11.) Marie Christine, by Michael John LaChiusa - musical, retelling of the Jason and Medea story, where Medea is an upper-class mixed-race woman from 1890s New Orleans and Jason is a sea-captain/wanna-be politician from Chicago. Audra McDonald and Anthony Crivello totally knock it out of the park. (Looks like the whole cast recording is on Youtube, awesome.)
13.) Coronation of Poppea, by Monteverdi and Busenello - opera, about the Roman emperor Nero, his mistress Poppea, and how True Love Always Wins Out, even when the true lovers are totally, irredeemably evil. There are gods on stage for at least a quarter of the action, and Busenello's libretto is so smart that you can interpret them as literally there OR pure metaphor. Here is a tiny clip from a recent production, unfortunately without subtitles (but for this scene, you don't exactly need them). (In the clip, Nero is played by a countertenor; he is more often played by a woman. Both options are SO HOT.)
14.) Amour, musical - set in 1950s Paris, about an office worker who gains the ability to walk through walls. It's part fairy tale, part romantic comedy. The song "Other People's Stories" is adorable and reminds me of fandom, but I couldn't find a link.
Plays:
15.) The Only Jealousy of Emer, by W. B. Yeats. He wrote a lot of plays that drew heavily from Irish mythology (and also, heavily from the re-tellings of his friend, Lady Gregory), but this one, about the wife of Cuchulainn, is my favorite.
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Date: 2011-08-21 03:34 am (UTC)Music:
11.) Marie Christine, by Michael John LaChiusa - musical, retelling of the Jason and Medea story, where Medea is an upper-class mixed-race woman from 1890s New Orleans and Jason is a sea-captain/wanna-be politician from Chicago. Audra McDonald and Anthony Crivello totally knock it out of the park. (Looks like the whole cast recording is on Youtube, awesome.)
12.) Evening Primrose, by Stephen Sondheim - movie musical love story about people who secretly live in a department store, and some creepy manikins. Here's the first song from the original movie, but I also love the recording with Neil Patrick Harris and Theresa McCarthey.
13.) Coronation of Poppea, by Monteverdi and Busenello - opera, about the Roman emperor Nero, his mistress Poppea, and how True Love Always Wins Out, even when the true lovers are totally, irredeemably evil. There are gods on stage for at least a quarter of the action, and Busenello's libretto is so smart that you can interpret them as literally there OR pure metaphor. Here is a tiny clip from a recent production, unfortunately without subtitles (but for this scene, you don't exactly need them). (In the clip, Nero is played by a countertenor; he is more often played by a woman. Both options are SO HOT.)
14.) Amour, musical - set in 1950s Paris, about an office worker who gains the ability to walk through walls. It's part fairy tale, part romantic comedy. The song "Other People's Stories" is adorable and reminds me of fandom, but I couldn't find a link.
Plays:
15.) The Only Jealousy of Emer, by W. B. Yeats. He wrote a lot of plays that drew heavily from Irish mythology (and also, heavily from the re-tellings of his friend, Lady Gregory), but this one, about the wife of Cuchulainn, is my favorite.