Category Archives: Reviews

Culture Shock

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Last month I went to see Ch’ing-lish, at the Longacre Theatre. The show is about an American sign maker named Daniel Cavanaugh, played by Gary Wilmes, who goes over to China to try and secure contracts for his company Ohio Signage. From the very beginning it is obvious that Wilmes is lost in the Chinese culture. He hires an English “business consultant” named Peter, played by Stephen Pucci, who in the end is nothing but a schoolteacher to try and help secure him the contracts. The decision of who gets the contract will fall heavily on the shoulders of the vice minster of culture Xi Yan, played by Jennifer Lim. Although Xi Yan speaks almost no English her relationship quickly turns into an affair with Cavanaugh. Both Lim and Wilmes were excellent at creating a relationship while not really understanding each other, which makes for some very comic pillow talk. The play is very funny,  but by the end you are starring at a huge difference in the morals of these very different cultures.

Scene designer David Korins deserves a lot of the credit for putting together the set. Every room is put together by sliding walls and chairs; this makes the transition from scene to scene very smooth and quick. It adds a little excitement in that you always get to see what scene idea is a couple of seconds before the scene actually begins. Also the music played in-between scenes was Chinese and only adds to the fact that you feel like you are in China.

Wilmes had a difficult task in playing a character who was the lead of the show yet had to spend scenes looking confused and staying away. Most notably a scene where Cavanaugh just lets his “business consultant” Peter do all the talking because he has no clue what was going on. In that scene, I thought Wilmes did a great job of shifting his weight and looking like someone who wanted to be involved but just couldn’t.

The play is a comedy, yet at the end it gets to a very serious issue of what to with Cavanaugh and Yan who are having an affair. At the end Cavanaugh declares his love for Yan and tells her that he is ready to divorce his wife and start over with her. This disgusts Yan who immediately gets concerned and calls this a problem. Cavanuagh and Yan go on to have a whole discussion, in which they can barley understand each other, about the relationship. Yan explains how she has no interest in leaving her husband and that she can only be Cavanaugh as long as it is only physical, she sees it as an escape as a way to save her marriage. Because of the language barrier it takes Cavanaugh  a while to understand what is going on, Yan must go around and around explaining it many times. The audience, who has the good fortune of subtitles understands immediately. This makes for an interesting scene in which the audience can see Cavanaugh  shrinking and finally coming to grips with reality

Through out the entire play Lim does a great job of portraying someone who is barely understands English. She always puts on the right faces and seemed to draw connections between words out of nowhere. Lim also portrays this hard-nosed Chinese women who can flirt and yet seem totally at ease doing it.

All in all, the play is funny and even the fact that you are reading half of the lines off a screen only seem to add to the oddness of it all. The differences between American and Chinese cultures are very out there and are highlighted by the huge difference in thinking about the affair by Yan and Cavanaugh.

Pogossov steals the show

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Last month, I went to see Rossini’s The Barber of Seville at the Metropolitan opera. The most enjoyable performance of the night was that of Rodion Pogossov as Figaro. I thought he started off very strong with his famous aria “Largo al factotum,” and never really looked back. He took complete control of the stage and perfectly portrayed that laid back, know it all attitude that Figaro is supposed to have. Isabel Leonard, as Rosina,filled the entire stage with her voice. Leonard also looked beautiful on stage and graceful onstage.

Conductor Maurizio Benini has a lot of experience, and showed it all off during the opera. He had the chorus playing on all cylinders. Benini really showed off his expertise by maintaining the exact pace you would want and even allowing some of the singers, most notably Pogossov, to really stretch their voices and show off.

Director of production Bartlett Sher and set designer Michael Yeargan’s  showed off their creativity in the use of a giant anvil at the end of the first act. The first act ended with all the people on stage being very confused. The idea to actually have a large anvil lowered from the ceiling and crush the fruit stand brought some much-needed comic relief to the end show. The use of the anvil were brilliant ideas by Sher and Yeargen.  Also how they used seven or eight sets of doors to create houses, walls, rooms, for Seville,

There were also some things that made the show less enjoyable.  First of all, the body  language of Leonard bothered me.  Rosina is supposed to be a character who has a major transformation throughout the opera. I wanted to see Rosina start off as a trapped girl, and then go through that transformation into a girl who would ignore Bartholo and go off to marry the count. I feel like Leonard never really showed us that first side.  From the start of the opera she already seemed to be the hardened lady who is ready to fight off anyone who would stop her.

