Where’s the Fat Lady? Rigoletto at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, October 16-25 by Paul FitzZaland | will not pretend to be a connoisseur of the opera, or for that matter even literate in its specific language and allusions. For this reason it would seem inappropriate and naive of me to offer specific technical critique of individual performances, so | will instead speak about the experience itself. | think this is valid since | know my own tastes, and | do have a more than moderate experience with operas nearest cousins, the symphony, ballet and theater. Rigoletto is a story of lust and deception that, like most operas, ultimately ends with the title character experiencing delayed self-revelation at the untimely death of a loved one. In this case it is the daughter of the court jester, Rigoletto, who is mistakenly murdered after a series of events spurred on by her devoted father’s craving for vengeance. The object of his rage is the Duke, who employs him and who has deflowered his daughter and dishon- ored her name. Throughout the whole ordeal the father’s love for his daughter remains constant and gives a kind-of integrity to his murderous actions. The flaw with this opera comes in its delivery. The score, which becomes immediately rec- ognizable in the third act as the cliché background jingle to countless pasta commercials, has moments of extreme beauty and passion, but for me is less powerful than that of other operas such as Puccini's Turrandot, a personal favorite. The sets were on loan and were very conservative and traditional. The costumes were likewise borrowed and, while ade- quate, lacked any real flair. The one element that could have been developed was the lighting design, but it too was flat and failed to enhance the story or elevate the overall appeal of the experience. Where is that fat lady? | craved excitement. The kind of excitement that should come with such a melodramatic plot and over-the-top characters. | wanted to see sets that were abstracted from the stories internal themes; | wanted exaggerated costumes, or none at all. | wanted something that would make this performance more than just a textbook exercise in staging a traditional opera. It was not. ’ Fair enough. For many, the opera is like jazz, there is a relatively small number of unique compositions. The diversity and interest comes in the way those compositions are arranged and per- formed. This is where | could, if more adept at the language of opera, begin a critique of individual performances; it is about singing after all. During the intervals | did overhear several conversations from the more initiated, blue-haired, elite. They grumbled about the baritone, made a few melba-toast comments about the tenor, and delighted at the sopra- no. In fact, | would agree that the performance given by Cheryl Parrish in the role of Gilda, Rigoletto's daughter, was the high point of the evening. .She successfully managed to evoke emotion from me with her angelic aria in the second act that was beautiful and powerful but never harsh. It was at that point that | began to connect with the story and hope for more emotional development. It did not come (| think the fat lady left). In the end, the connection | should have felt with Rigoletto as he holds the lifeless corpse of his slain child was not there. | felt no sense of loss. It is a shame, too, since opera has the ability to be one of the most passionate and evocative of the performing arts. Still, | would recommend that anyone who has never attended the grand spectacle of opera should give it a go. You can not attend an opera and not be at least a little enriched by the experience. If this rant seems a little too critical or cynical | apologize. | have come to expect a lot from the performing arts over the years and have seen many performances that have made my pulse race and left tears in my eyes. This opera did not do that but it was overall very enjoyable. The feeling of anticipation as the house fills, the scene unfolds on stage, and the activity and life taking place in the front of house and behind the scenes are all worth the ticket. Oh, here she is. FIN ee — Rebirth of Heavy by Brenndan Laird Machine Head and Orange 9mm at the Croation Cultural Centre, Oct. 19 ‘Do you fuckers like it heavy or what?' asked Rob from Machine Head. The crowd responded with a prompted, ‘Fuck you, Rob!’ The many misinterpretations of heavy metal music have pro- duced a lot of skepticism. Despite all that, however, metal has thrived, nearly died, evolved, and now become reborn. With Korn invading the airwaves, Limp Bizkit and the Deftones growing in popularity, metal is strong again. There are many variables to account for the resurgence. Perhaps the biggest factor has been the changeover from skinny-white-boy-high-top-jean- jacket-metal to an ethnically diverse mosaic. Bands like Sepultura from Brazil or the Latin-based sounds of Puya have breathed new life into the metal sound. Of course, | can't go on without acknowledging the tremendous influence that Hip Hop has given metal. Korn, Limp Bizkit, and Rage Against The Machine are possibly the finest examples of the mix of Hip Hop and metal. Machine Head and Orange 9mm also fit into this category. Their gig on the 19th of October was another testament to the thriving 'new metal’ culture. Fight Club Beatdown Often times | wonder what is entertaining? Is a film entertaining just because we're seeing people do things that we would never do? Or is it because they respond unpredictably to things that we do all the time? Who knows? Fundamentally there is supposed to be some amusement gained from the experience. Fight Club had its moments during which | was amused, but for the most part | was just plain old disgusted. | hope that most people aren't thrilled at the idea of being manipulated with shock footage that serves no purpose. | don't want to give away the plot but three hours of being subjected to violence, degradation, and fear can leave even the most numb and desensitized person wanting an explanation. | wonder what | was intended to walk away with by Ishi Dinim when | left the theatre, besides a slight headache and nausea? Fight Club skims the surface on some very important subjects such as mental illness, male vio- lence, capitalism, terrorism, etc. However it doesn’t actually say anything critical about them. In fact it almost prescribes that the only way for working class men to feel alive, is to subject them- selves and others to extreme pain. In all the attempts that Fight Club tried to escape regu- lar plot conventions, it failed in the end. The main character, like so many other male action leads, is forced to throw himself in harms way (or be disposable) for the greater good. Don't waste your money, or your time, on this thoughtful product shot of a movie. It can be summed up as a brain