Mention the words “Berlin cabaret” and most people will imagine the sleazy M.C. and decadent all-girl band from the Kander and Ebb musical Cabaret. Film buffs will conjure up the image of Marlene Dietrich tormenting a mild-mannered elderly gentleman with her sexually...
written by
Steven Blier
Heroes
Tonight’s program, Heroes, had a unique birth. It began with my desire to work with with the four musicians sharing the stage with me tonight, a quartet of artists who are frequent collaborators and close friends. While baritone John Brancy and violinist Charles Yang...
NYFOS@NorthFork 2022: Day 6
A picture is worth a thousand words. Here’s a little gallery from dress rehearsal this afternoon. One moment of special interest: Shelén did something so touching today during one of her songs that I was suddenly overwhelmed by emotion. I thought I’d be able to keep a...
NYFOS@North Fork 2022: Day 5
Friday’s always a tricky day in these week-long residencies. I want to keep moving the artistic process forward, while simultaneously instilling confidence and protecting the singers’ vocal resources. It’s not a great idea to exhaust them 48 hours before the show. ...
NYFOS@North Fork 2022: Day 4
As Stephen Sondheim wrote— “Bit by bit, putting it together.” This means patting every song into place, changing the running order (just in time to meet the print deadline), and, inevitably, a raft of Last-Minute Transpositions. Today we decided to take yet another...
NYFOS@North Fork 2022: Day 3
Wednesday is always the day of grace. The performance still feels pleasantly far off, so we’re able to keep performance anxiety at bay. Sure, the cast is concerned about memorization, I am concerned about the places where my hands are not cooperating. But these remain...