Jyms of Wyzdom for February 28, 2020

Opera: ‘Tis opera at the Met time again. Tomorrow at the Regal Cinema we’ll have G. F. Handel’s Agrippina, a tale from ancient Rome. Starring Joyce DiDonato as the title character, the mother of Nero, plotting to have her son placed on the imperial throne of Rome in place of Claudius. If you recall your Roman history, the period of transition between the old Roman Republic and the Empire reads like a comedy of horrors with stabbings (Julius Caesar), poisonings and outright murder to gain political power…and then try to hold on to it. Ironically, the libretto was devised and written by Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani, a prince of the new Roman empire, the Vatican. The collaborators of the first operas (in the early 17th century) believed they were creating a new genre in which music and poetry, in order to serve the drama, were fused into an inseparable whole, a language that was in a class of its own—midway between speaking and singing. It would combine poetry, music and dance to create what would quickly become the ultimate theatrical stage spectacle. Handel’s opera was produced during “Carnavale” in Venice in 1709-10.

Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, “Where have I gone wrong?” Then a voice says to me, “This is going to take more than one night.” [Charlie Brown]

Movies: We were sad not to see more people at last weekend’s TCM Screen Classic showing of The Color Purple. Next up, on March 15 will be King Kong, the 1933 thriller about a giant ape and his lady love…oh, and something about the Empire State Building. Horror movies were the bread and butter for Universal Pictures all through the 1930’s, so give it a go.

Expecting life to treat you well because you are a good person is like expecting an angry bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian. [Shari R. Barr]

Drama: Coming up next week, the School of Theater & Dance at WVU will be producing Ibsen’s great classic, Hedda Gabler. It’s no secret that I love Ibsen and this play is one of his most powerful. Although Ibsen was no feminist, he did create several memorable female characters. Hedda likely tops the list. It is hard to have a lot of sympathy or even empathy for Hedda, a selfish woman who marries Tesman, a wannabe Art scholar who simply has nothing passionate to offer Hedda. She still loves Lovborg, a fragile man with more talent in one finger than all of Tesman’s body! And there is Judge Brack, who seeks power over Hedda so he can become her secret lover…what to do, what to do…? The drama leads us to what today we think of as the only logical solution for Hedda, but in 1891 people were horrified, nay, terrified that a woman would do that! OLLI’s theater party will be going on Sunday, March 8 at 2 PM.  It is truly a great piece of theater!

Courage is a very good thing, but sometimes it is wiser to turn and run like hell! [Pam Brown]

Since I gave up hope, I feel so much better. [Playwright, John Osborne]

Time: I discovered that Daylight Saving Time begins on March 8, so set your clocks ahead an hour on Saturday evening, March 7 and you’ll be fine. It is still winter, though, so be prepared for the weather to be up and down, warm/cold, dry/wet, etc. It does seem kind of strange that all the bad weather of this winter season has flowed around WV rather than stomping on our own homes. Don’t celebrate just yet…we have been surprised before, so take what comes with as much style and panache as we can.

Bon Hiver! Jim