Theater Thursday - Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti

 What: Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti

Where:  www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3158&v=xxv0xjld2BA&feature=emb_logo

Mom's view: England's Opera North has released their entire production of Leonard Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti online. The story seems rather mundane to have warranted an opera. It revolves around a day in the life of an unhappy couple. It seems more like scenes from a soap opera rather than a whole story that stands on its own. The giant advertisements that decorate the set of this particular production only serve to reinforce that idea. The voices are good though and the orchestrations are lush and full of Bernstein's typical soaring sounds. A trio of scat singers functioning as a greek chorus seem to come out of an entirely different show but their singing is fun and they inject a little lightness into the proceedings. If you are looking to dip your toe into opera, this show might be a good choice in that it is short running just under an hour and entirely sung in English. However, it is not exactly a light and happy show, but then again are there any operas that are? 

And that's Mom's view.

For more information about Opera North, visit www.operanorth.co.uk/

For more about Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti visit leonardbernstein.com/works/view/32/trouble-in-tahiti.

To view Opera North's version of the show go to youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3158&v=xxv0xjld2BA&feature=emb_logo

There is also a version of the show available translated into British sign language  which can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyHe9CVSo3I&t=7s as well as version with audio descriptions for the visually impaired which can be found at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orkeOsOfAGk

Tune in Sunday for this week's Sunday Scoop.