Monthly Archives: September 2021

Chicago’s Lyric Opera opened its 2021-22 season Friday night with Verdi’s Macbeth, the first performance on its stage since the Covid-19 pandemic forced the historic closure of the company 18 months ago. (For the record, the last Lyric performance with an audience was that of Puccini Madame Papillon March 8, 2020.)

As the pandemic persisted, new health restrictions were in place for participants. All clients were required to present photo ID and proof of vaccination or recent negative Covid test before being admitted. The process was handled efficiently and professionally, at least at the entrance to the press. Once inside, guests are required to wear masks at all times, which almost all members of the public have adhered to except those who enjoy drinks in the lobby before the curtain or during intermission. .

Despite the understandable caution, there was a packed house and a clear sense of occasion. The new seats looked fresh and stylish, and CEO, CEO and Chairman Anthony Freud and Board Chair Sylvia Neil greeted the audience with full introductory speeches. Freud noted that the reopening marked “the beginning of a new era for lyrical opera”.

We live in hope. Yet while there were moments of superb vocalism on Friday, this new production by Verdi Macbeth felt more like a continuation of the old (recent) era, with an inspired cast having to contend with problematic staging that too often hurt their performances. In the end, Verdi’s beautiful vocals and music won the day, but it was a question of who was going to prevail for most of the evening.

With Macbeth Verdi began to chart a new course, eliminating outdated genre traditions to create works that more closely associate music with drama. Macbeth brought a new degree of emotional depth and psychological complexity to opera, qualities that will be fully realized in future works by Verdi such as Rigoletto and Otello.

Shakespeare’s story of would-be homicidal royals whose relentless ambition leads to serial murder, insanity and death takes place against a grim backdrop of warring tribes, corrupt and unstable rulers, relentless violence and murder of innocent people. You know, kinda like living in Chicago today.

The preference of director David McVicar and his set designer John Macfarlane for gloomy and gloomy staging has worked successfully in previous lyrical productions such as The Team Atmosphere Il Trovatore and a blood Elektra.

Unfortunately, this is not the case with their new Macbeth (a co-production with the Canadian Opera Company). This is in part due to the visual monotony of the relentlessly dark monochrome single ensemble. Even more debilitating are some intrusive directorial vanities that have repeatedly watered down the drama and eclipsed the singers.

The setting is a cost-effective unitary ensemble of a crumbling “Presbyterian” Scottish chapel with rows of benches where McVicar places all the action; no castle, no sparkling banquet hall, no blasted heather, no Birnam wood, no witch camp (we have a cauldron). The director makes plausible arguments for this scenic vanity in the program note, but the result is visually mind-numbing with the relentless gray-green darkness that makes Verdi’s tight 2.5-hour job seem like a very long evening. David Finn’s lighting was so dark for much of the first act that you had to concentrate on figuring out who and where the singers were.

The practical effect of the set was that the actors had to maneuver awkwardly between the rows of benches that took up much of the center stage. And having lead characters singing their most crucial tunes while they sit in the front row isn’t exactly a captivating visual.

After the intermission the benches were thankfully removed and the last two acts provided a bit more variety of lighting and design, the walls turned in act 3 so one faces the nave rather than at the back of the church.

If the stage design was unnecessary and monotonous, McVicar’s vanity was much more damaging to have a trio of creepy kids continually surrounding the action. The director is quoted in the program note as saying he believes the Macbeth’s thirst for power stems from the fact that they don’t have children.

To represent this questionable proposition, McVicar prominently inserted the extras of the (unnamed) child throughout the action – menacingly pointing knives, playing games with the Macbeths, and even presenting the couple with a fetus. bloodied and a child’s coffin – unnecessary visual distractions and constant training the unfolding drama. Surprisingly, McVicar even has the boring kids at the top of the stage Macbeth and Lady Macbeth during their most important tunes. By the end of Act 1, Macbeth was ready to send the sea urchin trio off with his sword.