I was very uninspired by Alexey Kudrya as Count Almaviva. I thought he seemed very content to play second fiddle to Pogossov or even to Leonard. I wanted the count to be someone who would come on stage and grab your attention; he would be the person that you could not keep your eyes off. However, when I remember the opera the image of the count is hidden. I would also put some of the blame for Kudrya’s job on the director of production Bartlett Sher. As director of production Sher has to notice that Kudrya is refusing to take center stage and Sher must talk and persuade him to be more showy and louder in terms of body language.]

All in all, The Barber of Seville kept my attention and entertained me. Although there were a couple of flaws, most notably Kudrya’s refusal as the Count to take over center stage from Pogossov. However, the entire show is worth seeing because of Leonard’s extraordinary mezzo soprano performance but mostly because of Pogossov’s extremely inspiring performance as Figaro.

 

 

Il Barbiere di Siviglia At Lincoln Center: A Mediocre Performance Of A Legendary Opera

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If you are a fan of Bugs Bunny cartoons, then you maybe familiar with the episode titled “The Rabbit of Seville.” However it might surprise you that this episode is based on a very famous opera, Il Barbiere di Siviglia. On Wednesday October 19th, I went to see Il Barbiere di Siviglia performed by the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center. The opera is based on the play The Barber of Seville written by Beaumarchais. Gioachino Rossini composed Il Barbiere di Siviglia in 1816. Although the Metropolitan Opera performance had some good moments, the overall performance was disappointing.

Il Barbiere di Siviglia intends to make the viewer laugh while telling a romantic story. The story is about Count Almaviva (played by Javier Camarena) going to Siviglia to pursue the woman of his dreams, Rosina (played by Isabel Leonard). The only problem is that Rosina lives with Dr. Bartolo, played by Maurizio Muraro, who plans on marrying her. Luckily, the Count gets help from Figaro, played by Rodin Pogossov. Figaro is the city’s barber and one of his customers is Dr. Bartolo. Figaro uses his access to Dr. Bartolo’s house to help the Count and Rosina get married.

The storyline was not the only thing that was great about the performance. One of the other things that really stood out in the performance was the lighting, designed by Christopher Akerlind. The lighting was very powerful and the transitions from nighttime to daytime were seamless and beautiful. This was important to the story because several scenes took place during the transition from night into day.

In addition to the lighting, the performances of Javier Camarena, Maurizio Muraro, and Patta Burchuladze (Don Basilio) were outstanding. Muraro and Burchuladze had powerful voices that could be heard throughout the whole theater. Camarena’s voice was smooth and soulful. Their performances were some of the best that I have seen.

The performance of Rodin Pogossov was very disappointing. One of the most famous moments in this opera is Figaro performing “Largo al Factotum.” The singer is supposed to perform this number with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. Mr. Pogossov was lacking energy and enthusiasm in his performance. Fiagro is a very important character in this opera because his energy and enthusiasm help the Count and Rosina end up together. Mr. Pogossov did not do the character justice.

The performance of Isabel Leonard was left something to be desired as well. Her voice did not carry well throughout the theater and it seemed like her performance was monotone. The musical number “Una voce poco fa” is supposed to have a shift of emotion from obedient to rebellious, but Ms. Leonard’s performance was lacking this shift.

Another thing that could have been improved is the set. The set, designed by Michael Yeargan, was made out of about ten wooden doors that were moved around the stage to create different settings. Although this was creative and left more to the imagination of the viewer, it would have been nice to see a set that represented the city of Siviglia. The playbill describes Siviglia as beautiful city with “intricate, winding streets” and “exotic traditions.” It would have been nice to see a set that featured some winding streets and beautiful buildings, but unfortunately this set did not.

One aspect of the production that really took away from its quality is the character Ambrogio, played by Rob Besserer. Ambrogio’s only purpose is to provide comic relief, but the style of the comic relief is very cheap. The only way that Ambrogio provides laughs is by getting hurt. In one scene, the Count slashes a tree and it falls on Ambrogio while in another scene, an explosion occurs off stage that causes Ambrogio to drop on stage with burnt clothes. If you are in elementary school and like cheap comedy then you might find this. However if you are a sophisticated person and like thoughtful comedy, Ambrogio will most likely annoy you rather than give you a good laugh.

