suppose that's an understandable response (?).
These are the wilis, or spirits. Image found here.
During the second act, we are transported to a scary forest with mist and lightning. Myrta (Devon Teuscher), the queen of the wilis, was great to watch. I wasn't in love with the choreography for this part. There was a lot of jumping and hopping around (cabrioles and brisés, you get the idea), and not in a graceful way. But I was impressed by the lifts and the way the wilis danced as if they were floating (called bourrée). I wish the music for this part could have been more ethereal and mournful, like the spirits themselves. There were actually times when the music sounded joyful, which didn't really match the scene. But I loved the white costumes, which were also very classic.
I was particularly annoyed with the gist of the second act. First of all, it's essentially saying that if you're a woman who doesn't find love, you are dead to society. God forbid you never get married! And then Giselle saves Count Albrecht from his doom, even though he's a two-timing liar. These are not the messages we should be sending women! Okay, maybe I'm just bitter because I recently went through a break-up with a guy who was disrespectful and patronizing (imagine microaggressions out the wazoo), but come on! Women have more to aspire to than falling in love, and they certainly shouldn't help or protect men who have done them wrong. Blerg. Ok, stepping off my soapbox now.
I wanted to get together with a friend this past weekend, and she suggested we go to a concert at the Washington National Cathedral. The Folger Shakespeare Library actually organized the event, but the concert was held in the cathedral, probably for the acoustics! I believe the Folger Consort organized the event, and two founders, Robert Eisenstein and Christopher Kendall, both performed in the concert. Some of the pieces performed were written by Renaissance women, so that was pretty cool!
The performing choir was Stile Antico, a British vocal ensemble that specifically focuses on music from the Renaissance time period. Several of the songs were accompanied by period musical instruments played by members of Tesserae Baroque, which was pretty cool. Here's what the instruments looks liked:
This is Christopher Kendall with a theorbo, which is like a large lute. Image found here.
These instruments, called cornettos, were cleaned by pulling a rope with a flag on it through the tube. Image found here.
Sackbuts are like REALLY big trombones. You can see the guy in the back has a special handle on his because his arm isn't long enough to reach some of the notes! Image found here.
Alex Opsahl was very talented and played both the cornetto and recorder (seen here). Image found here.
The music and singing was so beautiful! It's unlike anything you listen to day-to-day, so it felt really special. It reminded me of the singing you hear in the background during the library scene in Ever After. I also thought that the music from the movie The Last Unicorn included some of these old instruments (you can hear that soundtrack here).
Here are some videos from Stile Antico to give you an idea of how great their singing sounds:
And here's a video of the instruments:
This concert was so different than anything I've seen before. I loved it! I'll have to keep an eye out for other events like this!
