A hot night with 'Carmen' at the Olney

Ensemble member Karla Choko and Camilo (Caesar Samayoa) in Carmen: An Afro-Cuban Jazz Musical directed by Moisés Kaufman. Photo: Stan Barouh

Perfectly timed, exquisite dancing under the direction of Broadway's Sergio Trujillo stars in Olney Theatre Center's newest presentation, Carmen: An Afro-Cuban Jazz Musical, another in Olney's big, flashy shows, this one, a world premier co-production with Tectonic Theater Project.

And it's just in time for Black History Month and heating us up on chilly nights (and days). 

The ensemble of Carmen: An Afro-Cuban Jazz Musical, directed by Moisés Kaufman, choreography by Sergio Truijillo. Photo: Stan Barouh

Triangular love and sex are the nuclei of the story while, on the periphery, actors become 1958 revolutionaries in Cuba's war between the U.S.-backed Batista government and the upstart Fidel Castro. (And the winner was...)

This Carmen production coincides nicely with the opening of U.S. gates to Cuba (thank you, President Obama) and is only one of many place settings around the globe where the play has been performed over the years, in London, Spain, Chicago, to name a few.  ("All the world's a stage...")


At the Olney the plot takes a backseat to fast action and dancing.

José (Brandon Andrus) and Carmen (Christina Sajous) in Carmen: An Afro-Cuban Jazz Musical directed by Moisés Kaufman. Photo: Stan Barouh

Brandon Andrus is José, an army guy and participant in two simultaneous love affairs, natch, while he works for Batista. His occupation and dueling romances may explain his perfunctory passion after he links up with Carmen. (Houston:  We have a mismatch on the runway.)

At the beginning, José is an urbane, reserved military man who, over the course of the production, shrinks into a blithering mess.  That's what love can do.

Meanwhile, there is Christina Sajous, Carmen, the monopolizing siren who consumes center stage a tad too much. A Whitney Houston look-alike, she dances non-stop while attracting men and more men who are lucky enough to be linked with her in brief romance (under six months) before she moves on to the next big thing.  

She is also the nation, "Cuba," testing her freedom,  strength, confidence, and independence.

Caesar Samayoa is Camilo, a champion boxer, who comes along to woo Carmen just when she's ready to ditch José. So long, José, and welcome, Camilo!  

Next!  (So many men and so little time.)

The best voice of the night belongs to Briana Carlson-Goodman who, as Micaela, José's girlfriend, is left for dust after he is smitten by Carmen. Ms. Carlson-Goodman's small role leaves us longing for more of her distinctive and melodious sounds.

The fight choreography is some of the best I have seen.  Applause to the choreographer, Ben Cunis, and fight captain, Mr. Samayoa.

One especially memorable scene (it's hard to phrase this adequately but, please bear with me or, better, go and see the show yourself and see what I mean) is reversed when two lovers fight under the spotlight (lighting by David Lander) center stage in front of us but behind the audience on stage which becomes the backdrop.  

The stage audience sits stationary in folding chairs and leaning in under dim light with their backs to center stage while they watch a boxing match in shadowy slow motion in front of them. Get it?  (You will when you see the scene. Who could forget the artistry?)

(It reminded me of a scene right out of George Bellows' painting, Club Night (sometimes on the walls at the National Gallery of Art and sometimes not, like now).)

In Carmen, Clint Ramos presents fun and flirty 1950s costuming, when women dressed as women, and men, as men. Hatted male dancers in wife-beater shirts were highly appealing.  

The sets (by Narelle Sissons) are marvelous.  Take one bar with huge columns; make it a hideout, an arena to watch a boxing match, and other places, with clever transitions which occur so naturally they go unnoticed by the audience with its eyes focused on high-powered Olympic dancing. 

I would not think this play would be recommended for children, although there's nothing wrong with the language, but the story...hmmmm. 

On stage before the show began, Jason Loewith, the Olney artistic director, smiled and said: "It may be cold out there, but it's very hot in here." Amen, bro'!  