Whether you should see this opera depends on your experience with opera. If you are an opera connoisseur, then you should see this production. However, If you are going to the opera for the first time and want to get a great first impression, then you might want to see a different performance. While this performance had its good parts, it will not leave you amazed and begging for more.

 

 

 

 

A Perfect Play on Broadway

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Have you ever experienced a language barrier? If your answer is yes, then the play Ching*lish will be very relatable for you. Ching*lish first premiered at the Goodman Theater in Chicago on June 18, 2011 and is now playing at the Longacre Theater on Broadway. It is written by David Henry Hwang and the Broadway production is directed by Leigh Silverman. Ching*lish is a must see Broadway play.

The play is a comedy that aims to show the audience how difficult but funny language barriers can be. The play focuses on Daniel Cavanaugh (played by Gary Wilmes), a businessman who runs a sign making company. Daniel travels to Guiyang, China to arrange a business deal with a local Cultural Center. Daniel noticed that many Chinese signs were incorrectly translated into English, so he offered the Cultural Center an accurate translation of the signs that they will put up. During his time in China, Daniel ends up having an affair with Xi Yan (played by Jennifer Lim), a minister on the Cultural Center board of directors. Xi helps Daniel get the deal and teaches him about Chinese culture.

Simply put, this play was amazing. There were only positives about the performance. The biggest highlight of the play was the playwriting. David Henry Hwang wrote an interesting story that is very relevant in the world today, because many people travel abroad to do business and struggle with new languages and cultures. There were many funny moments in the play, such as when Daniel tried to say the same word that Xi said in Mandarin, but ended up saying a completely different word. The audience was laughing out loud throughout the whole play.

Another highlight of the performance was the scenery, designed by David Korins. There were several different settings in the play, ranging from a restaurant to an assembly room to a hotel room. Each setting looked very realistic. It seemed as if the designer literally took an actual restaurant or hotel room and placed it on stage. The transition between sets was exceptional as well. In between scenes, the lights would go down and music would play while the sets rotated on stage. When the lights were back up, there was a brand new setting on stage that looked completely different from the previous one. The scenery was very enthralling and greatly contributed to the play.

This play would not be possible without the actors, who light up the stage.  Stephen Pucci was outstanding in his role as Peter Timms, an Englishman that lives in China and consulted Daniel during his visit. Mr. Pucci’s character required him to speak both English and Mandarin. Mr. Pucci’s Mandarin was excellent. His transitions from English to Mandarin were seamless and he spoke mandarin flawlessly. His Mandarin felt completely natural and unforced. Peter Timms Mandarin ability was crucial to the play, as it allowed Daniel to interact with the Chinese characters. He gets two thumbs up for his performance.

Gary Wilmes and Jennifer Lim brought their characters to life. Mr. Wilmes portrayed Daniel’s confusion and honest effort in understanding the people and culture extremely well. This was evident in every scene where Daniel tried to understand what people were saying in Mandarin. Ms. Lim portrayed a strong willed woman perfectly. Her best performances were when her character interacted with Daniel.

Ching*lish is a must see Broadway play. It exceeded its goal of entertaining the audience with a modern comedic story. The playwriting, acting, and sets were outstanding. There was not a single thing that was bad about this play. Ching*lish is definitely worth the price of admission.

FATE: Figaro, Anticipation, Timing, Everlasting love

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As William Makepeace Thackeray once simply stated, “it is best to love wisely, no doubt; but to love foolishly is better than not to be able to love at all.” The Italian opera, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, produced by Bartlett Sher, not only exhibits a unique portrayal of love but also moved me to tears and laughter, especially with the performers powerful yet harmonious voices. Their expression through song is able to capture the essence and beauty of the opera and left me yearning for more.

Rodion Pogossov, the singer who plays brave Figaro, gives an exceptional performance and brilliantly paints the arrogant, yet clever nature of his character. Meanwhile, Isabel Leonard tactfully displays Rosina as a two-sided individual, by creating an astounding vibrato; which left me in awe. The mezzo-soprano transforms from a timid, obedient young girl into a fierce, rebellious woman in a single aria, “Una voce poco fa,” by fluctuating her tone, pitch, and emotion. Such technique is rather difficult and very impressive, particularly in an Italian opera. The other performers, including Javier Camarena as Count Almaviva, Maurizio Muraro as Dr. Bartolo, and Paata Burchuladze as Don Basilio further enhance the opera with their talented voices and arias.