Craig Colclough is the third Lyric Opera singer booked for the title role after Luca Salsi and Roman Burdenko each canceled for “personal reasons.” Colclough’s bass-baritone isn’t a thing of tonal beauty – a beefy, lacking Italian-style tone on top. He also seemed somewhat undernourished in that role – the one he sang at the Met – pushing his voice loudly in key dramatic moments.

Yet give the singer credit for always giving it their all in a dramatic way and for that alone he deserved more than the polite applause he garnered on his encore. Colclough has brought full commitment to the role of Homicide Macbeth, most notably in its searing intensity during the banquet where he is threatened by the specter of Banquo. The singer also manifested Macbeth’s conflict of conscience – as much as McVicar’s distractions allowed – and was at his best in “Pieta, rispetto” as Macbeth reflects on losing all consolation in his old age due to his bad feelings. actions.

Even more than usual, this production is dominated by Sondra Radvanovsky’s Lady Macbeth who gives this capricious production its most beautiful vocal moments. One of our lead singing actresses, she delivered an utterly compelling characterization, recounting Lady Macbeth’s downfall from compelling throne contender to homicidal co-conspirator and, finally, compulsive handwashing basket case. Radvanovsky’s voice remains undamaged, the soprano throwing oars of rich Verdian tones at strong moments, unfolding the depth of the mezzo chest voice in “The Luce Tongue” and rising above the massed ensembles of exciting way.

The ever-reliable bass-baritone Christian Van Horn was a distinguished and sonorous Banquo. His interpretation of the destiny-laden “Come dal ciel precipita” was rich in foreboding and beautifully sung.

As Macbeth’s nemesis, Macduff – here a sort of confrontational antihero – Joshua Guerrero received the most enthusiastic ovation of the evening during his lyrical opera debut. The native of Las Vegas showed a juicy Italian tenor in his only aria (“Ahi la paterno mano!”) Lamenting the murder of his family by Macbeth.

Matthew Vickers displayed a resounding tenor during his company debut as Malcolm. Ryan Opera Center members Anthony Reed, Maria Novella Malfatti, and Denis Velez were effective as a trio of Appearances.

Moritz Junge’s costumes were an eclectic yet largely effective mix of eras, ranging from Puritan church attire to Napoleonic military uniforms.

The unison of the crossed slaps on the knees and chest of the church witches / women in the opening scene was breathtaking in its inanity. McVicar’s ineradicable colleague Andrew George retains his title of worst choreographer in captivity.

There was a certain lack of synchronization between the pit and the singers at the start of opening night. But during his late debut as musical director, Enrique Mazzola was a worthy supporter of Verdi’s bubbling score. The pivotal dramatic moments unfolded with startling intensity and the large late act ensembles were exhilarating with their sonic impact and tonal splendor.

Macbeth until October 9. lyricopera.org

Posted in Shows

leave a comment

Live opera is finally returning to the big stages and shop windows of Chicago, good news for dozens of local aficionados. Even having to wear a mask seems like a minor inconvenience to endure for the chance to experience great voices in the flesh again.

Haymarket Opera is the only medium for streaming, but success is hard to dispute. Baroque Opera Company’s 10th Anniversary Season Streaming Performance Due to Pandemic Received High Praise for Handel’s Cinematic Presentations Acis and Galatea last October and Apollo and Dafne in March.

Haymarket is now crowning its 100% Handel year with Orlando, a sprawling evening opera, shot in June and presented online. Act 1 is currently available on haymarketopera.org. (Although Haymarket Opera is releasing the stream one act at a time, the full performance has been made available to critics.)

Haymarket’s first attempt at a Handel’s grand opera turned out to be a dud in 2018 with uneven cast and vocals Squeezed. The company clearly learned from this experience and the experience of Haymarket Opera Orlando is a magnificent achievement.

It feels like under the patient guidance of founder and artistic director Craig Trompeter, everything the company has done over the past decade has built on past successes and led to this. Orlando. Haymarket refined its tradition of presenting 18th-century-style operas, from a series of elaborate and sometimes distracting hand gestures to a more natural and compelling acting suited to the camera. The Haymarket Opera Orchestra period instrument has never sounded so good. And even with the inevitable asterisk that one hears the singers on a recording and not live and in person, almost all of the actors deliver world-class vocals and believable characterizations.