Directing Carmen is Loewith's buddy, Moisés Kaufman, the founder of the Teutonic Theater Project whose Laramie Project and 33 Variations are two of his best known works. In his Broadway directing debut in 2004, Kaufman received a Tony nomination for I Am My Own Wife.

Kaufman and Eduardo Machado wrote the book for Carmen, and Arturo O’Farrill composed and adapted the music based on the French composer Georges Bizet's 1875 opera, Carmen. Kaufman, Loewith and  Christopher Youstra (who leads the 11-piece brassy orchestra on stage) wrote the lyrics.

  
Carmen in one form or another may be almost 200 years old. The original may stem from an 1824 poem, The Gypsies, by Alexander Pushkin, followed by a novella of 1846 which was used by Bizet to create his opera. (The Olney got a eight-year jump on Carmen's bicentennial celebration.)


Additional Carmen cast members are George Akram, Sumayya Ali, Michelle Alves, Moses Bernal, Nick Duckart, Calvin McCullough, Skizzo Arnedillo, Ronald Bruce, Tiffany Byrd, Karla Choko, Nurney, Alejandra Matos, José Ozuna, and Kara-Tameika Watkins.

Other members of the creative team are Robert Kaplowitz, sound, Marcos Santana, additional choreography, Andrea Grady, Alejandro Aviles, Josiane M. Lemieux, and Dennis A. Blackledge.

Contrary to impressions, it's not a trip to reach the Olney from Northern Virginia. From the Beltway, take 270, exit at Wootton Parkway, drive Norbeck, left on Georgia Avenue, right on Old Baltimore and right on Olney Sandy Spring Road which puts you two lights and about a quarter mile from the Olney, and you've bypassed Maryland's toll fees.  Under 45 minutes.  Take your GPS.

 What: Carmen: An Afro-Cuban Jazz Musical 
 
When: Now through March 6, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m., and a Wednesday matinee at 2 p.m. on March 2.
 
Audio described performance for the blind and vision impaired:  Tonight at 8 p.m., provided by the Metropolitan Washington Ear.  Sign interpretation is available upon request.

Post-show discussion: AfterWords, Saturday, March 5 after the 2 p.m. performance


Where: Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, MD 20832

How much: Tickets start at $38, with discounts for military, groups, seniors, and students.

Duration: About 100 minutes without intermission.

Refreshments: Available for purchase and may be taken to seats.

Parking: Abundant, free, and on-site

For more information: 301-924-3400
 
patricialesli@gmail.com






  

National Symphony tickets on sale for $13

Storm Large will sing The Seven Deadly Sins with the National Symphony Orchestra April 28 and 29, 2016/National Symphony Orchestra

You must buy a minimum of three tickets (total = $39 @ $13 each) to get the National Symphony seats at this whoppingly discounted price.  Although the sales price has gone up a little ($2 each) over recent years, it's still a grand deal! 

And there are no handling charges.

Alban Gerhardt will play Elgar's Cellist Concerto in a program with Sir James MacMillan conducting interludes from his opera, The Sacrifice, with the National Symphony Orchestra May 12 and 13, 2016/National Symphony Orchestra

No Saturday night seats are available for $13, but there are Thursday nights, some Fridays, and two Friday "coffee concerts" at 11:30 a.m.

The offer ends Feb. 26 and may be withdrawn at any time.

Leila Josefowicz will play Salonen's Violin Concerto with the National Symphony Orchestra June 2 and 3, 2016/National Symphony Orchestra

For more dollars ($23 or $33 per ticket) you may purchase "prime orchestra" and "premium orchestra" seats.

What a deal! 

All seats are on the orchestra level, and here's the skinny:

Go to nationalsymphony.org/triple play (I've never been able to get it to work) and buy a minimum of three seats and check out, or call 202-416-8500 Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Be sure to mention the "Triple Play" deal.

The sales dates and guest artists are:

Mar. 3 and Mar. 4 (Thursday and Friday eves): Christoph Eschenbach conducting Bruch and two Prokofiev symphonies, with violinist Ray Chen and harpist Adriana Horne.

