Mikado Mixer

Posted on by Thor

Central Florida Vocal Arts Presented a Mikado Mixer at Seito Sushi Baldwin Park (4898 New Broad St, Orlando, Florida 32814).  Guest got a drink, a bite to eat and a cast meet and greet from the upcoming production of The Mikado. The Mikado is a comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. Members of the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra will be performing live at this upcoming production.

Theresa Smith-Levin the chief executive director of CFVA warmly introduced members of the cast and community collaborators. Part of the cast was missing for this event since they were performing in another production. Pam Schwartz the chief curator at the Orange County Regional History Center explained that the museum  had recently had an exhibit about the Vietnamese community here in Orlando. She and her staff will be setting up a pop up exhibit in the lobby of the Rep Theatre for the run of the Mikado with kimonos and other artifacts along with monitors showing oral histories that were done with members of Orlando’s Vietnamese Community. Ricky Ly of Tasty Chomps gave a lively discussion about Japanese fusion in the local food scene. Nicole Dupre of Opera del Sol is organizing an exhibit of art by Masami Koshikawa which will also appear in the Rep lobby. Thali Sigesawa wearing a blue kimono with a bright yellow sash, spoke about her mixed heritage being part Asian and part Brazilian. Growing up, she didn’t know quite where she fit in, but when she moved to Orlando she finally realized she could just be herself. She choked up a bit as she spoke of Sakado, her grandmother who used to tell her stories over and over again.  She caries her legacy as she grows older.

Gilbert and Sullivan remind us  that
“Virtue is only triumphant in theatrical performances”.  Enjoy an couple of hours of virtue, laughs and beautiful music as
Central Florida Vocal Arts, Opera del Sol and Space Coast Symphony come
together to present a modern concert version of The Mikado. 2019’s
Summer production marks the fourth year that Central Florida Vocal Arts
and Space Coast Symphony have joined forces and they plan to make this
production their most exciting to date!

Mark your calendar! The Mikado, a Concert Version is being staged August 9, 10 and 11, 2019 at the Orlando Rep Theater (1001 East Princeton Street Orlando FL). Ticket are $25 General Admission, $20 Student and Senior and $35 Box Office assigned front and center rows.

Friday,     August 9 2019  

7:30 PM
—
9:30 PM


Saturday, August 10 2019 

7:30 PM
—
9:30 PM


Sunday,   August 11 2019
 
3:00 PM
—
5:00 PM

After the mixer, Pam and I stayed to order diner. I had the Volcano Roll which consisted of a California roll topped with baked kani kama, bay scallops, tobiko, chives, and eel sauce. The sauce had just the right amount of bite setting off the sweet. Pam had the vegetarian ramen which consisted of a vegetable-dashi broth, roasted cherry tomatoes, bean sprouts, sweet corn, scallions, garlic oil, and sweet potato noodles  I tried one sip and it was delicious. She said the corn was the best she has had in Central Florida. She could tell it had been cut fresh off the cob. Seito Sushi, which has another branch in Dr Phillips, is well worth a visit.

Music of the Night: Masquerade

Posted on by Thor

Orlando Light Opera, Opera De Sol, and the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra presented Music of the Night: Masquerade at the Orlando Repertory Theater ((1001 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803) from August 2 to 4, 2018. I went on the opening night to sketch.

The show starred Michelle Knight, of Broadway’s Disenchanted, and local stars, Stephanie McCranie, mezzo soprano Sarah Purser Bojorquez,
Stephanie Newman, Bryan Hayes, tenor Kit Cleto, baritone Michael John Foster and
Andrew LeJeune.

This evening
will embody the glamour, magic and mystery of beloved musical theater
and opera repertory. Space Coast Symphony performed on stage under conductor, Aaron Collins. Opera del Sol offered an interactive performances upon
arrival and throughout the evening.The visual artistry of Ashley Willsey, designer of
CFC Arts Hunchback of Notre Dame, had her original projected
sets inspired by the larger works from which the music was
excerpted.

I was offered a seat up front and center but decided I wanted to sketch from further up, so I could take in more of the audience and so no one would be around me to see the faint glow from my tablet screen as I sketched in the dark.  The evening included many selections from musical Theater of Lloyd Webber, Sondheim, Rogers and Weill. I was excited to see Michelle Knight perform again. I had seen her perform Disenchanted in NYC and her sassy bravado had me laughing out loud that night. Sarah Purser Bojorquez performed as Evita, her voice echoing through the hall from behind the audience. Unfortunately there were more than a few mic issues that evening and it seemed like Michelle’s mic cut out more that any other. Pam Schwartz really liked the timber of Bryan Hayes, voice.

Pam Schwartz and I sat behind a millennial couple in masks and I decided to include them in the sketch. Half way through the evening the guy started ripping up his program. They were slow deliberate rips that lasted an excruciatingly long time to execute. How can someone be so dense, clueless and inconsiderate about the people trying to enjoy the music around them? He was trying to make some feeble origami with his program but it was no better engineered that a primitive paper airplane. Such a person should not be allowed out for an evening on the town. They might be fine in a crowed bar where they can be lost in the crowd on their digital devices but keep them out of theaters.

