A big thank you to Neil Gillespie for capturing a bit of the event on Tuesday night from the sidelines. Neil is not only one of the members of the stellar ROH Chorus, but is also a wonderful photographer and the mind and lens behind the Naked Calendar for Charity, featuring workers and stars of the Royal Opera and Ballet! I'm honored to be included in his list of subject (and relieved to have my clothes on!)
I'm staying quite quiet today, which I need - gives me some time to process the brilliant play we took in last night, "Waiting for Godot". It was a masterful performance from Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellan, and certainly helped me see that I don't have it that bad, all things considered! As I say, "It's ALL good!!!" Anyone near London should definitely try to get tickets!!
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21 comments:
I wish I could go to London and see thie barbiere!
Since I cannot hear you in person very easily I have to resort to You Tube and happily you are quite well represented there, especially your marvelous renditions of Handel. Since I found out that you have sung Isabella in The Italian Girl in Algiers at least once I looked to see if there might be an excerpt on You Tube but in vain. Do you ever intend to sing that role again? I would think it perfect for your voice, but that is only an amateur opinion.
I love "Waiting for Godot!"
As for surfing you-tube, I watched your video of "Crude Furie" several times yesterday.
You are brilliant! There was this one comment on you-tube which said that the feeling you have after watching this video is like you just had a heart attack and have not even noticed it.
It's true. It's a stunning performance that just leaves one breathless. Thank you for singing Handel that way,Joyce, or should I just say - thank you for singing that way!
Raisa
Thought you might be interested to know that we're covering your unfortunate accident in Canada on CBC Radio this Saturday on the show In Tune.
www.cbc.ca/radio2/programs/intune
Oy! Be careful or you'll give those Koncept Regie ideas about Rosina and the mermaid outfit! ;o) I can just see it... A young and flirty gold fish (a la Cleo) getting rescued from her shark-patrolled fish bowl by Nemo and his accomplice giant octopus.
Just kidding... of course. :o) Good to see you in such good spirit. Hope the leg is healing well and that you're observing the speed limit while driving that wheelchair!
How I wish there were videos of your performance on YouTube! (Not that I would ever suggest anyone do anything illegal or unethical!)
Joyce, you are so totally channeling the Divine Miss M, although i think she'd shed that nickname by the time she morphed into Delores Delago. I'm buying the DVD immediately. Gotta get her to your next LA or NYC show!
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When I saw the photos I laugh, because I Think I said "break a leg" before your debut in Vienna. It's funny, somehow, but I wish you get on well as soon as possible.
Accidents happen, remember what happened to Juan Diego with a fish bone.
Take care.
Kisses!
Isn't YouTube such a tarpit (it sucks you right in)? But on a more serious note, I love how they matched your cast to the cute pink shoes!
Can't tell which performance I preferred most - the crutch carrying Rosina or the Rosina trapped in her wheelchair! Another wonderful night at the opera (no Marx Bros puns intended).
On a slightly serious note it made me wonder, as I watched you wheel about on stage, given how much human beings are geared towards the "visual" side of life just how many performers / voices have been barred entry to the world of opera / the stage simply down to the fact of their appearance? I hope that your plight will perhaps make people rethink out of date attitudes.
Good luck for the rest of the run!
Hi Joyce !
Talking about inspiration, you're an eternal one for me ! What an amazing optimism you have. Love the way you're seeing everything through their good side. Thank you so much for this. I really wish I could see you in this specific production, I would love to see what you're doing of that wheelchair ! Do you know if a DVD will be released ?
And about research... Looking for videos on YouTube (everybody on this post seem to have looked for videos about you on YouTube), I found a video tribute about you. I don't know if you already saw it, but I found it really well done, showing some of your greatest interpretation. The Rosina part is amazing. Take a look if you have time.
I wish you a speedy recovery, a lot of fun and plenty of emotions ! Take care !