Mar. 10 and 11 (Thursday eve and Friday morning): Eschenbach conducts works by Brahms and Picker with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet who plays Liszt.
 

Mar. 17 and 18 (great way to celebrate St. Paddy's Day; wear green!) (Thursday and Friday eves), however, all $13 seats for both performances are sold out.  Pricier tickets remain. Osmo Vänskä conducts Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 with pianist Nikolai Lugansky playing Brahms.

Mar. 31 and April 1 (Thursday and Friday morning): Cristian Macelaru conducting works by Fauré, Jalbert, and Debussy. Violinist Nikolaj Znaider plays Brahms. 

April 7 only (Thursday eve): Nikolaj Znaider conducting Mahler's Symphony No. 1, and pianist Benjamin Grosvenor playing Mozart.

 

April 14 and 15 (Thursday and Friday eves): Hugh Wolff, conducting works by Barber and Ives with violinist Anne Akiko Meyers who will play Bates. The Friday night performance will start at 9 p.m. and feature an abbreviated show and "party" of sorts called DECLASSIFIED: The B-Sides with Mason Bates and "a sampling of his most innovative hits."

 

April 28 and 29 (Thursday and Friday eves): James Gaffigan conducting works by Rodgers, Dvorák, and Ravel, with Storm Large singing Weill's The Seven Deadly Sins. Another Friday night "party" with abbreviated show starting at 9 p.m.:  DECLASSIFIED: Cabaret of Sin with Large and Hudson Shad performing tunes of "a sweet and sultry mix."

 

May 5 and 6 (Thursday and Friday eves): Andrew Litton conducting Shostakovich's Symphony No. 11, and violinist Vadim Gluzman playing Tchaikovsky.

May 12 and 13 (Thursday and Friday eves): Sir James MacMillan conducting Vaughan Williams, three Interludes from MacMillan's own The Sacrifice, and cellist Alban Gerhardt playing Elgar.

 

June 2 and 3 (Thursday and Friday eves): Eschenbach conducting works by Haydn and Schumann, and violinist Leila Josefowicz who will play Salonen.

 

June 9 and 10 (Thursday and Friday eves): Eschenbach conducting Bruckner's Symphony No. 4, and Nathalie Stutzmann singing Mahler. 

What: The National Symphony Orchestra in concert

Where: The Kennedy Center, 2700 F Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20566

How much: Minimum $39 for three tickets (or $66 or $99). No handling charge.

 

Metro station: Foggy Bottom. You may ride one of the free burgundy shuttles from Foggy Bottom to KenCen or walk it (10 minutes). The shuttles are at the top of the escalators.


For more information: 202-416-8500


patricialesli@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

A 2013 chat with Justice Antonin Scalia

Justice Antonin Scalia/Wikimedia

Please see my post of Valentine's Day 2013.

'Frank Sinatra' in free concert at St. John's, Lafayette Square Feb. 3

Photo from @FrankSinatra/Wikipedia

Just past his 100th birthday celebration (Dec. 12, 2015), the crooner is back!  In the form of singer Bob McDonald well known for his Sinatra songs and delivery who will perform with his jazz band in the free First Wednesday Concert at 12:10 p.m. February 3 at St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square.

Bob McDonald

Mr. McDonald has performed his Sinatra show at the Kennedy Center, Signature Theatre, Arena Stage, Folger Theatre, and Strathmore.

On Wednesday he will sing:

"Come Fly with Me"

"Fly Me to the Moon"

"Send in the Clowns"

"The Lady is a Tramp"

"It Was a Very Good Year"

"The Coffee Song"

"My Way"

St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

St. John's known to many Washington residents as the yellow church at Lafayette Square, is often called the “Church of the Presidents” since beginning with James Madison who was president from 1809 to 1817, every president has been a member of St. John's or has attended services at the church. A plaque at the rear of the church designates the pew where President Abraham Lincoln often sat when he stopped by St. John's during the Civil War.

This year the church celebrates its bicentennial, and its history and stained-glass windows are described in books and booklets available at St. John's.

