Monthly Archives: September 1998

Sometimes, the Play Isn't the Thing

Andre Previn’s score is bland and derivative; Philip Littell’s libretto reduces the play to a skeleton; Colin Graham’s staging is busy and hectic. Still, a fair portion of the blame for the failure of the San Francisco Opera’s A Streetcar … Continue reading

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The $135 Question

Two French operas back to back: mon dieu! Does this spell the end of the Puccini hegemony at the L.A. Opera? Not quite, I fear; despite a substantial sop to kick off the company’s 13th season – and the ominous … Continue reading

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Darkness Revisited

America was still savoring the triumph of the first moon landing, that summer of 1969, when the terrible thing happened at Chappaquiddick and the air darkened perceptibly. Soon after, the garish glory of Woodstock confirmed the fall of the curtain, … Continue reading

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