Last Saturday, I went to see the 1925 opera, “The Merry Widow,” by Franz Lehar. “The Merry Widow” tells the story of the titular widow, who married a French banker and upon his death inherited about two million francs. The Widow hails from Petrovenia (or Pontevedro in the original libretto), a fictionalized version of Montenegro. Unfortunately, Petrovenia is bankrupt, and so the government wants access to her fortune. Thus, the Petrovenian king tasks his ambassador with having the widow marry a Petrovenian count.

This isn’t easy, as the widow is harassed by suitors everywhere she goes, and so she doesn’t tend to be trusting of any man. I can’t help but think that Petrovenia seems to embrace trickle-down economics a little too readily; I seriously doubt one millionaire is going to really breathe new life the Petrovenian economy on her own. There’s also a subplot involving the ambassador’s wife and a minor character being in love, but the wife considering her marriage sacred, and the plot is filled with shenanigans involving mushy romance.

This is a romantic comedy from before romantic comedies were a thing. The acting was top-notch, the singers were lovely, and the costumes and sets were well-designed. Overall, it was a very satisfying three hours.

I’ve never been to a jazz show before, and didn’t think I’d ever go to one for fun, but after seeing the live band at Brooklyn College, I realized halfway through the first song that I had a huge smile on my face and felt like getting up and dancing along to the music. All of the performers were having so much fun on stage and their energy was contagious. I really enjoyed how most of the musicians got a solo and got to show off their own unique take on the instrument. Every time a solo would finish, the band members would give a nod to the player with a smile of approval and the crowd would clap, which added to the overall energy of the show. I also really liked how the conductor from the crowd led the band during one of his songs. It was interesting to watch him and his timing and how each band member reacted to his gestures in such a precise and uniform way. You could really tell that there was mutual respect between the band members and the conductor, and above all, they were all having a great time. I noticed that with this performance, it wasn’t as perfectly refined as all the other ones we saw, but that is what added to the character of the performance and I think that is what jazz music is all about. There were moments of improvisation, moments that weren’t planned before hand, and genuine reactions by the band members. Overall, the energy of the room was extremely lively, and the band made me gain a whole new appreciation for jazz music.

Last Thursday, we went to watch a jazz performance, which was performed by the Brooklyn College Big Band. I really enjoyed the performance. While listening to the music, I would nod my head and tap my feet to the beat. I loved the overall environment of the stage. All the band members came on stage laughing. I loved how the band members were encouaging and cheering each other on, and how even the audience were cheering on the band members. I also loved the way the conductor was leading the band members. He would give them words of encouragement while they played and lead them throughout the song. My favorite piece that they played was called the Wild Jungle. I loved how during this peice each instrument was played in such a crazy and funny way, which entertained the whole audience. I also loved the crazy sounds that were being made by the instruments during this piece. Overall, I really loved the jazz performance, and Vaughan did an excellent job playing the saxophone. He was right when he told us in class that we were going to feel a nice groovy vibe while we listen to the jazz performance.

If I am to remember anything about my childhood, I am to remember the holidays at my grandparent’s house. My grandmother, famous for her delicious cooking prowess, would spend hours in the kitchen. I would sit at her fire engine red counter and watch her as she diced peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, you name it. I loved sitting there, taking in the smells of the spices, listening to her stories, and hearing the faint sounds of Tito Puente playing in the background. After my grandmother’s delicious dinner, my grandfather would crank up the music and we would dance. With these memories in mind, listening to the Latin jazz performance was a wonderful experience for me. It reminded me of my childhood. Those times where my grandfather would play the guiro and sing along to the Spanish tunes that spoke of passion, love and heartbreak.

Besides the recollection of these memories, I think what I loved most about this performance was the interaction between each of the musicians. In my family, we play around with each other. We have fun, eat good food and crack jokes. It’s about having a good time. To me, the music seemed to encompass this very concept. Each of the musicians worked cohesively together to complete each musical piece. They bounced ideas of each other with the improv and felt each melody as it was being played. I grinned whenever a soloist got into their own unique world. The other plays around would smile and nod their heads both in enjoyment and respect. I definitely had a lot of fun at this concert. Vaughn if you’re reading this, you did an amazing job!

I wasn’t sure what to expect of the Big Band performance, but it definitely took me by surprise. The chilled out and interesting feel of the music had me tapping my foot to the beat.

What I found most interesting was hearing the individual instruments playing so that when they all played together, I could almost isolate the sound that each instrument made and see how they interacted when played together. I also thought it was interesting to hear the difference between the clip Vaughn played for us in class and the actual performance. I didn’t really get what he was saying until i saw it for myself in person.

All in all, I thought that it was an amazing performance that had me humming the songs for days.

Donmar’s production of Henry IV by Shakespeare was nothing less than incredible. I absolutely fell in love with the ambience, the concept and the actors. The play starts off in a woman’s prison. We sat in our seats as the gates around us closed with no intention of opening until after the play. I thought that this concept was quite clever and realistic. It gave us the sense of being entrapped in the prison with the females; of being placed in their world.
As the play continued, we saw that the female prisoners used mediocre child toys in order to act out the various scenes of Henry IV. Although some may, understandably,
find that degrading to Shakespeare’s name and his reputation, I found it both hilarious and realistic. What else would women in prison have access to?
I am a huge fan of the famous Netflix show, “Orange is the New Black”. And to me, this play was a perfect blend of both this show and Shakespeare. This is one thing I find creative and impressive about this production. Instead of regurgitating what has already been done and simply trying to act out the play, the company put its own spin on it that makes it both unique and innovative.
Innovation and creativity; those were the two words that stuck with me throughout the production. From the prison concept, to the music, to (my favorite) the spray painted map, I found that Donmar found clever little ways to modernize this ancient literature. I enjoyed every moment of it and it will definitely not be forgotten.