The plot of Orlando is, well, baroque. The amorous warrior Orlando is reprimanded by the sorcerer god Zoroastro for abandoning his heroic duties for the amorous pursuit of Angelica. Meanwhile Angélique is in love with the African prince Medoro whose shepherdess Dorinda is also in love. Hilarity doesn’t quite ensue in the midst of romantic complications as Orlando goes mad, returns to normal (more or less) and eventually all conflicts and vicissitudes are overcome in a final chorus of love and glory.

As complicated as the story is, Orlando is musically among the richest of Handel’s operas with a remarkably stupendous flow of memorable tunes for each of the five singers, as well as a pair of engaging trios.

Haymarket did well to hire a big star to lead the cast. From his entry aria, “Stimulato dalla gloria”, Bejun Mehta immediately showed why he had been acclaimed in the title role. The countertenor made a perfectly dashing Orlando, perfectly in tune with the headstrong and unbalanced hero and looking and sounding considerably younger than his 53 years old. Mehta sang with a refined expression and a bell tone, fully encompassing the varied vocal demands. He was touching and fiery in “Vaghe pupille”, floated a softly sung “” Gia l’ebro mio ciglio “and launched the dizzying coloratura races and fireworks of” Cielo! ” If you consented ”and“ Fammi combattere ”with impressive speed and agility.

Like most of Handel’s operas, Orlando is a real ensemble job, with several opportunities for the five cast members. Having a star like Mehta in the cast seems to have motivated gifted Haymarket regulars to an even higher level of vocal art.

It was wonderful to find the immensely gifted Emily Fons in this production as Medoro. Though she hardly suggests an “African prince,” the mezzo-soprano’s engaging and androgynous presence had a captivating impact in this pant role. Fons was infallibly rich in voice and brought a truly touching humanity to dramatic moments (however ridiculous they may be). She sang beautifully and expressively throughout, and the baroque opera singing didn’t get much better than the stirring simplicity of the expression Fons brought to “Verdi allori”.

Company mainstay Erica Schuller seems to get better and better with each Haymarket production. The soprano turned out to be a charming and loving Dorinda, singing with beautiful purity of tone and easy flexibility. Like Mehta and Fons, Schuller provided several highlights with his sad tunes, including a moving “Quando spieighi i tuoi tormenti” and a magnificent rendition of “Se mi rivolgo al prato”. Schuller was also delightful in “Amor e qual vento” – meditating on the mind-boggling tortures of love – and that humorous tune would have stopped the show if there had been a live audience in the house.

Kimberly Jones as Angelica wasn’t quite in the same league as the rest of the cast. The soprano sang competently and displayed solid agility in “Non potra dirmi ingrata”. Yet she did little of Angelica’s Act 2 centerpiece, “Verdi Piante”, and the bold top notes and temperamental intonation have prevailed more than once, as with her “Se fedel”. vuoi ch’io ti creda “hard-hitting. Jones’ elementary acting and exaggerated expressions also seemed out of place next to the understated dramatic finesse of his colleagues.

As the sorcerer Zoroastro who rather awkwardly tries to control the action of the opera, bass-baritone David Govertsen was at his best, bringing power and authority with every appearance and singing gloriously.

Director Sarah Edgar, who also made a cameo appearance in the silent role of Princess Isabella, skillfully avoided the monotony of stand-and-deliver and helped the singers convey the emotional core of each tune. Likewise, Garry Grasinski’s direction of the film was fluid and resourceful, as with the camera swinging wildly to reflect Orlando’s temporary insanity.

Zuleyka V. Benitez’s striking artwork and projections provided colorful visuals, enhanced by Stephanie Cluggish’s elaborate costumes during the company’s remarkable debut. Haymarket’s Orlando also made history as the first production to take place in DePaul University’s new Jarvis Opera Hall.