First Wednesday concerts begin at 12:10 p.m. and last about 35 minutes. Food trucks are located two blocks away at Farragut Square.

Who: 'Frank Sinatra' via Bob McDonald and his jazz band

What: First Wednesday Concerts

When: 12:10 p.m., February 3, 2016

Where: St. John’s, Lafayette Square, 1525 H Street, NW, at the corner of 16th, Washington, D.C. 20005

How much: No charge

Duration: About 35 minutes

Wheelchair accessible

Metro stations: McPherson Square (White House exit), Farragut North, or Farragut West

For more information: Contact Michael Lodico at 202-270-6265.

Future dates and artists of the First Wednesday Concerts are:

March 2: The Lafayette Square Duo with Rebecca Smith on harp and Michael Lodico on organ will play a composition by Peter Mathews.

April 6: Soloists from St. John's Choir will sing.

May 4: The U.S. Air Force Strings Chamber Orchestra with harpsichordist Brandon Straub will play Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5.

June 1: Concert organist Roderick Demmings, Jr., will play works by Bach, Wammes, and Widor.


patricialesli@gmail.com

Fisk Jubilee Singers at the National Gallery of Art

The Fisk Jubilee Singers at the National Gallery of Art, Jan. 17, 2016/Photo by Patricia Leslie

 Hundreds came on Sunday to hear the Fisk Jubilee Singers from Fisk University in Nashville perform in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at the National Gallery of Art. 

 Paul T. Kwami, the Jubilee Singers' musical director, at the National Gallery of Art, Jan. 17, 2016/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The Jubilee Singers' musical director, Paul T. Kwami, presented a brief history of the chorus which began in 1871 to raise money for the college founded in 1866.  The group toured the U.S. and Europe, "introducing Negro spirituals to the world," Mr. Kwami said, performing for, most notably, Queen Victoria who commissioned a gift from England to the university, a portrait of the Singers which still stands in Jubilee Hall on the Fisk campus, 

When Mr. Kwami asked Fisk alumni who were present Sunday to stand, about 20 were recognized and applauded by the audience.   
 
The Fisk Jubilee Singers in 1882/Photo, Deep Roots Magazine/Wikipedia

 The Fisk Jubilee Singers at the National Gallery of Art, Jan. 17, 2016/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Based on applause, crowd favorites on Sunday were "Daniel! Daniel!  Servant of the Lord" with Lyante Savala, tenor, and Kylen C. Parker, bass, "There is a Balm in Gilead" with Joi-Anissa Taylor, soprano, and "Old Time Religion" with Domine B. Ezechukwu, alto.  

Also on the program: "'Way Over in Egypt Land," "Run, Mourner, Run," "Poor Man Laz'rus," "Let the Church Roll On," "Jubilee!  Jubilee!" "My Lord is So High," "There's a Meeting Here Tonight," "Do Lord Remember Me," "Rise, Shine for Thy Light is A-Comin'," and "There's a Great Camp Meeting."  

Mr. Kwami said "Mr. Banjo" was not a traditional African-American song, but they were going to sing it anyway for the crowd's pleasure. Dwayne P. Mitchell sang tenor.

They also sang "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," the 1909 version which the Library of Congress added to the U.S. National Recording Registry in 2002.   

Other singers on Sunday's program were Kierra Pryor, Brianna Barbour, Torin Brown, and Allen Christian.

No sounds were too loud or harsh, but slow and even, memorably connecting their beauty of a century and a half ago to today's harmonies, demonstrating their music's ageless allure and peace. 

In 2008 the Singers won the National Medal of Arts. 

 The Fisk Jubilee Singers at the National Gallery of Art, Jan. 17, 2016/Photo by Patricia Leslie

 

 The positions the Fisk Jubilee Singers took while colleagues presented individual biographical sketches of original Jubilee Singers at the National Gallery of Art, Jan. 17, 2016/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The a cappella group usually has 11 members, however, one member fell ill and only participated Sunday in the individual verbal biographies each 2016 Singer delivered about original Jubilee members.

