A habitual grin conveys genuine delighted in mystery, even on the eve of his own death.
#Review of opera for mac mac#
Standing on a cheeky pedestal, an apparent mockery of more serious portrayals of the Athenian teacher who always rejected that title, Socrates sings that he wants to "debunk the verdict that a thought will trick or kill you," which seems like a forbidden notion itself in our age of pearl-clutching over "misinformation." Mac portrays Socrates with the wide, expressive eyes of a child seeing the world for the first time.
She counters that art and culture are blameless when it comes to actual violence - a position Socrates seems to share. Armed with hand fans (a drag queen's weapon of choice) Wesley Garlington sings about being "a gadfly hov'ring in the corner of an eye." While seated on the toilet under a chandelier that looks suspiciously like a crystal Covid particle, Queen Esther sings, "Is virtue only found in things that last? / If so then you and I don't stand a chance." She defends Aristophanes to Plato, who think that his comedy, The Clouds, turned the Athenian mob against his mentor. Kat Edmonson and Synead Cidney Nichols give expressive voice to "What do you mean by virtue?", a classically Socratic question set to a danceable groove (saxophonist Jessica Lurie really shines in this number). Synead Cidney Nichols and Kat Edmondson perform "Virtue" in The Hang at HERE. From the moment percussionist Joel Mateo strikes up a cymbal roll, The Hang grabs hold of your imagination and doesn't let go. Mac wrote the book and lyrics (and stars as Socrates), while the music is by Matt Ray, Mac's collaborator on the epic 24-Decade History of Popular Music. Originally part of the Prototype Festival of experimental opera (which was canceled in the wake of the Omicron surge) The Hang depicts the final hours in the life of Socrates through 100 minutes of operatic jazz. In retrospect, I really wish I hadn't.Īnd so it is with extreme gratitude that I now report that my first truly great night at the theater following the return of in-person performances was at Mac's The Hang, now delighting and astounding audiences at HERE. Little did I know I was bailing on what would have been my last in-person performance for over a year. But since Covid was new and scary and had caused Broadway to shutter the day before, I was naturally wary of jumping into the ball pit with a bunch of strangers - so I canceled. I was scheduled to see it Friday, March 13 (it still appears in my phone's calendar). The singer-songwriter and genius playwright was presenting the world premiere The Fre at the Flea Theater, featuring the now-defunct house company, the Bats. Taylor Mac gave me my first of many regrets during the Covid era.
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