Meanwhile, as the performers sang, the orchestra and chorus, conducted by Maurizio Benini, connected with me on a deeper level, drawing much attention to the concepts of fate, power and love. In addition, the lighting was spot on- always shining on the right performers are the right time; and even from the back of the orchestra, the performers could be easily heard.

A reoccurring theme that transitions throughout the opera is one of ever-lasting love and a sense of ultimate unity. True love is the core determinant between Count Almaviva and Rosina, with the help of fate and Figaro. Throughout the opera, the Count finds himself disguised as several different people in his attempt to trick Dr. Bartolo and woo over Rosina. However, the cleverness behind all of these schemes always end up originating from the famous Barber of Seville himself, Figaro.

Although the opera moves at a steady and unwavering pace, the production caught me off guard several times by reigniting sparks of interest. One particular example happens when an enormous anvil drops slowly from the ceiling onto a cart of pumpkins, or when an explosive instrument is set off, causing me to jump and anticipate more surprises as I experienced the comedic side of the opera.

Another unique feature of the opera is the set design. Instead of placing much attention to small details and nuances, Michael Yeargan, the set designer, keeps it fairly simplistic drawing focus towards the performers. Interestingly enough, these few doors are very significant to the opera itself and serve as a metaphorical and literal element; the Count tries to open the door to Rosina’s heart, while Rosina literally is locked up behind the doors of Dr. Bartolo’s house.

Approximately three hours and five minutes, this extraordinary and moving opera is being shown at the Metropolitan Opera House. Tickets for February opera showings are already almost sold out! Get them now, on The Metropolitan Opera website, while they last. You cannot miss this wonderful performance, as it will leave your heart fluttering and your mind taking in the truths about fate, power, and everlasting love.

A Comedic Chaos, Equipped with Anvils and Falling Trees

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Anvils, falling trees and lightning strikes in an opera house? Back for the 592nd time at the Metropolitan Opera, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, also known as The Barber of Seville, did not disappoint its viewers.

The opening scene of Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Dr. Bortolo’s servant and the doctor himself tried to be humorous with a bit of slapstick comedy, which told us to expect more comedic relief later in the opera. But the comedic value took a while to arrive. The beginning of the first act was dry; it was mostly just opera singers singing in Italian, with nothing aesthetically pleasing in the background. I glanced around and saw a few people nodding off. As the first act was coming to an end, the comedic feel kicked in. Chaos ensued when almost every singer and supporting singer was on stage for the scene of Count Almaviva’s arrest. An anvil had appeared out of nowhere and was slowly descending on the stage, ready to crush a cart of pumpkins. Such randomness was a comfortable change from all the strict singing. There were no more sleepy, bored people.

Rodion Pogosov, who sang the role of Figaro, replaced Peter Mattei for the night and let his strong baritone voice win over the crowd. Pogosov put on an unforgettable show, singing Figaro’s aria with such emotion and humor. He used the whole stage and jumped from place to place during his aria, allowing the audience to understand that Figaro has many ladies chasing him. Another memorable singer was Maurizio Muraro, who sang the part of Dr. Bartolo. His booming, deep bass voice carried through the whole auditorium, allowing us to hear every note of anger and annoyance he inputs into the character of Dr. Bartolo. Javier Camerena and Isabel Leonard, singing the roles of Count Almaviva and Rosina, respectively, didn’t do too well. Camerena had one golden moment during the whole opera, which was right after he sang his aria. He received a long cheer from the crowd but that was his only moment. Leonard did not play the part of Rosina too well. The character of Rosina is supposed to be one where she starts off obedient but turns rebellious; Leonard did not quite get that across. Her performance was mediocre compared to the strong male leads.

The orchestral pieces were very pleasing to the ear. Benini, the conductor for Il Barbiere di Siviglia, controlled his musicians well, motioning them to speed up their playing when things were chaotic and then retarding the beat later on as the chaos dies down. Each instrument was displayed nicely; you can clearly hear the clarinets being brought out in some parts while in other parts, the flute is more prominent.

