When the Washington National Opera wants to entertain the masses with the gift of free opera, it chooses Porgy and Bess or The Barber of Seville. (Coming up Sept 12.) Easy to follow, lovable. Catchy tunes. So what does the Staatsoper in Berlin offer for its free outdoor performance?
Tristan and Isolde. Yikes. I mean, I hope to be there, but…it’s hardly light entertainment. Well, not that Porgy and Bess is light. I cried at the simulcast on the Mall. But still, it’s got, you know, tunes.
Guys & Dolls is my favorite musical. It’s just so fun. It’s also the only musical I’ve ever been in. I’m catching up on old New Yorkers while I’m out here in the middle of the Bering Sea, which means I’ve read *two* pieces about Guys & Dolls recently. There’s a new production on Broadway, so someone reviewed that. In another issue, Adam Gopnik wrote about Damon Runyon (whose stories Guys & Dolls is vaguely based on). My favorite quote from the essay:
But then “Guys and Dolls” is so good that it can triumph over amateur players and high-school longueurs and could probably be a hit put on by a company of trained dolphins in checked suits with a chorus of girl penguins.
I read that quote to my roommate Liz, the bird surveyor. She said, “That would be really messy.” I think penguins poop a lot.
