Author Archives: Andy Manshel

‘Porgy and Bess’ Review: A Community of Indelible Individuals

The Met’s uniformly well-cast new production of the famed American opera paints a vivid portrait of a complex place.  ByHeidi WalesonSept. 24, 2019 5:30 pm ET New York In the 29 years since “Porgy and Bess”—by George Gershwin, DuBose and Dorothy Heyward, and Ira Gershwin —was last seen at the Metropolitan Opera, the piece has …

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Zany Anarchy, a Troubling Livestream and a Darkened Classic

At Opera Philadelphia’s annual fall festival, works included Prokofiev’s ‘The Love for Three Oranges,’ the world premiere of ‘Denis & Katya,’ and James Darrah’s revised production of ‘Semele.’ ByHeidi WalesonSept. 23, 2019 5:33 pm ET Philadelphia The fun show of O19, Opera Philadelphia’s annual 12-day fall festival, which runs through Sunday, was Alessandro Talevi ’s production …

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‘Looking at You’ Review: Big Brother in Your Pocket

Kamala Sankaram and Rob Handel’s opera takes a hard look at surveillance in an app-based world. ByHeidi WalesonSept. 10, 2019 4:38 pm ET New York Subjects for immersive theater don’t get much more relevant than the insidious spread of surveillance, which is cleverly explored in the opera “Looking at You,” by Kamala Sankaram and Rob …

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