Carmina Burana
Atlanta Ballet
through February 11, 2017

Let’s jump to the bottom line.  Go to their website and order your tickets NOW!   If you have experienced Carmina being performed by an orchestra, or chorus, or ballet company then you know that it is a very visceral work.  When it premiered in the 1950’s at Carnegie Hall, people were enthralled, and it still does the job.

Carl Orff wrote this cantata based on two dozen poems attributed to friars or other seminarians circa 12th century Germany.  It was considered pretty randy, albeit is sung mostly in Latin and there are no super-titles.  But, you’ll have no trouble figuring out what was in their minds when you enjoy this production.

These ancients may have spent a lot of time in prayers, but the were humans and they thought often of sex, booze, gaming and other forms of worldly pleasures.  You’ll probably understand it when they open with O Fortuna, and go on from there.

Regardless of how many times you’ve heard this work, you have never seen it as spectacularly as this production which has only a few more evenings to pleasure you.  The choreography by David Bintley effortlessly merges contemporary street smarts with Orff’s cantata.  They have their full orchestra in the pit under the baton of Ari Pelto, and the Georgia State University Singers are under the spot-on direction of Dr. Deanna Joseph.

This particular production was first staged by the Birmingham Royal Ballet in 1995.  Philip Prowse designed the costumes, which are really fab.  Never before have you seen this much eye candy in a classical work.  Once again, we, as a community, can be incredibly proud of our ballet company under the direction of Gennadi Nedvigin.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cast where dozens of dancers, both male and female, wear the same wigs so they come off as carbon copies.  A few of the props have been used before, but the total production is just like a brand new and up-to-date version.  It is only about 70 minutes long, and you wish it didn’t have to end so quickly.

Presented at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center.  Easy to get to, plenty of parking and try to select seats up close if you can.  Check out any more info and see about tickets at AtlantaBallet.com

Constellations
Horizon Theatre
through February 26, 2017

Nick Payne’s play about two star-crossed lovers, is more than just a bit on the weird side.  We find a bee keeper, Roland (Enoch King) who meets up one day with a physicist, Marianne (Bethany Irby).  What do they have in common?  Nada.  How could it evolve into a relationship?  And therein lies the play.

Justin Anderson directed this work on a very static stage with the cast of two players.  It runs in one act of about 85 minutes.   Can these two find anything in common?  Is there something which might bind them together rather than build a wall between them?

It is always impressive when you watch an actor who can be onstage for almost an hour and half, always be speaking and can remember every line in the script.  This one may be more (or less) challenging since so many of the lines are repeated quite a bit.  And, many of us might be watching and asking ourselves what exactly is happening?

It is not a show for kiddies, and has really nothing to do with the cosmos.  It is about relationships and how even those with a million to one odds against them, might somehow come to pass.  And, coming to pass is also at the end of the opus as Marianne starts the slide down when she battles a fatal disease and knows she is leaving Roland behind.  Ergo, those of us who may have endured such a passing may find it a bit difficult in that respect.

There’s little humor in this one, and it isn’t one such as Phantom or Cats which we’ll see more than once.  Is it well done?  Yes, it is.  And the audience really appreciated the fine work of the professional actors.  More info at HorizonTheatre.com