Dourga Dourga

I've been "worshipping" Dourga quite a lot lately in a production of Lakmé.  Coming off of the hyperactivity of Widow, I was prepared to be let down.  However, putting this show together has been a decent experience.  The chorus definitely gets their moments, which are memorable and enjoyable enough to make all the waiting backstage bearable.  (The most unbearable backstage-waiting show?  Le Nozze di Figaro by a landslide!)  The Market Scene at the top of Act Two is probably the most fun and challenging, but I can't help but feel that the greatest moments in the show, for me, are the religious rite at the top of the show and our Act Three offstage chorus.  Delibes' may have viewed India through a possibly biased western-european lens, but his score--on its own--is just ravishing and sublime enough to forget about that.

Check out the video preview.  Scott and Kostis offer a lot of engaging commentary.  Come see the show if you can.  It's a piece well known for the Flower Duet...but oddly enough, it's not done very often anymore.

Our first weekend of performances is over.  Now, I can get back to a semi-normal routine of longer days at work and saving more money... why?

Well, it looks like I may be going to Italy next June.  The plans are far from finalized, but what I do know is that my church choir director wants to take us there for a possible 8-day performance/sightseeing tour to four cities: tentatively Rome, Florence, Venice and...wait for it...wait for it... ....ASSISI!)  I must admit to some apprehension at the first mention of this trip. Don't get me wrong...I loved going Italy back in ought-3, and the prospect of returning to Assisi (and maybe performing in one of its Basilicas) is quite tempting.  It's just that $$$ is a huge object in the way.  I also was of the mind that if I was to invest in a return to Europe, I'd want to visit someplace new, like Austria and southern Germany.  After some thoughts and projections and gigs I've picked up, it looks like the trip could be doable...as long as I can hunker down and be a little more careful and work-ethic-driven.  I'll visualize it as a way to improve my routines.

Me? A YouTube Celebrity?

Me? A YouTube Celebrity?

...

Uh...not quite, but you can see me briefly as part of a preview video for UAO's Merry Widow:



Opening night went over quite well. I can't tell you how much fun this show has been. Every aspect of the show is pleasing in its own way. Franz Lehár's music is so frothy, light and fun...it's no wonder this piece has endured for so long. Singing it in German is definitely a BIG plus for me...and I'm thinking that this production may very well spoil me for any future productions in English...but we'll see. The dancing has been a delightful challenge, especially the March Septet scene in Act II where some of us guys get to let loose and do a kickline (seen @ approx. 5:30 in the video above). Of course, there's lotsa waltzing too, which I'd originally feared, but I've grown to anticipate the embassy waltz in Act I, wanting to make it as bright and joyful as Lehár's score calls for. And did I mention the costumes?! THE COSTUMES!!! We look damn good onstage. The designer managed to make even ME look dashing.

DANGER: cheesy, shameless promotion ahead!

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