The Perfect American
Philip Glass
13th September 2014
The Perfect American which premièred at Teatro Real Madrid and the exact production now showing in Brisbane. I went to the final Dress Rehearsal last night and it is opera on a grand scale and a production style not often seen on stage here. It is the first Philip Glass I have seen live on stage and sitting quite close to the beautifully balanced and exquisite playing of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra I was in love with the orchestration, the lyricism and the ingenuity of the sound. No show stopping arias, but powerful singing and some moving chorus work by the, oh so strong mass of singers of Opera Queensland, also augmented by dancers from Expressions Dance company. The collaboration of arts groups here is raising the bar of theatre and music in this town. Several productions this year have seen the joining forces of several companies that has brought exposuer for the best of the best. Watching the mechanical giant gantry's/movie cameras, ingenious projections and the brilliant clothing form 60 or more years ago is a trip worth taking. It really is a must see for music, and stage lovers. Performed in the Concert Hall with the addition of a temporary Proscenium gave a huge breadth to the stage. Of course I have to thank my first boss Lee and a whole bunch of viola players Anna and her husband and Helen for the tickets. I was quite thrilled to see a whole bunch of my fb friends there as well. Anthony, Timothy and Leigh.
Some additional news about Kanen Breen who sang the role of Andy Warhol in this production.
Being invited to perform the national anthem at a major sporting event is a proud moment for a singer. However pride turned to disappointment for Australian opera singer Kanen Breen, who was subjected to homophobic abuse after performing the Australian national anthem at a major Basketball match on Saturday evening. Breen, who recently wowed audiences as the Beadle in Victorian Opera’s Sweeney Todd, delivered a faultless performance of Advance Australia Fair at the FIBA Oceania Championships on Saturday evening at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, where Australia’s Boomers faced off against New Zealand in the first of two matches in the final. Singing to a capacity crowd of 15,000 spectators as well as a live nationwide television audience on Channel 9, Breen wore a rainbow coloured tie for the event to show solidarity for the campaign for marriage equality in the wake of the Government’s decision last week not to allow Members of Parliament a conscience vote on the matter. As the applause died down following his performance, an unidentified male spectator shouted “faggot” at Breen. The homophobic slur was audible on the television broadcast, with Breen describing the offensive jibe as “clear as a gunshot.” - See more at: http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/news/homophobic-slur-mars-kanen-breens-national-anthem#sthash.RJ0ljhTb.dpuf
