to Underworld Productions Shows
JULIA: An operatic monodrama -- September 2007
JULIA was a tour de force. Jeannie Im performed the solo singing role with solidity, humor, fine acting and consistency in filling the theatre with her lovely voice. Gina Crusco's staging was just right in addressing the dilemma of how to present a minimalist yet supporting sequence of movements. A very striking and successful performance.
The soloist, musicians and production team all gave truly inspirational performances in bringing this opera to life. I can only imagine the dedication necessary to research, compose and produce such a complex work with such acute attention to detail. To experience the well-crafted melodic lines veiled in a sea of atonality was a joy.
The music is beautiful and expert, and worked wonderfully with the texts. There was an elegance about the production -- nothing overdone.
JULIA was amazing, sad, hilarious, and terrifically moving. The music was done so effortlessly that you could forget its complexity. Christine Sperry was beautiful in the role; I felt that I knew what the real Julia went through.
Magic Flute -- April 2007
I've never been to an opera before. Now that I'm more familiar with the story of Magic Flute, I'm going to buy a recording of it.
The show was totally inspiring and wonderful.
I liked the feminist slant, the effort to make it more egalitarian. This was an excellent production with first-rate singers and a fresh, original approach to a well-known opera. I found it highly entertaining!
What I liked best was: the supertitles/humor/fun/spirit/energy/vitality.
The adaptation was: creative/whimsical/original/great/very interesting/fun/clever/humorous/profound.
Other Productions
I've seen three of Gina Crusco's productions and I was struck by the way the placement and movement of the singers heightened the impact of their songs. I felt that what they were doing on stage was perfectly natural and yet, at the same time, unexpected.
I greatly enjoyed your opera productions because they are innovative and speak directly to the audience.
I've attended all of Underworld Productions' operas and have found them inventive, accessible and well done. Ms. Crusco's versions of the operas communicate the original composers' intentions and make the operas her own. They are fresh, contemporary, relevant ‚ truly useful art that helps us make sense of our complex times even as it entertains and transports us.
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