Last night we saw a frothy boisterous comedy at the Asolo... Living On Love... it opened last year on Broadway with Renee Fleming in the Diva role but closed soon after. I both enjoyed the play and can see why it didn't make it. This is a perfect play for less expensive venues where a night of entertainment isn't equal to a mortgage payment - such as Broadway shows with star names are. The play was fun and funny. Phil declared it "cute and dated" but I liked the "period piece" aspect finding some of the story lines too difficult to really put in the context of today's media diversity. Who for instance would be the butt of the Leonard Bernstein jokes in 2016? No conductor (Maestro) has the corner on the market of celebrity today in quite the same was as he did in his day. And no diva of the opera today can equal the acclaim of Maria Callas in her era either....
so I found it completely entertaining and a fun way to pass the evening- all six of the performers were strong but of course the four performances by those who were allotted actual opera pieces won the day. The two "houseboys" were fabulous and really stole the show in their big scene. The Diva and the Maestro were fun - over the top - performances with hers being the stronger by quite a bit but his had its moments for a number of good laughs.
overall- worth an evening of your time (unless you detest opera - in that case you won't find it an amusing diversion)
so a positive review of the night's entertainment from me... next up Forks N Corks wine dinner (South Africa winemaker featured)- stay tuned...
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