Craig Trompeter’s direction offered an ideal blend of dynamic urgency and lyrical warmth. The musical director’s tendency for majestic tempos was well suited to Orlando, with its preponderance of moving arias. The Haymarket Opera Orchestra is now a finely honed period instrument machine and has performed with fire and sensitivity as needed on this nearly three hour score.

Haymarket Opera House Orlando is a highlight for the Chicago Baroque Opera Company. It is hoped that this successful production of a great Handel opera will bring even bigger and more ambitious things to come – and with a live audience.

Haymarket Opera releases its film Orlando in weekly installments. Act I is available now, Act 2 will be released on September 23, and Act 3 on September 30. The full opera will be available until October 31. haymarketopera.org

Posted in Shows

leave a comment

(Credit: (vs) ROH 2021. Ellie Kurttz)

Antonio Pappano has been at the Royal Opera House for almost two decades, but has never conducted “Rigoletto”, the cornerstone of the repertoire. It would be his first performance of the work – and the foreground of the 2021-22 season at the Royal Opera.

Aanother first for Oliver Mears, artistic director of the ROH, who is finally getting his feet wet with his own production after the start of his tenure in 2017. His “Rigoletto” replaces the faithful David McVicar show – a grimy and dismal affair whose he opening orgy ran out of steam a few years ago and the whole squeaked audibly.

Manipulative like paint

The real Duke of Mantua was a patron of the arts – look for him in one of the ROH boxes today – and Mears’ production makes him the starting point. The main character of the opera shares something with the women used and thrown away by the Duke – their denial of the right to vote comes from the way they please the eyes. Art is central to Mears’ opera vision. The curtain rises, after the fatal and backlit opening of Verdi, on a dazzling staging – a real painting of the “Martyrdom of Saint Matthew” by Caravaggio. It turns out the Duke is in the photo and wears a skull with golden horns; the saint takes the place of Monterone’s daughter, pregnant but dressed in virgin white.

The feast takes place under Titian’s “Venus of Urbino”; he is replaced prominently in the second half by his “Abduction of Europe”, lingering above the room where the Duke rapes Gilda. (Act 1’s climactic revelation sees it replaced by a grotesque wooden doll, like something from Otto Dix or Sarah Lucas). Art shapes life with such cruelty in this “Rigoletto:” to quote Brillat-Savarin, you are what you value – monstrously. The dark lighting of Fabiana Piccioli emphasizes the aesthetic beats, capturing the chiaroscuro of the defiled world of Caravaggio.

People are as easy to handle as painting. The Duke intimidates the costumed women lined up in the first scene. The characters adopt the grandiose and bizarre gestures of the very works he loves. Monterone suffers from a spectacular and gruesome eye tearout, then is bathed in light, dry ice; Marullo and Ceprano stage a queer-coded silent show re-enacting Gilda’s kidnapping in act two (possibly a long-term play about the sexually complex portrayal of Caravaggio).

In the first scene, Renaissance-chic costumes give way to modern clothing. Ilona Karas’ costumes become more sober and elegant as the show progresses: an austere homburg and coat for Rigoletto; a chaste but sensual white change for Gilda; the only dull note was the duke’s jacket in act three, which made him look a bit small, rather hampering his priapic energies.

The paintings give way – as does Sparafucile’s Inn, crawling somewhat indiscreetly off the stage – in the final scene of water and clouds (the latter erupt quite dramatically with real rain during climate storm.) A muddy and troubled world lies behind the Duke’s realm of appearance sculptures – but one through which light shines, one cleansed – perhaps – by the storm and Gilda’s sacrifice. Act two takes place under the light cup of Gilda’s bedroom on a bare stage, colored with decaying ocher and shadow, like the surface of a dirty oil painting. Simon Lima Holdsworth’s design pushes, for the most part, the right tone-on-tone buttons.

The first half is certainly quite atmospheric, and the dominant theme is promising, although it seems more and more incidental as the show progresses. Relative parsimony meant both cold and evocation.

