Thinking versus feeling, politics versus pathos, pleasure versus instruction—these dialectics often arise in discussing Bertolt Brecht’s revolutionary “epic theatre”, and the idea that these qualities exist in opposition feeds the common perception that Brecht belongs to the canon of “important” artists who offer little in the way of entertainment, and whose works we must suffer […]
Archives for February 11, 2014
The Young Lady from Tacna / La Señorita de Tacna
There are theatrical moments when the impossible becomes possible, when ensemble harmony and a richly-layered, challenging play are beautifully realized. So it is with GALA’s richly-layered, exquisite The Young Lady From Tacna by Peru’s Nobel Laureate Mario Vargas Llosa.
Happy Days
It seems reasonable to say that Jess Jung’s production of Happy Days, a play of sorts by Samuel Beckett, is theater reduced to its bare essentials, or elevated to its bare essentials, or refined to eliminate distractions, or purified of waste — leaving what, it seems reasonable to wonder?
Love was in the air – Opera on Tap DC’s debut at the Black Fox
The DC chapter of the national non-profit Opera on Tap launched last week at the Black Fox Lounge in Dupont Circle. Titled Love is in the Air, Opera on Tap DC’s first performance (co-presented with the Washington National Opera Bravo club) included an array of opera and musical theatre favorites in bite-sized crowd-pleasing sets.