EVENINGS OUT

Two operas pair convent life with sexual freedom

by Richard Berrong Cleveland-After a lively production of Benjamin Britten's Albert Herring and a scenes program that played to packed houses, the Cleveland Institute of Music's opera department is concluding its season with an intriguing double bill, two short one-act works in English, Puccini's Sister Angelica and Ravel's Spanish Hour. Both deal with issues central to the lives of gays and women.

Sister Angelica is a rarity in that it is written uniquely for and concentrates specifically on women. It presents the story of a woman whose family has taken away her child and rejected her, sending her to a convent. Since the text is not locked into a specific time period, director Gary Race has decided to focus on the elements in it that have very clear relevance to the present day. As a result, the production will center on the issues of isolation and community, on how the title character, having been ostracized by her biological family, finds another family that allows her to be positive about herself in a supportive setting. In fact, Angelica develops into a remarkably modern woman. She becomes the convent's herbalist, and serves them with her knowledge of holistic medicine. Throughout the work, however, she is tormented with longing for the child that her society will not allow her to have.

In order to gain a sense of what it would be like to live in such an environment, the seventeen women in the cast spent an evening at a local Carmelite convent, where they spoke with and sang for the seventeen sisters who reside there, gaining insight into the contemplative life. Puccini himself knew it well, since one of his sisters was a nun.

One of the most remarkable things about watching the rehearsal of this work was to see how Race developed individual characters for each of the parts. Though it involved a great deal of time, he took pains to turn each of the seventeen women into a distinct and interesting person, which makes them accessible to the audience.

If Sister Angelica deals with tragic consequences of sex, The Spanish Hour celebrates its sparkle and scintillation. Ravel's one-act comedy is an erotic farce, and CIM's production does not hesitate to focus on that aspect of it. It recounts the story of Concepcion, a young woman who very much enjoys sex, and who, for once, is not condemned because of that. In fact, she treats sex like food, sampling some of this, some of that, and some of yet another.

Though our attitudes toward such behavior have changed over the last two decades, and though Sister Angelica probes its tragic potential consequences, Race feels that it is important to balance this with a work that proclaims that sexual playfulness, at least

within certain boundaries, is not a bad thing,

but rather something to be celebrated.

Here, to heighten the comedy, the production will play off the Spanish clock theme, incorporating adaptations of the famous "melted watches" of Salvador Dali. It also capitalizes on the numerous phallic images in the text, bringing them to very real, and comic, life.

In both cases, these short works will be preceded by preshows, soundscapes developed by CIM sound engineers to create the settings for the works while the audience is still getting settled. Since, for Race, opera is theater and theater is above all communication, he feels that it is essential that the production communicate from the moment people walk in.

Having attended past CIM productions and rehearsal for this one, I can safely predict that these works will not only greatly entertain, but also provide a basis for lively discussion. Anyone who enjoys theater should be sure to catch the performances, April 9 and 12 at 8:00 p.m., April 11 at 2:00 p.m.

Tickets are $5 for students and seniors, $10 for adults. To reserve them, call 216791-5000, ext. 411.

Announce Your Happy Occasions!

Tell everyone about your union ceremony, arrival of a child. or other milestone of life. in the Gay People's Chronicle! Announcements should be 200-300 words. and can include a photoblack and white or color is okay. Photos will be returned

if a self-addressed stamped envelope is included. Mail, fax, and E-mail addresses are on the Community Forum page; include your address and phone so we may contact you.

APRIL 4, 1997 GAY PEOPle's ChroNICLE

In A Word

OHIO

BALLET

Lynne Taylor-Corbett's choreography set to Noel Coward poems

Also on the program:

Moonlight Serenade

Svota; P, past,.

E.J. Thomas Hall, Akron Friday, April 18 8PM Saturday, April 19 2PM & 8PM Tickets available through Ticketmaster outlets or call (330) 972-7570

Triptych

Cousin Fellx Mendelssobar Classic Heinz Poll

Ohio Theatre, Cleveland Friday, April 25 8PM Saturday, April 26 2PM & 8PM Advantix: (216) 241-6000

For group discounts, contact Olo Ballet offices at (330) 972-7900. ERNST & YOUNG LLP THE PLAIN DEALER

ORTH

CAMPUS

VIDEO

Buy or Rent New Releases

Dcumentaries

Family Fav rites

Laber Disc Movies Over 10.000 Selections

onacks. Movie Favorites

Newest Sega & pucer Nintendo Games

Come See Our Extensive Adult Section

COVENTRY CATS

Has Gone to the Dogs

With Everything for Cats and Dogs and Those Who Love Them!

Rainbow Cat & Dog Collars & Scarves Fiesta Ware Food & Water Dishes.

M.-Sat.-10:30a.m.-8p.m.

1810 Coventry Rd.

Cleveland Hts.. Ohio 44118

216-321-3033

Sun.-12Noon-5p.m.

2465 N. High St 268-4021

OPEN 24 HOURS