I can see why this opera is still running after 592 times. Even though there are some new singers, they do their role justice and put on a good show for us. Il Barbiere di Siviglia is definitely worth seeing; you will have a good laugh with this tame slapstick comedic opera.

 

Ch’ing-lish, the Butchering of Languages

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A Broadway play that is spoken in Mandarin? How will one understand? Even though David Henry Hwang’s Ch’ing-lish is partially spoken in Mandarin, the play is still easy to understand and to follow along with. David Cavanaugh, played by Gary Wilmes, is a businessman trying to sell his sign-making business in Guiyang, China but comes across many problems along the way. Ch’ing-lish paints a clear picture of the cultural differences that are apparent between Asia and the Western world and how many miscommunications and misunderstandings come with that barrier.

Ch’ing-lish opens with Wilmes presenting a PowerPoint for his company. The opening scene could’ve been better; the audience did not know whether or not the play had started or not. Wilmes was not loud enough and the lighting did not emphasize that the center of attention should’ve been on him. After the dry opening, the play starts off strong, introducing the intricate, moving set to us. David Kornis, in charge of scenic design, did a great job on the set design. Audible gasps were heard from the audience when the set smoothly glided in. Accompanied with the Chinese popular culture music that played as it debuted, this should’ve been the opening number. The music was loud and fast-paced, and woke the audience up from the sleepy introduction.

Jennifer Lim embodies the role of Xi Yan the Vice-Minister with power, giving the audience a strong impression of the role her character will play. Xi, a woman that is strong-willed and independent, was a great character to have. Lim’s forced butchering of the English language and the confusion that came with it was the main source of comic relief. The role of Minister Cai Guoliang, played by Larry Lei Zhang, also added a humorous touch to the play. Zhang portrays Guoliang as an airhead, but yet a proud man.

Lim is the strongest actor in Ch’ing-lish, overpowering the skills of Wilmes and Stephen Pucci, who played the role of Peter the teacher. Pucci’s mandarin was impeccable, giving another surprise to the audience. Pucci is actually quite educated in Mandarin, earning a BA in that language. The character of Peter the teacher served as a connection between the two worlds, but also served as a symbol of the hardships that come along with that role. The language barrier is a running theme in Ch’ing-lish.

Ch’ing-lish is a Broadway play that you should definitely experience. One would never expect a play that spoken in Mandarin to be featured on Broadway, making this a rare opportunity that many should take advantage of. The play features new talent, showcasing the emergence of Asian Americans in the field of theater art. The set is also something that you should see –it is one of genius engineering and visual appeal. Ch’ing-lish is a must-see; you should hurry and experience this fresh change.

 

 

Power of the Voice

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Being the first time I attended an opera, The Barber of Seville was one to impress. IT was shown in the Metropolitan Opera on October 19, 2011. Coming with the impression that operas were boring; my opinion changed after watching the performance. Many aspects caught my attention. The orchestra was conducted by Maurizio Benini and was extremely good; they played very well and set the mood and atmosphere for many scenes. The props on the stage were also very interesting, especially the moveable doors. The singers also performed with gusto and grace. The main singers were Javier Camarena, Isabel Leonard, Peter Mettei, and Maurizio Muraro, Count Almaviva, Rosina, Figaro, and Bartholo respectively.

Maurizio Benini conducted the orchestra with charismatic feeling. The orchestra provided the “feel” of every scene. Therefore, a good orchestra is necessary for the enjoyment of the opera. In many scenes, especially where Figaro is cutting Barthalo’s hair, the music made the scene a light hearted and joyous occasion. Benini conducted this particular part with a lot of staccato beats that set an easygoing mood. The orchestra accompanied this scene very well with the happy music to give an overall sense of happiness.

The props can be considered one of the most important things in an opera. Michael Yeargen was the set designer who is credited with creating this amazing set. In this particular one, the props on stage could be moved around to accompany many scenes. The doors may have been one of the props that caught the most attention. They could be moved around to create different settings. Also, they were actual functioning doors, so the singers could interact with them. The doors are a very thoughtful addition to this particular opera. It created a changeable setting that could be adjusted for all the scenes.

The use of trees also caused a comedic response. The trees were used to conceal the singers even though they were clearly not completely concealed by the tree. However, the people not behind the tree were unable to see them even though they were clearly not hidden. This caused a little laughter among the audience. This type of prop added a positive feeling to the scene and kept the viewers more interested.

