Category — Critic’s Corner

 

               It was the perfect story for an opera. The drama and tension that is crucial to the success of the performance was inherent in the subject. Furthermore, one of the greatest composers of our time produced the music that tells the tale of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Yet somewhere along the road from conception to performance, the opera Doctor Atomic fell apart. The final product was a discordant ensemble of operatic brilliance and stale segments. [Read more →]

The explosion of an atomic bomb or any bomb for that matter should have opened with a resounding “BAM”! Or at least a “BANG” some form of explosion because no adjective would rightly do it justice. Regrettably, this was most not the case at John Adam’s and Peter Sellers new contemporary opera “Dr. Atomic”.
The beauty of Met opera house overshadowed the poker stiff soldiers and officials at either wings of the stage and officials that compromised the introduction of the opera. Straight spined, they were as appealing to the viewer as ordinary school choir and just as simple. An atomic bomb releases a massive amount of energy but it was not the case with the singers and this led to their less than convincing performances. The singers were stationary and according to one viewer the beginning could simply be categorized as “flat”. [Read more →]

“Memory is the most subjective thing in the world, I realize that memoryis alive”. Filmmaker Ari Folman reflected, meditatively leaning his chin on an open right palm, during a talkback on his unique animated documentary “Waltz with Bashir”.
It is the fantastical quality of his memories of the Lebanese War and his own personal guilt of his participation that led him to believe animation was the only channel that would do his memory justice. The animation, done by hand, focuses more on facial contours and highlights, in an attempt at realism. The seemingly simplistic, lines that make up his furrowed brow and shadows under his eyes, are still accurate enough to translate self-torture and a guilty conscience.
Apart from being a genre all itself, “Waltz with Bashir” is a personal reflection of an Israeli soldier who believes that a “memory repressed is a memory conserved”. In this case the memory would be the blind massacre of innocent Palestinians, during the Lebanon War by vindictive Bashir supporters. The Christians were enraged that their leader Bashir was murdered and they took it out on the refugee camps where people that were living there for years. Bullets and blood emitted from all directions and this destruction underwent a transition to actual film footage. Women, drifted across the screen screeching, flailing, pulling their hair, all in an open supplication for an answer to the cause of the destruction of their homes and families. This shows his acknowledgement that animation cannot fully invoke pathos as strongly as actual camera footage. [Read more →]

http://www.andante.com/article/article.cfm?id=26019

The most highly anticipated performance of the opera season, “Dr. Atomic”, can only be described as a flop. There has never been an opera with a topic such as this. It was unheard of until this point to have an opera based on a historical topic of this nature and for a libretto to be created for an opera instead of vice versa. [Read more →]

 

            The Metropolitan Opera House was quite a scene on the evening of October 30^th, as anxious spectators swarmed the entrance to the showing of Doctor Atomic.
            Walking into the majestic opera house is an experience within itself. As we were ushered to our seats, the opera house’s monumentality was overwhelming. Professor Bernstein accompanied us as we glided down the aisle overlooking the orchestra. Suspended above us were the iconic Swarovski crystal chandeliers that decorated the ceiling like constellations in the abyss of the night sky. With the lights dimming, our eyes were fixated on the image of the periodic table of elements encompassing the grandiose stage. A wise opening choice as we learn the story of the development of the first atomic bomb, the Manhattan Project. [Read more →]

“Waltz with Bashir” was definitely out of the ordinary and separated itself from the usual documentary. Although a bit unusual, the animated documentary, directed by Ari Folman, was unique in that it was a surreal depiction of the guilt, death and shock of war – to the soldiers and of what really happened.

“Waltz with Bashir” is based on a true story of Folman’s life and experiences in the Lebanon War in 1982, a time of violence and conflict when Israel forces invaded southern Lebanon. At a bar, he meets a friend who tells him of the persistent nightmare that comes back to haunt him everyday – an image of 26 menacing dogs. Ari realizes that he does not remember anything during his service in the Israeli Army mission and decides to travel around the world to find the missing pieces of his life and relive his memory. [Read more →]

 

             Memory is a tricky thing. Not all the events that happen in our lives are retained in our memory. Those that manage to grad hold are vulnerable to manipulation, especially to the point where the memory no longer resembles the original. Then, there is the peculiar case of lost memories – events that we chose to forget, whether consciously or unconsciously, due to fear that we might discover something faulty within ourselves. Waltz with Bashir, a compelling film by Israeli director Ari Folman, explores the subject of memory and the complex journey of trying to remember. [Read more →]

 

 

             An American flag on one side and a map of Iraq on the other – three large tablets occupy the middle of the stage. Each tablet depicting a different portion of the image and spinning independently of the others – forcefully turned by the troubled characters, whose lives have spun just as much as those three central tablets. “In Conflict”, a new production by Douglas C. Wager, chronicles the individual stories of the magnificent characters that constitute the diverse group of Iraqi war veterans upon whom the play centers. [Read more →]

epay.luc.edu/C20996_ustores/web/images/store_14/DrAtomic_250x250.jpg

Opera is one of the oldest and most respected forms of entertainment. However, I have never seen an opera show before attending the Metropolitan Opera with my class a few weeks ago. Prior to this year, the thought of going to see an opera has never crossed my mind. I do not think my parents have been to opera performances, so I did not really know much about them. All I had heard about operas was the typical stereotype of the fat woman who cracks a glass with her shrill voice. Even though I was never that interested in opera, I was kind of curious to see what it is really like.

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           Based on the book by Yvonne Latty, In Conflict, presented on September 25, 2008 at the Barrow Street Theater, recounts the story of war veterans who served in Iraq.

           Unlike other documentaries based on war veterans’ experiences, In Conflict neither preaches anti-war, nor advocates being a war hawk. Instead, Latty includes the stories of all types of veterans: amputee, single, gay, female, AWOL, married, middle-aged, black, straight, doctor, war monger. When asked about her selection of veterans, Latty explained how she strived to create a balance, and refrained from modifying the interviewee’s words when writing her book. Perhaps the strongest aspect of the play is its ability to connect with the audience. We hear the raw, ugly, painful, and sometimes nauseating words and experiences of real soldiers. While veterans like Ty Simmons “bleed red, white, and blue,” others like Darryl Anderson “went AWOL and moved to Canada.” Regardless of the story we are envisioning, and despite the comic-relief and hints of sarcasm, In Conflict displays the vivid, shocking, and unnerving stories of Iraq War veterans.

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