Broome Arts Mirror
Art and drama merge at KNOW’s annual festival
Reviewed by George Basler Wendy Biller thinks artists and playwrights have similar qualities. In both cases, they work from starting points and then “as they move forward, imagination can take them anywhere.” So, when the Los Angeles-based playwright and screenwriter learned about this year’s Playwrights and Artists Festival at Know [...]
BPO concert pushes all the right buttons for gamers
Reviewed by Barb Van Atta Soundtracks of video games are part of the “music of my life” – and I don’t necessarily mean that in a good way. I’m sure I wasn’t the only parent in the audience last night (Nov. 16), when the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra presented “Video [...]
SRO’s ‘Titanic’ a muliti-layered winner
Reviewed by Tony Villecco It doesn’t appear that there is any show that SRO Productions III cannot conquer. The company's latest offering is Maury Yeston’s epic musical Titanic (book by Peter Stone), the sad and true story of how the desire for power, publicity and money led 1,517 innocent [...]
EPAC’s ‘Annie’ casts a warm glow
Reviewed by George Basler Annie is a sugar-coated fairy tale of a musical that radiates optimism and good cheer that only the most hard-hearted Grinch could resist. Such is also the case with a buoyant production that opened this Friday (Nov. 9) at the Endicott Performing Arts Center for [...]
BU production of timeless classic sparkles
Reviewed by George Basler Gambling might not be your thing. You may never have set foot in a crap game or hung on the rail of a race track. But here’s a sure bet for you: If you head to the Watters Theater at Binghamton University, you'll have a [...]
‘Suor Angelica’ centerpiece of TCO banquet of musical delights
Reviewed by Sherri Strichman Tri-Cities Opera continues to surprise me. I knew I was headed for a performance yesterday (Nov. 9) of Giacomo Puccini’s one-act opera Suor (Sister) Angelica but wondered how TCO planned to make a full meal out of a single dish. Instead, the audience was treated [...]
BAMirror’s Villecco has new article on Operawire
Broome Arts Mirror reviewer Tony Villecco, who frequently writes about movie and music stars of the past, has a new article on Operawire about legendary tenor Luigi Alva. Here's a link: http://operawire.com/interview-legendary-tenor-luigi-alva-on-his-major-career-moments-maria-callas/
Goodheart and Shaw dazzle at BU recital
Reviewed by Tony Villecco Bass-baritone Kenneth Shaw and baritone Thomas Goodheart performed a dazzling joint recital last night (Oct. 27) at Binghamton University’s Anderson Center. Both singers trained and performed leading roles with Tri-Cities Opera, and they dedicated the evening to the 70th season of the local opera company, [...]
When Worlds Collide: Traditional vs. Modern Operatic Staging
EDITOR's NOTE: BAMmirror contributor Tony Villecco has a new piece in the October issue of CLASSICAL SINGER Magazine: "When Worlds Collide: Traditional vs Modern Operatic Staging" (reprinted below). He interviewed three principal singers -- tenor Michael Fabiano and sopranos Aprile Mille and Lucine Amara, all Metropolitan Opera regulars -- as [...]
Did you go ‘Psycho’ on Saturday?
In case you haven't noticed, the fall performance season is in full swing, with many MANY opportunities to find entertainment in Broome County. Our BAMirror team has been busy reviewing shows all over town, but none of us were able to attend the Binghamton Philharmonic's performance of the score [...]
‘Last Five Years’ is as sad and sweet as ever
Reviewed by Nancy Oliveri I think it has been about five years since the first time I reviewed a production of The Last Five Years, a two-person musical (contemporary opera?) about love and expectations, written and composed by Jason Robert Brown. When I reread my 2013 review, I realized [...]
SRO/Vortex explores Alzheimer’s with affecting dance and music
Reviewed by George Basler Art can sometimes be a vehicle to confront painful and deeply emotional topics. Such is the case with Forget Me Not, which is being performed this weekend by Vortex, SRO Production III’s theatrical dance company. The production, which opened last night (Oct. 19, at the [...]
TCO presents lush, lovely ‘Butterfly’
Reviewed by Sherri Strichman Once again, Tri-Cities Opera has pulled out all the stops in a glorious presentation of a classic opera, Madama Butterfly. Giacomo Puccini’s opera about a 15-year-old geisha in Japan who marries an American sailor was performed Sunday (Oct. 14) at The Forum in Binghamton. In the production, stage [...]
‘Laramie Project’ recalls fatal attack on gay man
By George Basler In 1998, Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student, was beaten, tied to a fence and left to die outside Laramie, Wyoming. The murder put a spotlight on homophobia and helped galvanize the gay rights movement. Thirty-eight days after Shepard’s death, playwright Moises Kaufman and [...]
Ti-Ahwaga’s ‘Full Monty’ is sheer fun
Reviewed by Nancy Oliveri There are several reasons in this life to bare all, be it your soul or your body, but few as equally moving and fun to watch as the musical version of The Full Monty, running weekends through Oct. 21 at the Ti-Ahwaga Performing Arts Center [...]