However, there were some blockages that were dramatically inconvenient – even a bit dated (do tenors really need to kneel down on their knees these days atop the Duke’s Act 3 tune?). so could hardly watch the duke seduce Maddalena; the duke went through two engravings of paintings that he seems to already own in act two – one wonders why. Such moments will surely be evened out in the revival – next February – that will help pump thematic and emotional blood into the ends of the series.

Sparkling casting

Mears and Pappano had a scintillating cast to back them up. With a few swings, they delivered at the highest level. Carlos Álvarez still delivers a powerful baritone with depth and definition all the way, although he took a more low-key approach throughout the evening, avoiding some of the interpolated high notes; those he chose – the top G of the “Cortigiani” streak – were certainly delighted.

Even though he drifted a bit flat at times, his performance found his touching feet in the grand pleading legato that defines the role so much. This was all the more true as he begged Marullo – desperately – for mercy in act two, crawling across the stage on his knees. The very last notes of the opera were less histrionic than usual, which deprived the climax of its musical punch, but elsewhere Álvarez brought a cared and broken quality to this most Lear role.

Lisetta Oropesa remains one of the main lyric coloratures in activity today. There is richness and woody color in its lower register – reminiscent of Callas – which gives the character a power and gravity that scintillating twitter approaches exclude. His “Caro nome” received a thunderous reception, and most of the passages and high notes shone – especially this trill – although the intonation at the top has wavered somewhat. Most exciting was the air climax, so to speak, which saw her lay down on the bed and fondle herself – a great character moment for someone who can turn out, too often, to be so boring and godly. . His act two lamentation was painfully lyrical.

Liparit Avetisyan made a stellar impression as Duke. He is a flexible and agile tenor that shows no tensions or cracks (despite a slightly overcooked top note in “La donna è mobile ”), and has a natural and inviting approach to line and phrasing.

“Questa o quella” had a delicious verve, naughty as it was when directed at Monterone’s daughter; his second act “Among veder the lagrime” was captivating, a complex and compelling image of a manipulator and a thug who nonetheless believes in his own illusions, sung with commitment and richness. He’s a bastard, but not inhuman. Another highlight was her Act One duet with Gilda d’Oropesa.

Brindley Sherratt gifted a Flintlock Sparafucile, probing the depths of his low F without sweating (singing it while walking off stage always impresses).

Blaise Malaba and Dominic Sedgwick played the roles of Ceprano and Marullo respectively; Ramona Zaharia’s Madalenna played well the enamored seductress, with a velvety purr that held up well to the quartet. Eric Greene’s Monterone sounded oddly metallic and a bit washed out lower down, but was a compelling dramatic presence nonetheless.

Special mention must go to the men of the ROH Chorus, whose energy and precision have shown them to be model choristers: crisp consonants placed long before time, monumental sound in great climaxes, strange echoes in the act three storm. Their “Zitti, zitti” at the end of the first act was an exact conspiracy.

Antonio Pappano kept his powder dry on this opera for many years. But he and the orchestra unleashed music of brilliant rhythmic energy and sculpted detail, explosive, searing cries of pain from the strings in the poised opening of the oboe solo in act two.

The real warmth came from the pit and the vocals – although this is a promising and insightful nonetheless production.

With a cast that includes Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell, Bill Crudup, Mark Duplass and season two newcomers Julianna Margulies and Valeria Golino, Morning wars is a very attractive proposition.

The first season caused a stir as Apple TV + ‘s most publicized original series – and arguably the most expensive – on the subscription streaming platform that just launched. But this first season started off a little shaky before coming in hard in the back half.

Now, with a covid-imposed two-year hiatus, Morning wars, also known as The morning show outside of Australia, returns the day after his explosive season finale.

There’s a lot of drama to unfold – and make no mistake about it, Morning wars is a prime-time soap opera that revel in the high-stakes melodrama and big egos of breakfast television.

So the characters are a bit garish (or very screaming) and it’s almost exhausting trying to figure out what each person’s hidden agenda is in each scene, but it makes the storytelling hugely entertaining.

Especially when this story is told by actors with as much charisma and screen presence – and of course, they’re very pretty – as the ones featured here.

