Divamensch

Mike and I saw *Suddenly, Last Summer* at Opera Philadelphia on Oct 25, 2026. It's an opera with music by Courtney Bryan and a libretto by Gideon Lester and Daniel Fish based on the play by Tennessee Williams. I've seen the movie (with Katherine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, and Montgomery Clift) probably five or six times and thought its overheated drama might work well for an opera. On the other hand, with something so heightened in its original state, does it need to be heigh

I went to Hearbeat Opera's annual Halloweenish drag extravaganza on Oct 29, 2026. Last year it was Orgy and Bess - - this year it was Queeney Todd: The Demon Bottom of Fleet Street. It was fun and well done but a bit of a disappointment. Last year's show was both of those things but also smart. This year it was mostly just raunchy, which doesn't sustain for 90 minutes, at least not for me. Nathaniel Sullivan was wonderful as Queeney, he was clearly having a very good time. I