The Mikado Reviews

The Mikado, photo by Karen Almond.

The reviews are in for The Mikado.  See what the critics said below and if you attended the show, share your experience.  As reviews come in they will be added.

Libby Hansen for The Kansas City Star
Lyric Opera’s ‘The Mikado’ sets just the right tone
“Tenor Joshua Kohl and soprano Sarah Jane McMahon were sweetly matched, vocally and personality-wise, and in their delightful duet.”

Paul Horsley for The Independent
NIGHT AT THE OPERETTA: Lyric delivers G&S favorite with punch and sumptuous visuals
“the Lyric’s production, which closes the company’s 2012-13 season, is a treat for the eye and the ear.”

Karen Hauge for KCMetropolis.org
Terrific topsy-turvydom in the town of Titipu
“The Lyric’s production of “The Mikado” is pure sunshine, full of bubbly energy, side-splitting humor, and pitch-perfect performances that range from tender to witty to ridiculous.”

Kelly Luck for KC Stage
Lyric’s Mikado Tries Too hard, Succeeds Anyway
“Musically, the performance is everything you could ask for. The principals and chorus were in fine voice throughout the opening night performance, and the orchestra under Mark Ferrell does right by Sullivan’s score.”

Alexia Lang for The Vignette
2 Thumbs Up For ‘Mikado’
“the Lyric Opera’s retelling of “Mikado” is funny, charming and surprising all rolled into one.”

For more information about the Lyric Opera production of The Mikado, click here.

More The Mikado Media Coverage

The Mikado photo by Cory Weaver for Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre

The Lyric Opera production of The Mikado by Gilbert and Sullivan opens at the Kauffman Center on Saturday and this past Sunday The Kansas City Star featured a preview article about the new production.  If you missed the article, click the headline below to learn more about this hilarious operetta.

Patrick Neas for The Kansas City Star
Lyric Opera launches the wacky, absurd ‘Mikado’

For more information about the Lyric Opera production of The Mikado, click here.

The Flying Dutchman Reviews

Richard Paul Fink as the Dutchman in The Flying Dutchman. Photo by Cory Weaver

The reviews are in for The Flying Dutchman.  See what the critics said below and if you attended the show, share your experience.  As reviews come in they will be added.

Libby Hansen for The Kansas City Star
Lyric Opera’s ‘Dutchman’ takes risks with some success
“Richard Paul Fink performed the gloomy title role with a rich, strong baritone.”

Paul Horsley for The Independent
GETTING WITH THE PICTURE: Lyric production of early Wagner milestone has ups and downs
“”Richard Paul Fink performed the title role…with a strong sense of character and a wide range of moods and emotions…”

Sarah Tyrrell for kcmetropolis.org
“Dutchman” sets sail
“…commanding staging of ‘The Flying Dutchman’.” and “Citro was absolutely dazzling and astoundingly solid along with a fluid, resonant Fink…”

Kelly Luck for KC Stage
Lyric Opera “Flying Dutchman” review
“Ms Citro has an excellent Wagnerian soprano, and Fink’s Dutchman is brooding and mysterious.”

To learn more about the upcoming Lyric Opera production of The Flying Dutchman, click here.

Dutchman in the Digital Age

On Sunday The Kansas City Star ran an article by Alice Thorson about digital projections that will be utilized during the upcoming production of The Flying Dutchman by Richard Wagner.  The article highlights the work being done by Lyric Opera Director of Design and Technical Production R. Keith Brumley and Keith Johnson at Wide Awake Films, which is sure to amaze audiences as the back story of the opera is brought to life through digital projections mixed with live action.  Click below to read the article.

Digital projection highlights the Lyric Opera’s ‘Flying Dutchman’
by Alice Thorson of The Kansas City Star

Also featured this week in The Kansas City Star is a preview of The Flying Dutchman by Patrick Neas.  Mr. Neas speaks with Director Bernard Uzan and Richard Paul Fink, who stars as The Dutchman.  They talk about Wagner, the power of his music, and the inherent mythology in his work.  Click below to read the full article.

‘The Flying Dutchman’ had a turbulent beginning

To learn more about the upcoming Lyric Opera production of The Flying Dutchman, click here.

2013-2014 Season Announced!

Photo by Cory Weaver for San Francisco Opera

The Lyric Opera of Kansas City has officially announced its 2013-2014 season, which begins in September 2014.  Click the links below to learn about next season, which without spoiling too much here will open with The Capulets and the Montagues starring Joyce DiDonato as Romeo.

