Verdi Shows State Commanding Love and Death by Alice Cheng San Francisco Opera’s new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Aida” poignantly portrays the love, jealousy, and suffering of two women caught in a powerful political struggle. Aida (soprano Leah Crocetto), a captured slave, serves her mistress, the Princess Amneris (mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Semenchuk). They compete for…
Geeks, Nerds, Brains, and Odd-Balls Surpass Themselves by Alice Cheng “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” (2005) remains a side-splitting, fresh, and endearing comedy about what winning really means. The cast belts out tunes about magical feet, erections, and gay parenting. Filled with slow-motion and fast-forward action, improvisation and audience involvement, the opening…
American Arrogance Pins Lyrical Butterfly by Alice Cheng Giacomo Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” examines the consequences of opposing and unequal cultures clashing. The opera is set in early 20th century Nagasaki, where the U.S. still enjoys friendly relations with Japan. U.S. Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton (tenor Vincenzo Costanzo) abandons Cio-Cio-San (soprano Lianna Haoutounian), who considers their…
Shaw’s Comedy: Millionaire or Missionary? by Alice Cheng & Barry David Horwitz Can a highly competitive, profit-oriented country also practice altriusm and empathy? Why do we have extreme inequality: rich and poor, wealth and poverty? Does money mean that millionaires get to play God to those in poverty? Since 1905, George Bernard Shaw’s “Major…