I wanted to take my cell phone flashlight and shine it in this mindless beasts face. Even his date and the people to his right kept looking over at him with annoyance. I heard of an audience member that was following a soccer game from the front row seat while she was supposed to be watching a play. She even shouted out whenever there was a goal. Will live theater have to die because of such mindless dolts? Perhaps an app can be developed that sweeps a theater and uses face recognition to find these strange mindless zombies. Their credit cards should be charged 10 times the ticket price as reparations for the disturbance or they should be escorted from the theater. Though angry, I resisted confrontation because I was busy finishing my sketch. I had work to do. I just laughed to myself about how clueless some folks in Orlando can be.

I thoroughly enjoyed the show. It will be performed  on August 11, 2018 at the Scott center for the Performing Arts at 7PM, and then The Community Church of Vero Beach on August 12, 2018 at 3PM.

The Collective presented the Opera Del Sol launch party.

Posted on by Thor

The Collective presented Orlando’s most exciting new performing arts concept, Opera del Sol at the Citrus Club
(255 S Orange Ave, Ste 1800, Orlando, Florida 32801) on August 7, 2017. The evening was hosted by Andrae Bailey and Jon Busdeker of The Collective. That night also happened to be the birthday of  Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. At the party, I focused my attention on sketching the string quartet.

The
mission of Opera del Sol, in partnership with the
Space Coast Symphony Orchestra, is to change the way audiences experience opera and
performance art by creating curated, conceptual productions in
unexpected places. They are creating new ways to experience
opera, musical theatre, and visual arts, opting out of traditional
venues, and instead creating alluring productions in unique and intimate
settings. They will combine the visual and performance arts with cleverly
curated foods and beverages to provide those
unexpected thrills.

Founder Nichole Dupre was there to introduce the inaugural season. With venues in both Orlando and Brevard
County, Opera del Sol will open this Fall with
Opera Wars, an original production set in outer space, and close with
the thrilling musical theatre classic, Sweeney Todd.

Keeping with their cross-arts mission, the company will also feature a curated art
show with local artist Peterson Guerrier, and will also perform
Bon Appetit, a one woman opera based on a well known Julia Child
broadcast, accompanied with a five-course dinner presented by Publix.

Mark Your Calendar. Opera del Sol is hosting a Happy Hour fundraiser and Opera Wars
Cast Meet and Greet on Tuesday November 7, 2017, from 5:30pm-7:30pm at Ace Cafe (100 W Livingston St, Orlando, Florida 32801).

 The countdown for Opera del Sol presents Opera Wars in Orlando
begins. Join the cast at The Abbey Friday November 24th and Saturday
November 25th. Show times are at 7pm, with a matinee on Saturday. Tickets
available at: operadelsol.ticketleap.com

The Merry Widow at the Rep.

Posted on by Thor

I went to a dress rehearsal of The Merry Widow, directed and re-conceptualized by Eric Pinder, and conducted by Aaron Collins. Pam Schwartz and I searched for and found an open stage door. The cast could be heard warming up their voices in the distance. A life-sized model of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang sat tireless back stage. It was a challenge to find a way into the theater without walking onto the stage. I could see that the cast was dressed to the nines from the wings. This production features the best vocal talent in the area with members of the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra in the pit. I was excited to sketch the pit in action. Not many productions feature a live orchestra so predominantly. The steam punk themed set must have been left over from the previous show. Perhaps it was intended to indicate the complicated gears of love.

Leading lady, Hanna, (Claire Tendl) inherits a fortune from her late husband. The year is 2005, and she is so wealthy that everyone who is anyone in Silicon Valley is vying to get into her inner circle in order to gain access to a piece of her wealth, in the range of $300 million. Believing that a new marriage is the best way to secure her inheritance, business mogul friend, Baron, (John Segers) springs into action with the help of his own wife, (Eliza Healy Dopira) to find Hanna the right husband. It proves to not be as easy as it seems. The clever widow has her sights set on the charming and reckless Daniel, (Kevin Romero) a former college flame. There is only one problem, he has no intention of sacrificing his bachelor lifestyle for the comfort of marriage. He has a “wealth” of ladies to keep him entertained, and not even the promise of Hanna’s fortune can pull him away from his drunken escapades. Rendezvous are rampant. Complications abound.

The cast of about 20 often filled the stage with a party atmosphere. Claire Tendl’s singing was amazing. Kevin Romero acted with a drunken vaudevillian bravado, his body often struck in an arching curved gesture. The modernization of the show was most obvious in the third act which took place in a strip club called Maxim’s, complete with a stripper’s pole, on which Dawn Humphries gave an athletic performance. I wouldn’t mind this being an Olympic event. Money was thrown everywhere, as the other dancers gyrated on several chairs. Then the club abruptly emptied leaving the lead couple, Hannah and Dan, playfully holding onto the pole and spinning around it together.

The Merry Widow will be presented in the Edyth Bush Theatre at the Orlando Repertory Theatre (1001 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803). Tickets are on sale now with local Orlando shows August 10th through the 13th. There will be two satellite shows in Melbourne and Vero Beach August 19th.

The remaining Orlando Performance dates are:

Saturday, August 12 2017

7:00 PM
—
10:00 PM



Sunday, August 13 2017

2:00 PM
—
5:00 PM