We should thank you. What you do is absolutely great. I was there on Friday evening. If I think again... I'm still there. Do you know how much I thank you for everything? I already told you in person.
You have all my love and respect!
I had the privilege of attending the Barbiere last Friday and Waiting for Godot next day. In both cases, superb performances from best-in-what-they-do artists with a degree of commitment one could somehow not expect from stardom.
It struck me that the feelings raised by both performances were not so different: the crowd pleasing, roaring comedy by frivolous, gay Rossini and the deep, heart wrenching (albeit containing lots of fun) reflexion on human condition by Beckett have both become well known, taken for granted classics. We go back to them to enjoy the performing skills, rather than searching for significance, and if we find (as we do) new meanings in them it is thanks to the wonderful work of actors, singers and players.
But if we're praising commitment, no need to say Mrs. Di Donato deserves to stand (oops) apart. Thanks a lot for your brave decision, and congratulations on the magnificent rendition: you nailed it, and I dare say the wheelchair thing somehows adds fun and meaning instead of being a problem.
Dear Joyce - I was priviliged to be at Covent Garden tonight (Monday 13th) and want to thank you and your colleagues for a superlative performance. You are such an example of true professional grit. Not only did you manage your chair and the production, but your singing was just sensational. What a Star!!
Michael
Hi, it is impossible to express HOW grateful I am to you for your performance last night, I found it truly inspirational (like all your performances I have seen). That's another thing to thank you for, thank you for being such an inspirational person. Having recently discovered you had a blog I have to confess that I have since spent about 10 hours reading it and watching all the videos on it :P It's so interesting to read about what it's like to be part of the opera family (a family I aspire to join one day).
Again, THANK YOU, not just for last night but for everything, you always bring a smile to my face whether it is from watching a clip of you on YouTube or seeing you live at the Royal Opera House.
I hope your leg makes a swift and painless (as painless as possible!) recovery.
A final thank you and BRAVA!!! I will now devotedly follow this blog for the rest of time :P xx
Never mind your brilliance in the wheelchair, your voice last night had me weeping in sheer wonder - and that doesn't happen often. Now just looking forward to your Prom, and have booked for the Met in October ... its been a good season at Covent Garden, but you were the highlight!
Thanks for a really wonderful performance on Tuesday night. Your expressiveness and feisty humour in yur wheelchair were a joy. You moved in that chair like an expert and it didn't cramp your style at all. Nor did it detract in any way from the performance. Your colleagues in the cast player their part too and it was all just splendid. Your singing , from a seated position, was so energetic and beautiful at the same time. Brava!
I travelled over from Dublin to see your performance and it was SO worth the effort.
I hope that when Dublin finally opens its Libeskind Theatre and can host great opera, we will see you on the boards here.
Bless you!
Tim Delaney
You'll be even prouder than I was to know how the crowds in Trafalgar Square took it - of course there were the afficionados in the seats, but I was standing under the National Gallery portico, and catching the amazement of the passers-by who couldn't believe what they were seeing and hearing: lovely and engaging singers who were giving them more top quality than they knew.
Your wheelchair acting, the frustration and energy of it all, was breathtaking. On a par with Corbelli (and there's NO-ONE better at buffo than Corbelli, wouldn't you agree?)
Hi Joyce,
I gotta admire your gumption. That break must have been extremely painful, and to put weight on it the whole night like you did was amazing. I broke my ankle in 3 places last year, and dislocated it, so I could not have done that. I had to have surgery, and am now the proud owner of a titanium plate and serveral large screws.
Greetings from Prairie Village.
I really admire this, I mean it really looks interesting! I'm actually glad to see all this stuff, to see that this world offers creativity and ideas other than what my lonesome small town provides. This world is quite the big place and to encounter a story such as this one just puts me out of my ordinary. I gotta hand it to whoever wrote this, you've really kept me updated! Now, let's just hope that I can come across another blog just as interesting :)
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