Another thing the orchestra has to do well in is the accompanying the voices of the singers. Both the music and the singing need to be synchronized in order for optimal enjoyment. There was a scene where Figaro, played by Peter Mettei, sang his part with my pauses. The orchestra highlighted these parts and put more emphasis by pausing the music as well. This makes his singing and overall atmosphere more powerful due to the synchronization.

The voices of the singers are also something that should be noted. The female lead sang by Isabel Leonard, had quite an astonishing performance. Being the only female voice in the opera, her voice had to be distinctive and powerful. She achieved this and definitely gave off the impression that her presence was known. Being the only female, she had to set herself apart from all the other singers. With her flamboyant performance, I appreciated her fantastic voice. Her voice was softer than the men but in a way just as dominating. You knew that her character, Rosina, was proud to be a woman among the other men. Overall, Leonard’s performance really helped the opera achieve its apex.

With many male roles, each male character had to distinguish himself from the others. Figaro, Mattei, can be seen as the funny character. When he is present, the scene usually involves him doing something humorous. Figaro’s acting also contributes greatly to how well he is received by the audience. Count Almaviva’s, Javier Camarena, performance is displayed through his acting. He shows how he loves Rosina in many ways throughout the opera. His performance is reinforced by his voice. He had a solo singing part where he had to hold a note for a long time. This distinguished him from everybody else. Bartholo, sang by Maurizio Muraro, has a dictating walk that shows he is in charge. His conquering presence distinguishes him from everybody else. I can tell with his deeper and prouder stride that Muraro’s character is very serious.

My overall experience with the The Barber of Seville was phenomenal. I greatly enjoyed this particular performance with the singing, set, and music. It changed my perspective of what an opera is. In the future, I will be more likely to attend one due to the positive results of this one. I think the collaborative effort of the orchestra and the singers created an ideal experience. I think that the props also contributed a great deal to the success and helped captivate the audience.

English! You Know It?

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Ch’ing-lish by David Henry Hwang is a play based on the language barriers between cultures. The play is about a businessman who arrives in China in hopes of creating a deal with the minister. Throughout the entire play, Daniel Cavanaugh played by Gary Wilmes, has trouble understanding what everyone says to him. The play’s plot does not seem to be quite interesting as the main goal of the production is to entertain the audience with the translations. Since I understood the Chinese as well as the English, it made the experience a little different from the non-Mandarin speakers. I think the play displayed a fantastic use of the props and set. The lines that were “lost in translation” were quite noteworthy as well. Finally, the actors’ performance was the cherry on the cake.

The set was one of the biggest things that I was intrigued by. The set was constantly changing to accommodate every scene. I liked to watch as the set changed each time the lights dimmed. David Korins was the scenic designer for the play. I think that he did an outstanding job with how he presented each scene and how he transitioned into the next. The use of an elevator impressed me a lot since you would not expect an elevator to be on stage. Even more interesting was how the doors actually worked and it looked like an actual elevator. The spinning of the set also allowed many different locations. I also liked how some actors came in on the moving platforms instead of entering from the sides.

One of the funniest aspects of the play is the text that is “lost in translation.” Candace Chong was in charge of the translations that occur on a screen. The subtitles play a critical part in the humor of the player. Even though I speak Mandarin Chinese, I had a two-sided experience of the play. I can say that it was honestly much funnier understanding it from both sides since I understood many of the misinterpretations. During one part, Gary’s character was asked to pronounce “I love you.” However, in Mandarin Chinese, the way you pronounce a word greatly changes it’s meaning. He mispronounced it many times, which changed, it’s meaning into nonsense.

Since this play is centered on the language, it is extremely important that it is legitimate. Also, I commend the legitimacy of the play as well since many plays “fake” the subtitles to create the humor effect. However, this play was extremely accurate with the translations and didn’t use any of the “fake” subtitles. I can say that the play displayed the language barrier extremely well. Also, it was easily understandable to audience as well. David Henry Hwang, the playwright, definitely captured the amusing aspects of language translation.

