“The Marriage of Figaro” is all about sex, and Director Barbara Gaines doesn’t let us forget it. In a new production at Lyric Opera of Chicago, which opened Sept. 26 at the Civic Opera House, she gives everything from adolescent longings to le droit du seigneur a humorous touch. Gaines is founder and artistic director of Chicago […]
For theatergoers, season ticket subscriptions offer savings on ticket costs, the ability to change seats or performance dates, and the chance to put some outings on the calendar months ahead of time. And, subscriptions are a way of putting your money behind a group you like. Here’s a look at several superb Chicago-area theater subscription […]
From the first notes of “The Carousel Waltz” it is clear that this Rodgers & Hammerstein musical drama will not end happily. Harmonies like shards of glass scrape and slice through the lovely melody as the Lyric Opera of Chicago‘s production of “Carousel” comes to life on stage at the Civic Opera House. A wordless […]
The Better Makers section of our print magazine features photos of guests and honorees from some of Chicago’s top fundraisers. We highlight these events in order to shed light on all of the hard work the people of Chicago and the North Shore are doing to raise awareness around important causes and make a difference […]
“Tosca” has everything. A chilling story of an opera singer and a painter trapped in the political turmoil of 1800 Rome; their passionate, doomed love story; and blood—oh yes, lots and lots of blood—all borne on the crest of Puccini’s magnificent music. Lyric Opera of Chicago opened a new production of this glorious tragedy at […]
“Anna Bolena” premiered in December of 1830, composed by Gaetano Donizetti, who lived from 1797 to 1848. So it is a bel canto opera, right? Yes, but don’t think the principals will just stand there and sing. The three hour and 25 minute production at Lyric Opera of Chicago opened Saturday, Dec. 6, and this […]
George and Ira Gershwin and Dubose Hayward’s “Porgy and Bess” is both a spectacle and a love story. It portrays a tight-knit community and a doomed couple, its focus careening back and forth between those opposite poles. Lyric Opera of Chicago brought that tale of African Americans on Catfish Row in South Carolina to pulsating […]
On Nov. 1, celebrities like Jane Lynch, Renée Flemingand Ramsey Lewis convened in Chicago to celebrate 60 years of the Lyric Opera. But the party isn’t over. Northwestern’s Alice Millar Chapel will host the Lyric Opera Chorus on Nov. 22 for “A Wondrous Sound,” a concert filled with highlights from the company’s 60th anniversary season, […]
“Madama Butterfly” opened at the Lyric Opera of Chicago Tuesday, Oct. 15, and it is a production the likes of which I have never seen. And like most opera fans, I rarely miss a chance to see Giacomo Puccini’s magnificent telling of this tragic tale. The curtain rises on the stage of the Civic Opera […]
How long is too long for an opera? Looking from the outside in at the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of Wagner’s “Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg,” even the most devoted fan might tremble at the thought of committing about five-and-a-half hours to one opera. Fear not. In every aspect, the singers, the musicians, the set […]
