beaumarchais « WordPress.com Tag Feed

Remy Bumppo announces 2008/09 season

Scotty Zacher — Thu, 29 May 2008 02:30:07 +0000

Remy Bumppo 2008/09 Season

The Voysey Inheritance

by Harley Granville-Barker

adapted by David Mamet

directed by James Bohnen

featuring Artistic Associate David Darlow

David Mamet's sleek adaptation of Granville-Barker's 1905 play feels as if it were written yesterday. When Edward Voysey learns of his father's corrupt dealings within the family business, he knows there is only one ethical solution. But his moral stance conflicts with his siblings' fierce defense of their incomes and the family name. This drama of manners marries the wit and passionate dialogue of George Bernard Shaw with the ethical conflics of Arthur Miller.

September 18 – November 2, 2008

The Marriage of Figaro

by Beaumarchais

adapted by Ranjit Bolt

directed by Jonathan Berry

featuring Artistic Associates Greg Matthew Anderson and Annabel Armour

Ranjit Bolt, the adaptor of Remy Bumppo's viciously comic Tartuffe, pens this retelling of Beaumarchais' play made famous in opera form by Mozart. The lustful Count Almaviva has set his affections on his wife's chambermaid, who is also the fiancee of his valet, Figaro. To protect his love, the cunning servant Figaro must outsmart his master. His plotting reveals several other sexual games that culminate in a night of mistaken identities and deliciously funny farce.

November 13, 2008 – January 4, 2009

Old Times

by Harold Pinter

directed by James Bohnen

featuring Artistic Associates Linda Gillum and Nic Sandys

The season concludes with a masterpiece by Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter. The nature of truth, memory and ownership are questioned in this hauntingly provacative game of marital chess. When a married couple receives an unexpected visit from an old roommate, the reunion sparks anything but pleasant conversation. As they reminisce, inconsistencies are revealed, and one of the three becomes the desired possession in an impassioned war over control of the past.

April 23 – June 7, 2009

For more info on Remy Bumppo and the upcoming season, including subscriptions and ticket specials, call 773-244-8119, or go to www.remybumppo.org.

Flashback with Figaro at Berkley Rep

twid — Thu, 22 May 2008 02:25:55 +0000

Figaro: Musical drama.By Steven Epp and Dominique Serrand, adapted from Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" and three plays by Beaumarchais. Directed by Serrand. (Through June 8. Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Berkeley Repertory's Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St., Berkeley. Two hours, 50 minutes. Tickets: $16.50-$69. Call (510) 647-2949 or go to www.berkeleyrep.org.)

Berkley Repertory Theatre has once again brought the esteemed Jeune Lune to its stage. This time they bring the west coast premier of their show Figaro. Set 20 years after the events of the well-known opera by Mozart in the city of Paris, Jeune Lune’s own Stephan Epp has masterfully written his script that holds much relevance today. The production is placed in just the right spot to provide some much needed looks into our own society today. However, Figaro sometimes looses track of to where it is going, and unnecessarily complicates many parts of the show, making the audience loose track of what is really important in the show, the incredible acting provided by Epp and Serrand.

The play begins with Epp pushing in a huge wardrobe box that becomes an important piece of furniture for the rest of the show. The man who penned the piece, Steven Epp, plays old Figaro while Jeune Lune’s own artistic director Dominique Serrand plays the elder count. Their interaction is brilliant and is worth seeing the show for again and again. Their set suggests a minimalistic approach to the story, however hat follows is a whirlwind of actions flowing almost seamlessly between the events of the past and the events of the present. However I found myself wanting to hold onto the events of the present rather than being pulled into the story that they are remembering in the past. I would have had no problem the show continuing with mainly Ebb and Serrand on stage.