fart! Where's the Fat Lady? Rigoletto at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, October 16-25 by Paul FitzZaland | will not pretend to be a connoisseur of the opera, or for that matter even literate in its specific language and allusions. For this reason it would seem inappropriate and naive of me to offer specific technical critique of individual performances, so | will instead speak about the experience itself. | think this is valid since | know my own tastes, and I do have a more than moderate experience with operas nearest cousins, the symphony, ballet and theater. Rigoletto is a story of lust and deception that, like most operas, ultimately ends with the title character experiencing delayed self-revelation at the untimely death of a loved one. In this case it is the daughter of the court jester, Rigoletto, who is mistakenly murdered after a series of events spurred on by her devoted father’s craving for vengeance. The object of his rage is the Duke, who employs him and who has deflowered his daughter and dishon- ored her name. Throughout the whole ordeal the father’s love for his daughter remains constant and gives a kind-of integrity to his murderous actions. The flaw with this opera comes in its delivery. The score, which becomes immediately rec- ‘ognizable in the third act as the cliché background jingle to countless pasta commercials, has moments of extreme beauty and passion, but for me is less powerful than that of other operas such as Puccini's Turrandot, a personal favorite. The sets were on loan and were very conservative and traditional. The costumes were likewise borrowed and, while ade- quate, lacked any real flair. The one element that could have been developed was the lighting design, but it too was flat and failed to enhance the story or elevate the overall appeal of the experience. Where is that fat lady? | craved excitement. The kind of excitement that should come with such a melodramatic plot and over-the-top characters. | wanted to see sets that were abstracted from the stories internal themes; | wanted exaggerated costumes, or none at all. | wanted something that would make this performance more than just a textbook exercise in staging a traditional opera. It was not. Fair enough. For many, the opera is like jazz, there is a relatively small number of unique compositions The diversity and interest comes in the way those compositions are arranged and per- formed. This is where | could, if more adept at the language of opera, begin a critique of individual performances; it is about singing after all. During the intervals | did overhear several conversations from the more initiated, blue-haired, elite. They grumbled about the baritone, made a few melba-toast comments about the tenor, and delighted at the sopra- No. In fact, | would agree that the performance given by Cheryl Parrish in the role of Gilda, Rigoletto's daughter, was the high point of the evening. She successfully managed to evoke emotion from me with her angelic aria in the second act that was beautiful and Powerful but never harsh. It was at that point that | began to connect with the story and hope for more emotional development. It did not come ( | think the fat lady left). In the end, the connection | should have felt with Rigoletto as he holds the lifeless corpse of his slain child was not there. | felt no sense of loss, It is a shame, too, since opera has the ability to be one of the most passionate and evocative of the performing arts. Still, | would recommend that anyone who has never attended the grand spectacle of opera should give it a go. You can not attend an opera and not be at least a litle enriched by the experience. If this rant seems a little too critical or cynical | apologize. | have come to expect a lot from the performing arts over the years and have seen many performances that have made my pulse race and left tears in my eyes. This opera did not do that but it was overall very enjoyable. The feeling of anticipation as the house fills, the scene unfolds on stage, and the activity and life taking place in the front of house and behind the scenes are all worth the ticket. ‘Oh, here she is. FIN 4 Rebirth of Heavy by Brenndan Laird Machine Head and Orange 9mm at the Croation Cultural Centre, Oct. 19 ‘Do you fuckers like it heavy or what?! asked Rob from Machine Head. The crowd responded with a prompted, ‘Fuck you, Rob! The many misinterpretations of heavy metal music have pro- duced a lot of skepticism. Despite all that, however, metal has thrived, nearly died, evolved, and now become reborn. With Korn invading the airwaves, Limp Bizkit and the Deftones growing in popularity, metal is strong again. There are many variables to account for the resurgence. Perhaps the biggest factor has been the changeover from skinny-white-boy-high-top-jean- jacket-metal to an ethnically diverse mosaic. Bands like Sepultura from Brazil or the Latin-based sounds of Puya have breathed new life into the metal sound. Of course, | can't go on without acknowledging the tremendous influence that Hip Hop has given metal. Korn, Limp Bizkit, and Rage Against The Machine are possibly the finest examples of the mix of Hip Hop and metal. Machine Head and Orange 9mm also fit into this category. Their gig on the 19th of October was another testament to the thriving ‘new metal’ culture. Fight Club Beatdown Often times | wonder what is entertaining? Is a film entertaining just because we're seeing people do things that we would never do? Or is it because they respond unpredictably to things that we do all the time? Who knows? Fundamentally there is supposed to be some amusement gained from the experience. Fight Club had its moments during which | was amused, but for the most part | was just plain old disgusted. | hope that most people aren't thrilled at the idea of being manipulated with shock footage that serves no purpose. | don't want to give away the plot but three hours of being subjected to violence, degradation, and fear can leave even the most numb and desensitized person wanting an explanation. | wonder what | was intended to walk away with by Ishi Dinim when | left the theatre, besides a slight headache and nausea? Fight Club skims the surface on some very important subjects such as mental illness, male vio- lence, capitalism, terrorism, etc. However it doesn’t actually say anything critical about them. In fact it almost prescribes that the only way for working class men to feel alive, is to subject them- selves and others to extreme pain In all the attempts that Fight Club tried to escape regu- lar plot conventions, it failed in the end. The main character, like so many other male action leads, is forced to throw himself in harms way (or be disposable) for the greater good. Don't waste your money, or your time, on this thoughtful product shot of a movie. It can be summed up as a brain fart!