WilliamM

Review: Jonas Kaufmann, Back at the Met, Is Good, Not Great Image After four and a half years, the tenor Jonas Kaufmann has returned to the Metropolitan Opera in Puccini’s “La Fanciulla del West.”CreditCreditKen Howard/Metropolitan Opera La Fanciulla del West NYT Critic's Pick By Anthony Tommasini Oct. 18, 2018 You could feel trepidation at the Metropolitan Opera on Wednesday as the audience took its seats for Puccini’s “La Fanciulla del West.” The superstar tenor Jonas Kaufmann was finally returning after an absence of four and a half years, including withdrawals from two new productions conceived with him in mind. Would he actually show? [Read our interview with Mr. Kaufmann about his return to the Met.] He did, for the first of four performances through Oct. 27. He came, he sang, he — well, if he didn’t entirely conquer, Mr. Kaufmann certainly reminded us why he’s been missed. “Fanciulla,” a tale of hardscrabble miners during the California Gold Rush, is, I’m more convinced at each encounter, one of Puccini’s finest operas. But you need persuasive singers to plumb the depths of the music and the subtleties of the characters. returned earlier this month.) testing the waters of Wagner’s Tristan — his singing seemed a little underpowered. He summoned some full-voiced, exciting high notes during the opera’s only real aria, when Johnson, who thinks he’s about to be hanged, begs the men to tell Minnie that he has been set free to lead a better life. Yet at times his voice seemed curiously restrained. For a while, Mr. Kaufmann was hands down the most exciting tenor in opera. Now he has some younger competition, including at the Met, where the thrilling tenor Vittorio Grigolo, who stepped in when Mr. Kaufmann withdrew from a new production of Puccini’s “Tosca,” has become a house favorite. It is, however, without a doubt great to have the compelling Mr. Kaufmann back with the company. La Fanciulla del West Continues through Oct.

It's a slight affectation by Avalon, not sure why.

I was in a car pool driving back and forth to college in 1961-1962. One of guys was friendly with Lee Strasberg who started the Actors' Studio. He told us Rock Hudson was gay, also Strasberg's son. I do not remember any discussion of Marilyn Monroe, who died after that school year ended (Monroe studied at the Actors' Studio).

No. Maybe you not gay after all!

My concern is Avalon may live in the same State as other members. If I lived within driving distance, who knows? It would be to help in any way possible, and only if he wanted me to help.

Thanks, Avalon. Excellent response!

@Avalon, please mention your state. Many people are trying to help, as you can see. By accident, you are blocking sincere assistance because nobody know what state services or federal may exist

Back to the escort agency in Philadelphia, Premier: in addition to their current guys, they brought in "guests" from all over the country. They had ads in the city's gay paper with photos. If you had questions, I usually received accurate answers. The best guys did eventually go on their own, but an excellent way to start. NY had a very good agency good agency too, specializing in male models.

My experience was in Australia. Wine was served, and I met each guy one at a time. I chose "Mario." Mario was surprised; he thought he had failed pretending to be Italian. Very nice experience. I went with a friend and he liked it a lot as well. In Sydney, Australia.

Bluebeard's Castle / Mario and the magician Lincoln Center: David H Koch TheaterNew York City, New York, United States November 01 19:30, November 03 13:00 PROGRAMME Bartók, Béla (1881-1945) Duke Bluebeard's Castle Vajda, János (b. 1949) Mario és a varázsló (Mario and the Magician) PERFORMERS Hungarian State Opera Balázs Kocsár Conductor Péter Galambos Director, Set Designer Enikő Kárpáti Costume Designer Ildikó Komlósi Mezzo-soprano Judith András Palerdi Bass Bluebeard, Cipolla Balázs Csémy Actor Mario István Rácz Bass The woollen-shirted one Orsolya Hajnalka Rőser Soprano Mrs Angiolieri Antal Cseh Bass Mr Angiolieri Lajos Geiger Baritone A Roman gentleman Bluebeard's Castle Opera in one act in Hungarian Bartók's sole opera provides a glimpse, by way of seven symbolic doors, into the secrets of the human soul. The enigmatic work follows the evolution of the relationship between two people and the different stages of getting to know each other and growing apart refracted allegorically through symbols with many meanings. All the while, it suggests that it is not the drama of a man and a woman unfolding before the viewer's eyes, but rather a man's drama and a woman's drama. As director Péter Galambos put it at the time of the 2013 premiere: “The deeper they probe into understanding their own demons, the more uncertain they become. Their curiosity, however, is still greater than their fear. Confronting our demons – no matter how painful it may be – leads to an understanding of ourselves.” Mario and the Magician Opera in one act, in Hungarian, with Hungarian and English surtitles "You do what you like. Or is it possible you have ever not done what you liked – or even, maybe, what you didn't like?" The atmosphere is an unpleasant one in this memory of Torre de Venere. The audience members at an Italian resort town fall, against their will, under the influence of a remarkable magician – with the exception of one person. "Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil," said Thomas Mann, whose highly influential novel Mario and the Magician János Vajda use as the basis for his opera of the same name, one of the most successful and affecting works in modern Hungarian opera history. The work will be shown at the Opera House in a production directed by Péter Galambos, with Krisztián Cser in the principal role.

Ah. That was in 1952, when "Lucy" was the top rated show on TV. Lucy and Desi's home in Beverly Hills. She lived there for the rest of her life. I was there in 1969, and turned around in her driveway. Jack Benny lived next door; Jimmy Stewart across the street.

I suspect you have never been in a male or female brothel given the wording.

I guess. The book must be out of print.

One of first people to go public about Alzheimer's. Although it was likely her family rather Ms. Hayworth.