In talking with Serrand after the show he spoke about how the opera was so much of what the play was about, however I very humbly disagree with him. The story of the opera has been told over and over again and indeed for many fans of theatre and the opera the story is maybe a little too known. This new play based on the work of Beaumarchais chooses to focus it story on the memories of the now old count and aged Figaro. That is why this production works. It is not so much that the Jeune Lune’s opera is bad, it is just that the acting of Serrand and Epp is so brilliant. It makes the opera an unnecessary side thought to the story of the count and his servant. That is where the problem lies.

Theatre Jeune Lune often bombarded me with so much in trying to combine the story of the opera with that of the two men remembering it. Constantly I was trying to deal with the action onstage, the memories being acted out onstage and the subscript translating the opera. The subscript was completely unnecessary in that it tried to emphasize what was not the point of the play. This production is not about the story of the opera it is about these two men having grown old looking back on their past. Many times I found myself watching two plays onstage having a war with one another. Jeune Lune tried too hard to make the story of the opera be told and to set it apart from the story of the two men.

In an effort to be high tech and innovative they ended up complicating the play even further. Upstage of the action there stood a screen that was constantly changing position. The screen provided many a “cool” moment, showing close-ups of moments onstage on a live feed, but ultimately this was a crutch to allow for staging things away from the audience. The only time it really worked was when it factored into the memories of the men showing the son of the count, as he was a boy. Or when it showed a close up of the actor when it was really called for (ie. when Serrand finds out of his wife’s adultery). There were many times when dialogue was taking place onstage that the screen was moving into a position for another shot or was showing a moving picture background that did not provide much benefit other than distract the viewer from the action onstage.

There were, without a doubt, moments of brilliance in Figaro, but these were mostly found when low-tech devices were being employed, The moments between Figaro and the Count are some of the most priceless on stage as their dry whit and humor is enough to entertain any audience. Even when Serrand’s character leaves the stage you can still feel him present as though he was forced to leave too soon. It’s a pity the opera and the high tech innovation did take a back seat to the real action on stage. Figaro should have taken the advice of its set designers and remained a little more simple and focused more on the story of the men. Sometimes things are left better uncomplicated.

But as a final word, go and see it, if for nothing more than the performances of the leads, i could watch them all day long.

Révoltes

ideahunter — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 22:37:47 +0000

Happy birthday. Ca fait maintenant 5 ans. "Chasser Saddam Hussein du pouvoir était la bonne décision, et ceci est un combat que l'Amérique peut et doit gagner". L'Irak est la deuxième réserve mondiale de pétrole. "Les succès auxquels nous assistons en Irak sont indéniables". Indéniables, il faut le rappeler. 5 années de merde et on s'autocongratule. A côté, Mc Cain, après un passage en Irak pour faire la teuf, enchaîne sur un passage à Paris pour voir Super-keuf. Bruni-Sarkozy Carla. Elle aussi en révolte, prend la plume pour écrire son histoire. Elle en profite pour commenter Beaumarchais-Elmaleh. Carla rédactrice, encore une blague présidentielle. "Halte à la calomnie!" Halte là.

Chantal Sébire a décidé de partir. Toute cette histoire me révolte. L'hypocrisie, Super-keuf et Rachida, les media, les politiques.

Ca tourne au vinaigre les amis.

Notes from New York

wapentake — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 02:26:34 +0000

The recent Toronto snow storm put paid to my Friday night flight, so I was on the first Saturday morning hop to La Guardia. My 4:00 a.m. cab driver was just finishing a twelve-hour shift. Hurtling north on the 427 to Lester B. Pearson Airport, he pointed out the spot he'd done several 360s during the November snow storm. Then, he recounted the hour earlier in the day stuck in a snow bank. "Ever thought about going into PR?" I wondered.

In New York, where my wife had arrived two days earlier, we had tickets for the opera: Rossini's Il Barbiere di Seviglia. I called The Met in the hope of pre-ordering intermission drinks. I was officiously informed that "only members of the Guild" would be served drinks in the "Decidedly Huffy Room" at the intermission. "Enjoy the line-up, sir." was the main idea. I thanked her for taking the time to patronize me so effectively, and found myself looking forward to more brazen snobbery.

