Powder Her Face Receives Glowing Reviews!
Posted December 6th, 2011
“Maestro and Opera Vista's artistic director Viswa Subbaraman pulled out all the stops for this work, and the four singers, who, except for the Duchess, double and triple up as other characters, were exceptionally good. This is terribly complicated music -- what with its fishing reels and bowls of water and other effects -- but Subbaraman made it all sound easy, drawing out the score with a lover's rapt attention.”
-Houston Press
“If you want to witness great singing and acting, if you want to hear the epitome of the post-modern aesthetic in very late 20th century opera, this performance is for you.”
-culturemap
"The fifth anniversary season for Hous- ton’s contemporary opera troupe, Opera Vista (OV), has surely been full of mixed emotions for founder and artistic direc- tor Viswa Subbaraman. After opening the season for an audience of 300–500 at Bayou Bend with a troublesome production of the rarely produced opera “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Philip Glass, Subbaraman and his company set a new standard for themselves as they turned out the best performance in their short history with the recent Houston premiere of Thomas Adés’ controversial opera “Powder Her Face” at the Hobby Center’s Zilkha Hall."
-Arts and Culture Houston
Powder Her Face
Posted October 30th, 2011
We are pleased to announce that tickets are now available for our performance of Thomas Adès Powder Her Face.
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Thursday November 10th @ 8pm
Friday November 11th @ 8pm
Zilkha Hall
The Hobby Center
800 Bagby
Houston, TX 77002
Thomas Ades’ Powder her Face is considered one of the most controversial operas of the past two decades. Detailing the marriage and subsequent divorce of the Duchess of Argyll, the story begins on the cusp of the duchess’s eviction from the hotel room she’s called home for the past two decades and follows her from a life of grandeur to a life of penniless obscurity. While considered quite a risqué opera, both my and Sandra Bernhard’s interpretation of the piece really tries to show the sadness surrounding the Duchess as people abandon her one by one.
To purchase tickets please visit the Hobby Center's website:
http://www.thehobbycenter.org/?q=node/873
Cast and Production Staff
The Duchess - Cassandra Black
The Maid - Kelly Waguespack
The Electrician - Ben Robinson
The Hotel Manager - Kyle Albertson
Artistic Director and Conductor: Viswa Subbaraman
Stage Director: Sandra Bernhard
Stage Manager: Debs Ramser
Costumer: Fran Wygant
Interns: Alex Lawler and Jen Barnes
Photo by Shannon Langman, courtesy of www.ShannonLangmanPhotography.com
OPERA VISTA and PROHIBITION PRESENT
Posted October 7th, 2011
The Dirty Duchess Party
Thursday, October 20, 2011
5175 Westheimer Road, Houston, TX 77056 (Google Map)
Help us celebrate Opera Vista's Fifth Anniversary and the kick-off of OV's next production: Thomas Ades' Powder Her Face. A portion of the proceeds will go towards Opera Vista.
Click here for more information
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