La Boheme

Last week, I was lucky enough to get discounted tickets for a preview to Utah Opera's La Boheme. I've been interested in seeing this specific opera for years, mainly because I'm in love with its Broadway counterpart, Rent. There's never been a reason to see an opera before this year, and that's mainly because I thought I wouldn't like the constant classical singing without a break for straight acting. I found, however, that I actually loved the classical feel to the production. The Italian language was so rich with culture and tradition and the music was much better than the stereotypical opera music we all think of. The ending was tragic which was interestingly more like a straight play than a musical, making it more like Sweeney Todd than any other musical. I thought it was very well done, and I will definitely go to see more operas in the future. For my response, I wanted to stay away from the arts I'm comfortable with, so I wrote another poem:

I don't know why, but I keep coming back to this medium.

Where everything was once fuzzy, and still can be.

So why here, why now? I know I'm not very skilled at this.

But in the comfort of this classroom, I feel like I can.

In the end, I've tried new things, and unlocked the Gordian Knot.

I've written some lines, and have hoped they're not too terrible.

So again I ask why? Why? Why?

Why put myself through the agony of failure, when I know I can do better.

If this were a different medium, I'd have easily passed this class.

But it isn't and it's not, I must keep exploring.

I'm learning more about myself, and my art is more rewarding.

Dark Musical Shakespeare

I went to see the Westminster players' rendition of King Henry V by William Shakespeare on Saturday, and I have to say that I was very impressed with how well the cast gelled and acted as a company. I usually can't stand Shakespeare plays, but I was very impressed with the acting as a whole. As an actor myself, I would watch every actor that wasn't necessarily in the spotlight and I was pleasantly surprised to notice how every actor "in the background" was just as impressive and in the moment as the featured actors. Every actor was completely engrossed in what they were doing, and their engrossment in their Art got me to enjoy their show on a level I thought I never could. Another aspect of the show that impressed me was the lighting. Henry V was perfect for the black box theater, and it helped enhance the dark yet simplistic atmosphere. I thought a simplistic haiku was appropriate for my artistic response because it incorporates atmospheric elements into its structure:

Blanket of darkness

Sweeps through the October sky

Battles forgotten

Magnificent Underated Stockholm Epic

This past weekend, I drove to Denver with my girlfriend and two other friends. The reason for our trek through the mountains was to see my favorite band of all time: Muse. It was fantastic. We had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, and then headed over to the Pepsi Center where they were scheduled to play. They were absolutely stunning, the complex compositions were colorfully highlighted through layers of arpeggios and high pitched falsettos. The show inspired me to draw for the first time in 5 years. My butchered interpretation is featured above, although the scanner I used only scanned in black and white, so the picture is a different, colorless interpretation of the pastel coated portrait.