Aniston’s thoughtful and engaged portrayal of vulnerable and insecure veteran breakfast host Alex Levy has earned her a Screen Actor’s Guild for the first season, and she remains the star of a series that doesn’t fail. of blinding power.

Crudup’s performance as TV Network Director Cory Ellison is chaos personified, in a good way. His character is impenetrable and you can never predict which way he will lean. While the character has given audiences plenty of reasons to believe he’s a good person, there’s enough mystery to make you feel like you’re turned on.

Even Witherspoon, who seemed misinterpreted in the first season, is more comfortable in her fiery character’s boots – or maybe the writers have finally shown us that Bradley Jackson is a firecracker, instead of telling us again. constantly.

And you will never regret adding Margulies to any cast. She’s a class act and she uplifts every scene she’s in as a respected TV reporter and rival to Alex.

That’s just four characters out of a set of about a dozen. What is the big challenge for Morning wars – he tries to do so much.

Morning wars wants to play in a sandbox filled with thorny topics such as MeToo and sexism, racism and privilege, nullifying culture and responsibility, and the meanness of a corporate media environment.

He might have been better off focusing on one or two of these themes if he wanted to say something meaningful about them, rather than sabotaging himself by trying more than he could handle. On top of that, it does all of this through the filter of the early days of covid and the 2020 US election.

Morning wars‘the writers reframed their scripts when its season two production was put on hold due to covid and it’s understandable that they want this series to take place in a newsroom to respond to these important events.

But revisiting it all over the course of a season – as opposed to The good fight‘s condenses that same period into a flashback episode – sucks the urgency of the series.

Eighteen months after the start of the pandemic, and after moving to a different phase of it, there is real fatigue watching the characters wonder if this coronavirus in China is going to be a thing. There is no tension there.

So, Morning wars ends up relying on the regardability of his talent to do very dramatic things, which in itself is certainly enough to be truly entertaining, but he falls short of his ambitions to be more than that.

Morning Wars Season 2 is now streaming on Apple TV + with new episodes weekly

Share your obsessions with television and cinema | @wenleima

Remember the start of 2020 when you had no idea who Dixie D’Amelio was? Yeah, flash-forward a year-and-a-half and she’s famous enough to show up until the Met Gala, an event so exclusive that even top celebrities struggle to score Anna Wintour’s invitations. Like, Kourtney Kardashian wasn’t on the guest list and she’s half of everyone’s favorite pop punk couple!

Either way, like many TikTokers, Dixie, 20, has managed to generate a lot of interest in her personal life. Really, the drama lurking in the TikTok tearoom reviews could fill a fucking book. In fact, there is so much interest around Dixie and her younger sister Charli that Hulu gave their whole family a reality show, where Dixie’s boyfriend, Noah Beck, is a recurring presence. Here’s what you need to know about their vibe, as well as Dixie’s hugely dramatic relationship history with Griffin Johnson before him.

Griffin Johnson: February 2020 to July 2020

It all started – where else ?! – on TikTok, when Griffin shared this video essentially confirming that he and Dixie were in love with each other:

They went official about a month later in March and were pretty obvious about their relationship on TikTok. Give the fans what they want, you know?

In May 2020, Dixie and Griffin starred in a YouTube show called General attaway and just ~ happened ~ to play love interests. It was a whole, and frankly, I don’t understand why this masterpiece wasn’t nominated for an Emmy.

^ THIS IS CALLED ART, SEARCH FOR IT.

Regardless, things were going pretty well during the summer until July 2020, when Dixie suddenly stopped following Griffin on Instagram, and Chase Hudson accused him of cheating on her. She then posted this video titled “My Last Date With Griffin” in August 2020, saying “Hey, so we broke up, but I had this video scheduled for today so I’m posting it anyway.”

As one fan put it in the YouTube comments, “Dixie is the wildest person on the internet, can’t help but laugh at the way she posted this, she’s the biggest we have never seen because this video makes him clowns so loud lmaooo. “

The story continues

Psst: In May 2021, Dixie reflected on her relationship with Griffin, saying, “I’m not friends with him, really, but there’s no bad blood. It was just a stupid, immature relationship. We shouldn’t have been dating in the first place. We were cooler as friends, and just… we were like, “Oh my god! He was just stupid and immature.