Lastly, the actors did an incredibly well job for the play to be a success. Jennifer Lim and Gary Wilmes displayed an extraordinary performance. I have to admit, Jennifer Lim’s performance was quite impressive since she held a large and important role to the story as the minister’s assistant. Gary Wilmes also played his character extremely well as the traveling businessman. His cluelessness of the situation that went on without his knowledge and how he reacts to many of the things that happen truly show that he is immersed in his character. I also liked the performance of Larry Lei Zhang, Minister Cai, since he seemed like a typical authority figure. Last of all, I greatly praise Stephen Pucci, Peter Timms, since he had to be able to speak Mandarin Chinese. He spoke it extremely well with much less of an accent that most Americans that try the language. I’m not sure if he knew how to speak it before or had to learn it for this particular play, though nonetheless his performance with a foreign language is outstanding.

I greatly enjoyed Ch’ing-lish due to the great use of the stage, the legitimacy and hilarity of the language and the performance by the actors. These three things greatly emphasized this play and set it apart from some other plays that I have seen. It captured my attention and continued to interest me. I would much enjoy watching another play by David Henry Hwang.

The Value of a Good Production Team

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I never thought that I would ever be intrigued by an opera; however, boy was I wrong. On Wednesday October 26th I had the opportunity to visit the Met Opera’s performance of Rossini’s Il Barbiere de Seviglia at Lincoln Center. Due to the fact that it was my first opera I did not really know what to expect. However, after a little while I was astonished to witness such an amazing thing. I believe that the director, set designer, and singers effortlessly portrayed the true essence of Rossini’s original opera.

The first thing that caught my attention when the performance began was the way the set designer Michael Yeargen made use of the doors to create the setting of each of the scenes. On one hand, I was really intrigued by the manipulation of the doors because I was surprised to see that such a small thing can go a long way. The production team was able to create intricate set designs using such an ordinary thing. They were able to combine the doors in different ways to give each scene and setting a unique shape and appearance. However, on the other hand, I was also slightly disappointed that they used such a simple thing in order to shape the settings of each and every scene. When I first saw the doors I began to think of the fact that they spent so much time and money in creating the opera, and that in the end they were a little cheap when it came to such an important thing as the design of the set. I believe that the I would have been more intrigued if the production team had spent more time and money in the setting and in creating the scenes as Rossini envisioned them (in the streets of Seville).

As the opera progressed, I noticed that many of the props were used to add meaning to the scenes and to insert humor into the opera. One of the props that really stuck out to me was Figaro’s cart and its enormous size. When they brought out the cart I started to laugh a little bit because in my mind I knew that it represented the whole persona of Figaro. Throughout the opera you can truly see Figaro’s pompousness and arrogance. He believes that everyone relies on and that he is one of the most important people in the city. This fact is represented during Figaro’s “Largo al Factotum” aria. He also believes that he is the cause behind many of the good things that come about during the opera. For instance, towards the end of the opera he attributes the marriage of the Count and Rosina towards his doings.

At the end of the second act the audience erupted into laughter as a giant anvil was dropped down and crushed a wagon of pumpkins. During that scene the soldiers stormed Bartolo’s house after he got into a fight with the Count. Even though it added to the humor of the opera, I just did not understand it. I realize that it was symbolic of the fact that the characters were singing that their heads were hurting as if they were hit by an anvil, but I believe that it took away from the seriousness of the opera. In my opinion, the anvil was unnecessary and was a waste of money. It would have been better if the opera went into intermission with a serious tone. However, instead the production team dropped the anvil and took away from the mood of the performance.

Throughout the opera, Maurizio Benini, the conductor, was able to make use of the music to set the mood of each of the scenes. During the end of the second act, when the soldiers stormed Dr. Bartholo’s house, the tone of the music signaled that something dramatic was about to happen and gave you a sense of what to expect. The music foreshadowed that something significant was about to occur and caught your attention during the important scenes of the opera. The singers were also able to make use of the music to add feelings into their characters. For example, Isabel Leonard, who played Rosina, was able to express her emotions through the music. During her aria “Une voce poco fa,” you could truly see her love and affection for the Count, who she believed was a poor student named Lindoro. Through the music they were able to increase the impact the opera had on you.

Overall, I believe that the production team, including the director, singers, and set designer, did an amazing job at displaying Rossini’s original intentions concerning his opera Il Barbiere de Seviglia. Even though I had a couple of concerns regarding certain aspects of the performance, after all is considered I believe that they did a great job at creating a fun and exciting opera. I would encourage everyone to visit this performance, because it has the ability to change the way you look at opera as a whole.