The New York Times critic Zachary Woolfe today spotlights Prototype, the annual festival of innovative opera and music theater in New York City. The festival is renowned for showcasing various intriguing and thought-provoking pieces, and Woolfe concludes that this year is no exception.
The review notes “Terce,” a folk-soul-gospel-medieval blend that celebrated a female creator through community choir singing in an intimate setting, as well as “The Promise,” a rock-cabaret song cycle with witty and raw lyrics. Both works, Woolfe says, resonated with audiences through their heartfelt vulnerability and shared a sense of community in these challenging times.
Another standout was “Chornobyldorf,” a sprawling Ukrainian production reminiscent of the wild downtown New York shows of yore. Set after the Chernobyl disaster, it blended Baroque influences with punkish rage and surreal imagery, evoking a dreamlike atmosphere despite its cryptic symbolism.
Prototype runs Jan. 10-21 at various performance spaces across New York City.