Lyric Opera of Kansas City Announces
2013-2014 Season ‘Building on Greatness’
at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Joyce DiDonato will launch next Lyric Opera of Kansas City season as Romeo by Steve Paul at The Kansas City Star

2013-2014 Season Brochure

Subscription packages for the 2013-14 season are on sale now. For more information, click here.  Already a subscriber? Click here to renew today!

Il Trovatore Reviews

The reviews are in and The Kansas City Star raves “Lyric Newcomers Soar” in Il Trovatore.  See what the critics said below and if you attended the show, share your experience.  As reviews come in they will be added.

Libby Hanssen for The Kansas City Star
Lyric Opera welcomes new talent for ‘Il Trovatore’
“…the music makes this one of Verdi’s masterpieces – an opera’s opera, an instant success.  The melodies are infectious and instantly recognizable, the coloring of the orchestration dramatic and arresting, the rhythms churn with urgency and all with a stunning display of vocal prowess.”

Lee Hartman for kcmetropolis.org
Tepid “Trovatore”

Kelly Luck for KC Stage
Lyric Opera “Il Trovatore” Review

To learn more about the Lyric Opera production of Il Trovatore, click here.

Madama Butterfly Reviews

The reviews for Madama Butterfly are coming in and they all confirm that the Company’s production is a hit!  Excerpts for all the reviews are posted below and links will take you to the full reviews.  Do you want to share your thoughts on the production?  Post your own review below in the comment section or visit the Lyric Opera Facebook page and post your review there.

Robert Trussell of The Kansas City Star writes:
“The production itself…is a visually sumptuous affair,” and “Caballero, whose conception of Cio-Cio-San is so clearly executed that we never question the character’s tragic arc…her crystalline voice – delicate yet powerful, passionate yet controlled – is what lingers most vividly in one’s memory.”
Read the full review: Caballero triumphs in Lyric’s lush production of ‘Madama Butterfly’

Sarah Tyrrell for KCMetropolis.org writes:
“The Lyric Opera Company remains committed to casting world-class performers…Caballero’s [Butterfly] dramatic and vocal intuition were again astounding, and she was fantastically believable at every turn,” and “Dinyar Vania was extraordinary in the complicated role of Pinkerton.  The facility and dependability of his high range were remarkable…Vania was powerful.”
Read the full review: “Butterfly” soars in Lyric Opera’s season opener

To learn more about the Lyric Opera production of Madama Butterfly, click here.

Madama Butterfly Media Coverage

Madama Butterfly and the 2012-13 season open on Saturday and over the past week there have been all sorts of media and blog coverage about the Company’s production of Puccini’s classic.  Click on the headlines below to read the various articles or posts and don’t forget to check the Lyric Opera Blog tomorrow for a special video interview with Elizabeth Caballaro, who will be making her role debut as Cio-Cio-San.

Paul Horsley in The Independent
Lyric Opera Opens Second Kauffman Center Season

Robert Trussell in The Kansas City Star
Madama Butterfly soprano came to the US from Cuba as a child

Patrick Neas in The Kansas City Star
Classical Beat: Madama Butterfly

Crew Mantle at commandopera.com
The Dinyar Vania Interview
Madama Butterfly in Kansas City

To learn more about the Lyric Opera production of Madama Butterfly, click here.

Proud New Home

Over the weekend some local media coverage centered on the Company’s new Opera Center.  Read the articles talking about the new facilities below, and take it from the Lyric Opera Blog that the new offices are a vast improvement compared to where the Company has been housed in the past.

Steve Paul in The Kansas City Star;
Lyric Opera’s new home hits all the right notes

Brenna Hawley in Kansas City Business Journal;
Tour the Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s new Crossroads space

If you are a subscriber to the Kansas City Business Journal you can also read a related article, also by Brenna Hawley, about how the new facility has lent itself to a new revenue stream.
Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s rental of its stage sets add revenue, profile

Fall Arts Preview: New Season, New Director

Il Trovatore – photo by Michal Daniel for Minnesota Opera

Yesterday, The Kansas City Star ran its Fall Arts Preview in the A&E section.  If you didn’t get a chance to read about all of the exciting performances coming up in Kansas City, it is worth reading.

Included in the Fall Arts Preview were write-ups about the Company’s two fall productions, Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini and Il Trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi.  Both productions continue the artistic growth that the Company realized last season, the first in the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.  Click to read The Star’s Fall Arts Preview.

Along with the upcoming fall productions being highlighted, the Company’s new General Director and CEO Deborah Sandler was profiled.  Ms. Sandler shared how she began her career in arts management and how she thinks Kansas City is a thriving arts community.  Click to read Robert Trussell’s interview with Ms. Sandler.

To learn more about Madama Butterfly, Il Trovatore, or the Company’s Spring productions, click here.