She said what she said !!!!

August 2020 to Present

After breaking up with Griffin, Dixie began to spend more and more time relaxing with Noah Beck, and fans immediately began to speculate that they might be dating. These two dodged questions about their relationship for a while and insisted that they were just friends, but that was when September arrived. And uh, Dixie dropped the video for “Be Happy,” which featured her with Noah kissing. (Fun fact: The pair later confirmed that Noah dropped the L-word for the first time during this shoot, merp!)

Around the same time, Dixie’s ex-Griffin released a video of his own, which included the sharp line: “You said you’re just friends but you’re wearing his clothes.”

Subtle! Regardless, Dixie and Noah finally went public in October 2020 and have been doing well ever since.

Most recently, Noah gushed out of Dixie for GQ in August 2021, saying “The reason I love Dixie so much is that she’s my best friend, and when we go out I just feel like I’m hanging out with my friend, but she’s also … she is very attractive …. I always tell her that she has a dry sense of humor. She will make a joke and not laugh, while I have the energy of the golden retriever. “

Oh. Kay, I’m just gonna post some more cute pics before I go!

You might also like

The Mind Beholds: the new watercolors of Ong Kim Seng

This exhibition presents 15 recent works by the Singaporean master watercolorist Ong Kim Seng.

There’s a lot to admire here – from the beauty of the tropical sunlight on the concrete in Mohammed Sultan Road Abode (2021) and Riverside Balcony (2021), to the rustic and elaborate masonry depicted in Nepalese landscapes such as Thamel Street , Nepal (2020).

Ong, 76, is a recipient of a cultural medallion and a member of the prestigious American Watercolor Society.

Or: artcommune gallery, 01-01, 76 rue Bras Basah
TRM: Town hall
When: Until September 28, from noon to 7 p.m. every day
Admission: To free
Info: The website of the Commune des Arts

liTHE 2021

Check out some experimental dance performances by artists from THE Second Company – the semi-professional training arm of the local THE Dance Company.

LiTHE, an annual showcase in its 10th year, is also an incubation program for choreographers. This year’s event features works by Nah Jieying, Goh Jia Yin, Maybelle Lek, and Klievert Jon Junia Mendoza that speak to our turbulent times.

Or: Black box at the Goodman Arts Center, 90, chemin Goodman; in line
TRM: Mountbatten
When: From Thursday (Sept. 16) to Saturday (Sept. 18), various times. Live broadcast September 17-18
Admission: $ 12 (live broadcast); $ 28 (on site) via Sistic (call 6348-5555 or visit the Sistic website)
Info: Sistic website

No tenor allowed V2.0

In Western opera, the tenor is often considered the main romantic interest.

But in this show by Singaporean opera singers Martin Ng and Teng Xiang Ting, you can expect the baritone to rush – singing with the soprano voice in situations that are not only romantic, but also conspiratorial, dramatic and more. .

Baritone Ng and soprano Teng will perform duets from La Traviata by Verdi, Rigoletto, Don Pasquale by Donizetti, The Barber of Seville by Rossini and I Pagliacci by Leoncavallo, among others.

The show, which will take place in an intimate theatrical setting, is directed by Tang Xinxin, narrated by Shridar Mani and presented by Lirica Arts.

Or: Victoria Concert Hall
When: Sunday (September 19), 4 p.m.
Admission: From $ 20 via Sistic (call 6348-5555 or visit the Sistic website)
Info: Sistic website

Kumar unmasked

Singaporean comedian Kumar takes on the Sands Theater for the first time.

The 90-minute show will see the famous comedian, host and drag queen poke fun at life during the pandemic.

Or: Sands Theater, Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue
TRM: Bayfront
When: Until September 26, 4 p.m. (weekend) and 8 p.m. (Friday to Sunday)
Admission: From $ 58
Info: Marina Bay Sands website