Since I needed an afternoon nap, we were late having dinner, so took a cab from lower Manhattan. Unlike Monaco's annual event, New York boasts a daily Grand Prix of "F1 and all" taxi drivers. With the lighter traffic of February, this made for an exhilarating dash up to the Lincoln Center.

The jockeying for pole positions does not end at the curbside. Sidewalk blasts of abuse and more refined over-the-shoulder "tuts" are a Manhattan art form. On the sweeping staircase of the Met itself, a haughty opera type attempted to cut me off en route to the water fountains. I opted not to brake and cede passage. Big sniff in my direction.

The lead performers could sing Rome into ruins. Even we, plain unseasoned opera runts as we are, could see that. Despite this stunning artistry, the classic operatic warble of Jose Manuel Zapata was humorous enough to provoke the odd giggle fit from my wife. This meant we both suffered from bouts of shuddering shoulders at inopportune moments. Slightly embarrassing as this was, at least we didn't break our chairs, unlike the oversized German lady on our left after an intermission snack or three. Luckily, the warble and the lurching clunk failed to coincide.

Elina Garanca, playing Rosina, has a voice crafted by angels. I couldn't hit a note if it grabbed me by the ears and blew a raspberry in my face, so, to me, voices like hers just defy comprehension.

A night at the opera demands a hearty breakfast to follow. Luckily, New York is one of the great breakfasting cities. We settled on the relaxing atmosphere of French Roast, whose Mexicana omelette was superb: think fresh herbs, salsa, and just the right amount of egg liquidity.

After a stroll around Chinatown, we stumbled into the immaculately scrubbed streets of Little Italy. I wonder what level of coercion is needed to keep up that level of cleanliness. At least, you don't worry about sullying your dropped cannoli.

Ten degrees of warm spring-like sunshine, a day at the MoMA, and a night at the Met. Still, it's always good to get home.

Déprimés?

NotAnAndroid — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:46:01 +0000

J'apprends dans le Nouvel Obs que les jeunes français sont parmi les plus déprimés d'Europe- seuls les Anglais broient plus de noir que nous- Courage les amis! Comme le disait déjà Beaumarchais, "tout finit par des chansons", et avec accessoirement, un mariage. Nous aurons bientôt le droit aux noces ; elle se seront pas celles de Figaro, mais peu importe un peu de légèreté que diable, et d'entrain!
Pour se distraire, on peut toujours relire la pièce en question. Elle dénonce les privilèges exorbitants de la Noblesse, juste avant la Révolution de 1789. Si cela ne vous rappelle rien...

Beaumarchais sur la suceptibilité musulmane (1781)

cercamon — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 08:26:54 +0000

Pour mémoire, j'extrais cette citation d'un billet récent de Cerca blogue!.

Je broche une comédie dans les moeurs du sérail; auteur espagnol, je crois pouvoir y fronder Mahomet, sans scrupule: à l'instant, un envoyé... de je ne sais où se plaint que j'offense, dans mes vers, la Sublime Porte, la Perse, une partie de la presqu'île de l'Inde, toute l'Egypte, les royaumes de Barca, de Tripoli, de Tunis, d'Alger et de Maroc: et voilà ma comédie flambée, pour plaire aux princes mahométans, dont pas un, je crois, ne sait lire, et qui nous meurtrissent l'omoplate, en nous disant: "chiens de chrétiens"!

C'est tiré de la fameuse tirade de Figaro à l'acte 5, scène 3 du Mariage, celle où figure "vous vous êtes donnés la peine de naître, et rien de plus". J'ai peut-être été inattentif mais je ne me souviens pas l'avoir entendue citer au moment de l'affaire des caricatures et il faut que je la trouve aujourd'hui sur le blogue d'un néo-con américain!