A Wrenching, Roaring “Miss Saigon” Lands at Overture Center

Thirty years as a smash hit—and still problematic   I’m always a little embarrassed to admit that one iconic work or another has remained unknown to me—but usually glad that when I get the chance to experience it firsthand. Miss Saigon, the hit musical that opened in London thirty years ago and broke records there…

Greg Zelek in Recital: Volcanic, Organic, Romantic (and downright funny!)

Season opening of the organ series at Overture Hall is a thorough delight   In case you haven’t heard, 26 year-old Greg Zelek (pictured above, courtesy of Peter Rodgers), is the principal organist and curator of the Overture Center organ. He has just started his second season in the position, and Tuesday night opened the…

“An American in Paris” That Really Is New

2015 Tony-winning musical at Overture is so much more than 1951 film classic   No one had to twist my arm to get me to clear my schedule to attend the opening night of An American in Paris, the latest installment in the Broadway at Overture series. Pile on the Gershwin hits, give me that…

Homegrown Mozart from Madison Opera Tastier Than Ever

Abduction from the Seraglio warms up the Capitol Theater   We are often admonished to “buy local,” but to the degree this can be done in the world of opera, it’s a real rarity. Even the largest companies still co-produce new works and new stagings with other companies, and in the case of regional companies,…

This Year DeMain Honors Two Traditions

Madison Symphony season opener suitably subtle   He hasn’t always done so in his previous twenty-three seasons as Music Director of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, but in recent years John DeMain has made it a tradition to spotlight the orchestra itself in its season openers. He did so again Friday night in Overture Hall, and…

Madison Symphony Closes Its Season on Very Human Notes

Long-awaited hearings and a farewell mark the final weekend Madison Symphony Orchestra music director John DeMain has made it (or continued?) a tradition of closing each season with a major work for chorus and orchestra. He has said on occasion in recent years that he has long wanted to program Brahms’ A German Requiem—but waited…

Making a Spectacle of Themselves

Madison Opera presents The Tales of Hoffman illuminated by flashes of brilliance   In making a list of shortcomings (and it is a short list) of Madison Opera’s production of The Tales of Hoffman Friday night at the Overture Center, an inevitable conclusion is reached: the fault lies not in their stars, but inevitably, in…