Magnum Opus : DC Theatre Scene . Washington’s liveliest theatre w - PDF document

��Magnum Opus : DC Theatre Scene . Washington’s liveliest theatre web site��http://dctheatrescene.com/2009/07/14/magnum-opus/[7/14/2009 11:35:54 AM] Tuesday, July 14, 2009 NEWS FEED COMMENTSHomeAboutContactHelp DEAL OF THE DAY FIND A SHOW REVIEWS PODCASTS HOT TICKETS NEWS COLUMNS FEATURES SPECIAL EVENTS Browse� Our Reviews / Magnum Opus July 14, 2009 by Anna BrungardtFiled under Our Reviews Leave a comment Magnum OpusAnna rates it:Love, jealousy, writer’s block and all the madness and muses that fall inbetween elevate Michael Oberhauser’s contemporary opera Magnum Opus to epicRobert (Eric C. Black) is a playwright grappling with both his absent creativity and wife,Claire (Sarah Philippa), who is away on opera tours and the sole bread winner of the family. On a night ofquiet desperation, after Claire and her platonic although overtly flirty friend John (Robert Legge) havereturned, thick as thieves, from a tour, Robert finds himself visited by the demonic muses (Daniele Lorio andTricia Lepofsky) who gifted the great Romantic composer Schumann (Eric Sillers) with both his talents and hismadness. The opera, and yes, this is a fully mounted and produced, hour long opera, guides us throughRobert’s path from fame to his descent into madness. Perhaps most impressively, it achieves all this whileremaining fully accessible, entertaining, and poignant.Opera is a style which often falls under criticism for being inaccessible and irrelevant to a modern theater-goer’s life. Director Jay Brock gives us a fresh take on this “antiquated” art, presenting a piece that is modern,in English (for which this plebian is immensely grateful), and evocative. When Philippa mourns the loss of trustin her marriage, a beautiful sorrow that transcends the text finds its true home in Oberhauser’s harrowingmelodies and reaches the audience. Empathy is felt. The eyes well up. These are the emotionally loadedmoments that are only achievable through opera, and fortunately for us, this production is full of them.The entire cast of Magnum Opus is incredibly strong, each voice well-suited not only for its individual part, butfor the complex harmonies that constantly and seamlessly flow throughout the show. If you wouldn’t really saythat opera is your thing, or if you’ve simply never given the mellifluous art form a try, this would be a perfectplace to start.Magnum Opus offers the average Fringer an accessible and moving foray into the dark, tragic, and oftenmisunderstood world of opera. - I know Jay Brock and Sarah Philippa. It has not affected my review.Magnum Opus Written by Michael OberhauserDirected by Jay BrockPresented by Opera AlternaReviewed by Anna Brungardt ENEWS & UPDATESDon't miss a thing.Sign up to receive our HERBIE: POET OF THE WILD WEST CAPITAL FRINGE FESTIVAL DCTS' PICKS OF THE FRINGE ABOUT YOU ... I AMAbout You ... I amseeing Fringe shows this year (71.0%, 52 Votes)crazy enough to be trying to make a living intheatre (47.0%, 34 Votes)an avid theatregoer - saw more than that 33 Votes)liking your site (44.0%, 32 Votes)a musicals lover (41.0%, 30 Votes)a regular theatregoer - saw 5 (non-Fringe) plays ormusicals last year (33.0%, 24 Votes) ��Magnum Opus : DC Theatre Scene . Washington’s liveliest theatre web site��http://dctheatrescene.com/2009/07/14/magnum-opus/[7/14/2009 11:35:54 AM] More Fringe reviews here. Tags: Tell us what you're thinking... We're at our liveliest when you talk with eachother. And oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a Name (required)Email Address (required) Comments loving your site (26.0%, 19 Votes)someone who prefers plays where nobody sings ordances (22.0%, 16 Votes)an occasional theatregoer - didn't see that much(12.0%, 9 Votes)not Fringing this year (10.0%, 7 Votes)hating your site (1.0%, 1 Votes)Total Voters: CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN THEATER CAPTAIN DREW ON LEAVE SOURCE FESTIVAL 2009 HIP-HOP THEATER FESTIVAL OUR MOST RECENT POSTSBag LadyCloset LandThe Tempest: A Musicaldark play, or stories for boysLife Inside an Open KaijeMagnum OpusSource: One Acts Group GMcSwiggin’s PubBorn of a FairytaleDust of BabylonHeadscarf and the Angry BitchHow to Eat an ElephantThou Shalt Not KillImmoral CombatRECENT COMMENTS Submit Comment GO GO ��Magnum Opus : DC Theatre Scene . Washington’s liveliest theatre web site��http://dctheatrescene.com/2009/07/14/magnum-opus/[7/14/2009 11:35:54 AM] Vivid SeatsTheater TicketsCurtains TicketsSpamalot TicketsJersey Boys TicketsIn 2005, Ronnie Ruff founded DC Theatre Reviews, which became DC Theatre Scene.Copyright © 2008 · All Rights Reserved · Revolution Lifestyle theme customized by Blog Theme Machine · Powered by Log inSite Reqirements DC Theatre Scene looks best in Firefox 2.0 or IE 7.0. You can download Firefox The site uses multi-media files that require the Adobe Flash plug-in. As with all multi-media websites a broadband connection is best.Reprint Policy Our articles may not be reprinted in full but only as excerpts - and those portions may only be used if a credit and link is provided to our website. ��Magnum Opus : DC Theatre Scene . 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