Christian Lacroix Talks 80s Influence For "Mahagonny" In Berlin

"Stars wie Jennifer Aniston, Dita von Teese, Naomi Watts und Julianne Moore lieben die Kreationen von Christian Lacroix (63). Jetzt hat der französische Stardesigner die Kostüme für die Premiere von Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny am Freitag um 19.30 Uhr in der Staatsoper entworfen. B.Z.-Redakteurin Claudia von Duehren traf den Designer in der Kostümabteilung des Schiller-Theaters."

Welche Message haben Ihre Entwürfe? Sehen wir Goldgräber der 30er Jahre? 
Wir orientieren uns an der Gegenwart. Die Männer tragen Streetwear. Entscheidender Teil ihrer Kostüme ist das Licht. Die Mädchen erinnern an Rock-Girls der 80er. Ihre Outfits sind crazy Couture, mit großen Frisuren und High Heels. Wir haben Vintage-Klamotten der 80er gekauft und umgeschneidert. Außerdem waren wir in Brautmodengeschäften. [Source] 

Read the full interview here and learn more about the costumes here. Visit the Staatsoper Berlin website for ticket information. Watch a promotional trailer for the production, after the jump.

Brecht-Weill "Threepenny Opera" Plays At San Jose Stage Co.

"Und der Haifisch, der hat Zähne, Und die trägt er im Gesicht": Moreno as Macheath

"At the center of this decadent universe is Macheath (the agile Johnny Moreno), a cheating,

Jenny Diver & Mack the Knife

whoring hustler (in case you're not sure, he has the word 'hustler' tattooed across his chest.) Armed with a silver tongue, an outsized libido and the gift of swagger, Macheath threatens to upset the underground economy run by Mr. and Mrs. Peachum (Paul Myrvold and Susan Gundunas) when he announces that he intends to marry their virginal daughter, Polly (Monique Hafen.)....The cast, costumed in eye-candy grunge by Jean Cardinale and looking sharp in MaryBeth Cavanaugh's choreography, is strongest on the female side; Hafen's Polly is the standout, creating the character with a fine mix of innocence and bruised toughness, and singing with a focused, sweet-toned soprano that made songs like 'Pirate Jenny' and 'Barbara Song' into showstoppers. As Jenny, Halsey Varady is also splendid, belting 'The Flick Knife Song' (also known as 'Mack the Knife') at the top of the first act. Her performance of 'Socrates Song,' sung with balletic grace while suspended over a piano, is one of the evening's mesmerizing highlights." [Source] More photos after the jump.

(Photos: Dave Lepori)

Helen Donath Still Performing 55 Years After Making NYC Debut

An early portrait of the soprano who has sung for over five decades.

A native of Texas, Helen Donath made her New York debut as a concert and lieder singer. 55 years later, she will appear in Gotham Chamber Opera's upcoming season: "The first of the company’s four new productions will be 'Baden-Baden 1927,' a quadruple bill that recreates a legendary program heard at the Baden-Baden Festival of Contemporary Music on July 17, 1927. The most famous of the works heard that night was Kurt Weill’s 'Mahagonny Songspiel,' but the companion pieces were estimable too. They were Paul Hindemith’s 'Hin und Zurück' ('There and Back'), Darius Milhaud’s 'Enlèvement d’Europe' ('The Abduction of Europa'), and Ernst Toch’s 'Prinzessin auf der Erbse' ('The Princess and the Pea'). Gotham’s production, which will have the veteran soprano Helen Donath and the bass John Cheek in the cast, will be staged by Paul Curran at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College, Oct. 23 through Nov. 1." [Source, Source]

Kurt Weill and Robert Wilson Have Major Success at BAM

Bang for your (threepenny) buck at BAM
(Photo: Stephanie Berger)

"'Mankind is kept alive by bestial acts,' sings the chorus during the first act's finale in Robert Wilson's new production of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's The Threepenny Opera with the Berliner Ensemble at BAM's Howard Gilman Opera House, as part of the Next Wave Festival (through Saturday). This is a fact borne out at every turn in the text, music, and Wilson's silent cinema grotesque character and costume design, all thrown into sharp, sensuous relief by exquisitely minimalist stage and lighting design. That contrast plays out most powerfully in the disjuncture between this spectacular production's slick visuals and guttural, grating sounds." [Source]