B E B E R E

A Night at the Opera.

We caught Chabrier's L'Etoile yesterday afternoon at the Majestic. In a word, it was magical.

We weren't familiar with the work, so were very curious to see how it would be treated. Brilliant to work with the structure of the piece (lots of dialogue, recitative, patter-songs) and render it Gilbert and Sullivan-like while still retaining the Frenchness. I particularly loved the deft change of liqueurs for the drunken duo in the last act.

Not everything was rendered into English however, and it was during those sung moments where, embarassingly, the tears would start flowing.

Staging was minimal, but playful and effective. In sum, Opera Boston Got It Right.

There is one more performance, tomorrow night (Tuesday the 7th). I recommend it highly: it's a wonderful diversion, and the company deserves to be supported for their very impressive work.