One of the original Jubilee singers from Lebanon, Tennessee and born on February 29, 1853, was only 12 years old on January 9, 1866 when he started at Fisk which had 300 students enrolled at the time.  Another original Singer was born in Whiteville, Virginia and later became a cook for the Union army and taught school in Nashville.  Several were born into slavery.

  The Fisk Jubilee Singers (in the distance) at the National Gallery of Art, Jan. 17, 2016/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Throughout the approximately hour-long program, throngs  continued to arrive, admitted between numbers.  Since every seat was taken, some attendees sat on the floor while others stood.  At the end of the performance, the crowd gave the Jubilee Singers a standing ovation.

In the galleries, Sunday was no different from other weekend days at the National Gallery of Art, filled with thousands who love and are intrigued by art, whether it is painted, sculpted, played, or sung.


What:  Free concerts at the National Gallery of Art

When: Check here for dates and times.

Where: Usually in the West Building, West Garden Court, National Gallery of Art, between Third and Seventh streets at Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. On the Mall. 

Admission is always free at the National Gallery of Art.
 
Metro stations: Smithsonian, Federal Triangle, Navy Memorial-Archives, or L'Enfant Plaza

For more information: 202-842-6941

patricialesli@gmail.com

Free dance lessons at the Kennedy Center

In the nightly sky above the roof line at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, it's not the moon or a star or a plane from nearby National Airport, it's a street light/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Estela Velez de Paradez led a flamenco dance lesson at the Millennium Stage at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts/Photo by Patricia Leslie

First, you put your hands in the air/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Then, you wave them all about/Photo by Patricia Leslie

 Flamenco dancing is good for the middle/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Instructor Estela Velez de Paradez invited audience members up on the Millennium Stage for a flamenco dance lesson at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Can you do it? A one-on-one exchange, and the little girl dressed for the occasion/Photo by Patricia Leslie

A star is born at the Millennium Stage/Photo by Patricia Leslie

I could have danced all night

I could have danced all night

And still have begged for more.

I could have spread my wings 

And done a thousand things...

Wait!

Dancing was not why I was there!

Dancing was not on my menu, but rather...

Music, music, music!

I went to the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage to hear free music, music, music, and drink Happy Hour beer and eat pretzels.

But, but, but...no music, music, music to be found... or heard.

How about a flamenco dance lesson instead?

Estela Velez de Paradez of Joy of Motion Dance Center led the class, and she stomped.  

Her new students stomped.

She raised her hands.  

The students raised their hands.

She shouted "olé!"  

The students shouted "olé."  

She shouted "olé!" again and demanded a louder "olé!" response, and she got it.

Ms. Velez de Paradez gave a brief history of flamenco dancing (created by Gypsies "to express their emotions") and compared the dance to vino:  "It's like wine; it gets better the older you get" (!)), and she urged everyone present to practice attitude and posture, both critically important to successful flamenco dancing.  

"Stand up straight!  Hold your stomach in!" 

      You put your right foot in,

You take your right foot out,

You put your right foot in,

And you shake it all about

You do the hokey pokey

and you turn yourself around

That's what it's all about

Hold it!  That was not what Estela was leading, and there was no music.

Horrors!  If music ever started, was it to be taped a la Warner's and the Nutcracker?  No musicians nor instruments were seen.

After 30 minutes of stomping and hand wavin' and "ole's" and no signs of music making, I left at 6:30 p.m. and drifted home.  Sad.  

Whoever thought of looking at the schedule?

Coming up!  Another free dance lesson on January 31, 6 p.m., Millennium Stage, Beginner Contemporary Jazz with Jocelyn Isaac. "Please wear clothing you can move in" the Kennedy Center suggests.

When:  Free Millennium Stage performances seven days a week at 6 p.m. which last generally under an hour

Where: The Kennedy Center, 2700 F Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20566

How much: Admission is always free at the Millennium Stage.

Metro station: Foggy Bottom. Ride a free red shuttle bus (every 10 minutes) at the top of the escalators at Foggy Bottom to KenCen or walk it (10 minutes).

For more information:  800-444-1324 or 202-467-4600

patricialesli@gmail.com