REVIEWS
5/5 Stars!
“The Lives Left Behind, which features four one-act operas that offer a whole lot to swallow — sex, death, infidelity, intrigue, stardom, and more. A rotating cast of six singers brings deep poignancy and no small dose of humor to works that are sure to leave both opera lovers and the merely opera-curious delighted."
"Each of the four works, which span different eras and styles, succeeds wonderfully as singers Katherine Fili, Annie Gill, Kelly Curtin, Spencer Adamson, Elizabeth Mondragon, and Nigel Rowe rotate between roles."
“'What Gets Kept,' originally commissioned by the Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative, untangles the complicated family dynamics surrounding death and its aftermath. Performances are tremendous all around as terminally ill Amy (Elizabeth Mondragon) navigates both the prospect of death and the tension between her daughter Emma (Kelly Curtin) and husband Lawrence (Nigel Rowe) in her final hours."
"While all the works were strong, I was left wanting more than one act of “Dreamless” in particular — the theatrical pacing, flashback format, and ambiguous ending cultivated a real sense of suspense."
"There’s nothing quite like hearing portions of the Song of Solomon truly sung, and, as in 'The Female Stranger,' Curtin and Gill once again play off of each other wonderfully as antagonists. Curtin, a lyric coloratura soprano, has comic timing as powerful as her voice (which is to say: quite), and Gill brings a tremendously expressive melancholy to her roles both here and in 'The Female Stranger.'"
"What a treat, too, to have live accompaniment by a four-piece orchestra of clarinet, violin, viola, and piano. Staging at Westminster Presbyterian Church is kept simple; the real boon of the space is the church acoustics, which augmented many divine crescendos and solos throughout."
"For the audience, the performances in The Lives Left Behind do this work for us, binding together body and soul for 90 rapturous minutes before returning us to earth — just in time to applaud."
- Sarah Elizabeth Adler, DC Theatre Scene. Read the full review here.
"Each of the four works, which span different eras and styles, succeeds wonderfully as singers Katherine Fili, Annie Gill, Kelly Curtin, Spencer Adamson, Elizabeth Mondragon, and Nigel Rowe rotate between roles."
“'What Gets Kept,' originally commissioned by the Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative, untangles the complicated family dynamics surrounding death and its aftermath. Performances are tremendous all around as terminally ill Amy (Elizabeth Mondragon) navigates both the prospect of death and the tension between her daughter Emma (Kelly Curtin) and husband Lawrence (Nigel Rowe) in her final hours."
"While all the works were strong, I was left wanting more than one act of “Dreamless” in particular — the theatrical pacing, flashback format, and ambiguous ending cultivated a real sense of suspense."
"There’s nothing quite like hearing portions of the Song of Solomon truly sung, and, as in 'The Female Stranger,' Curtin and Gill once again play off of each other wonderfully as antagonists. Curtin, a lyric coloratura soprano, has comic timing as powerful as her voice (which is to say: quite), and Gill brings a tremendously expressive melancholy to her roles both here and in 'The Female Stranger.'"
"What a treat, too, to have live accompaniment by a four-piece orchestra of clarinet, violin, viola, and piano. Staging at Westminster Presbyterian Church is kept simple; the real boon of the space is the church acoustics, which augmented many divine crescendos and solos throughout."
"For the audience, the performances in The Lives Left Behind do this work for us, binding together body and soul for 90 rapturous minutes before returning us to earth — just in time to applaud."
- Sarah Elizabeth Adler, DC Theatre Scene. Read the full review here.
5/5 Stars! Best of Fringe!
"...ably conducted by William Kenlon and Michael Oberhauser."
"Fili, who was a late addition to the cast, not only sings fluidly but gets the male character’s physicality well."
Andrew’s wife, the Female Stranger of the title, is played by soprano Annie Gill, who has the closest thing to a traditional aria in the four operas, the touching 'Is this truly my life now?'"
"There are probably not many operas focused around assisted suicide, but What Gets Kept (music by Frances Pollock, libretto by Vanessa Moody) addresses the subject with tenderness and sensitivity."
"The quiet, sweet farewell the characters sing is one of the best moments of the evening."
"The singing in this quartet of operas is first-rate throughout."
"In range, tone, technique, dynamics, and vocal characterization, [the singers] provide fully realized performances of their material. ... [T]heir acting – particularly that of Gill and Curtin – is also strong throughout."
"[D]irector Corinne Hayes uses the simple and flexible set to good advantage."
- Bob Ashby, District Metro Theatre Arts. Read the full review here.
"Fili, who was a late addition to the cast, not only sings fluidly but gets the male character’s physicality well."
Andrew’s wife, the Female Stranger of the title, is played by soprano Annie Gill, who has the closest thing to a traditional aria in the four operas, the touching 'Is this truly my life now?'"
"There are probably not many operas focused around assisted suicide, but What Gets Kept (music by Frances Pollock, libretto by Vanessa Moody) addresses the subject with tenderness and sensitivity."
"The quiet, sweet farewell the characters sing is one of the best moments of the evening."
"The singing in this quartet of operas is first-rate throughout."
"In range, tone, technique, dynamics, and vocal characterization, [the singers] provide fully realized performances of their material. ... [T]heir acting – particularly that of Gill and Curtin – is also strong throughout."
"[D]irector Corinne Hayes uses the simple and flexible set to good advantage."
- Bob Ashby, District Metro Theatre Arts. Read the full review here.
"Amid the fast-casual fare at Fringe, it’s bracing to face four operatic scenes brimming with ideas and challenging scores in the Silver Finch Arts Collective’s 'The Lives Left Behind.'"
"... accompanied by an exquisite four piece orchestra..."
"Corinne Hayes, who directs all four works, uses the white walls of the main chapel of Westminster Church to good effect"
"Would that more Fringe productions imbued their works with this much ambition and sheer talent."
- Roger Catlin, The Washington Post. Read the full interview here.
"... accompanied by an exquisite four piece orchestra..."
"Corinne Hayes, who directs all four works, uses the white walls of the main chapel of Westminster Church to good effect"
"Would that more Fringe productions imbued their works with this much ambition and sheer talent."
- Roger Catlin, The Washington Post. Read the full interview here.