My Corona Year 2020: Discovering Wolfgang Anheisser’s “Operetten Gala”
My first theatre visit of 2020 was an ominous forewarning of what was to come: On 2 January I saw
read moreMy first theatre visit of 2020 was an ominous forewarning of what was to come: On 2 January I saw
read moreThis picture looked to me like a rather nice American girlie entertainment from the Twenties. Wonder what it is, thought
read moreWhen you ‘live’ in a certain ‘world’ – in my case, that of the 19th century musical theatre – you
read moreThere’s an increasingly firece discussion about supposed “racism” in operetta. Recently, a production of Franz Lehár’s Land des Lächelns at
read moreThe only way I can describe my reaction to this attractively packaged new Franz Lehár reader, published to coincide with
read moreThe paperback edition of this fascinating, useful and, on the whole, well researched book sells for about 20 Euros on
read moreIn his novel Where Angels Fear to Tread, published in 1905, E. M. Forster describes a performance of Lucia di
read moreIt is so easy to rip a performance apart. But what do you do if you see perfection? Alright, if
read moreOne cannot call them “reviews,” since I don’t read music, and a performance has to be either very good or
read moreAs I sit watching the current TV series Fosse/Verdon, starring Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams as two show business legends,
read more‘Une danseuse à l’Opéra’ – it was a phrase which, under the brilliance of the French Second Empire, had a
read moreA combination of circumstances led me, a year or three ago, to a little coven of enthusiasts fascinated by the
read moreMy last post and its original five pictures, borrowed from the gold mines of Blois, included four taken from the
read moreWhen you are researching the past, and the answers and facts don’t fall obviously into place, you just have to
read moreMany years ago, when I was collecting illustrations for my musico-theatrical books, I haunted e-bay. Bought something weekly. But then
read moreTurn the page. Item two in my volume is a 1794 show tune. And there’s another from the same musical,
read moreYes, it’s that time of year again when New Year’s concerts are unavoidable. It’s also the time when those in
read moreIt’s not very often that off-the-beaten-track Viennese operetta is performed in the USA nowadays, with the possible exception of Ohio
read moreSince Offenbach’s Island of Tulipatan has popped up again on the general radar, with a brand new English language recording
read moreThe Theater Basel has presented us with a brand new production of Paul Abraham’s 1931 Die Blume von Hawaii. Recently,
read moreToday I got led (via my blonde burlesque ladies) into the world of the ‘spectacular theatre’. You know, those shows
read moreIf you grew up as a kid in Germany, you probably learned early from a famous TV program to always
read moreLast night, I was researching in ancient texts, trying to track down the history of a burlesque blonde who went
read morePerhaps it was only a matter of time before someone hired choreographer Otto Pichler to stage an operetta all by
read moreOne thing leads to another … Answering various queries, after my 15 years old article on The Black Crook, which
read moreIt’s “business as usual” at the Neil Simon Theater, where I caught up with the new revival of Andrew Lloyd
read moreNot so very many years ago, two young students, already laurelled, each one, with considerable success, entered the Queensland Conservatorium
read moreTo tell the truth: Im weißen Rössl at the Neustrelitz open air operetta festival was fascinating! For a start, I
read moreIt’s rare, these days, to encounter such personal enthusiasm for operetta history as is demonstrated in the picturesque town of
read moreHow very much I wish I could recommend the all new version of Paint Your Wagon in its world premiere
read moreDeep among the indelible memories of my theatergoing life are singer Lynnie Godfrey sprawled on a piano suggestively growling “Daddy”
read moreIt is not often that I write about recordings. Since my massive listening-writing effort of The Musical Theatre on Record,
read moreRetrospect Opera, a registered charity in Britain, has launched a project to record the operetta Pickwick (1889) by Sir Francis
read moreYes, here it finally is: the original cast album and DVD version of Grimm. This fairy tale musical, with some
read moreI must confess that I admired more than loved Spring Awakening in its 2007 Broadway premiere, and really didn’t care
read moreIn their 2015 summer season, the Ohio Light Opera presented the original stage version of Cole Porter’s Can-Can. It’s a
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