Spend Christmas Eve with an opera star
I don't know much about opera, except that I find it beautiful in the right context. This was one of those contexts. The intimate Next Act Theater set was that of an early 1900s dressing room, a brass-horned victrola playing records of opera singer Enrico Caruso.
In my limited two-show experience, I've found that the Next Act Theater has a knack for embracing plays that are as intimate as the theater itself; Next Act's stage is teeny-tiny in the best way. Bravo Caruso! takes place on one night (Christmas Eve) in one room with just two people — Caruso and his valet. The renowned Caruso is talking to reporters (the audience) about growing up in Sicily and his experiences as an entertainer. We watch him prepare for that night's performance — a performance that would actually be his last.
Though a little slow at some points (watching Caruso put on his stage makeup, watching the valet count 20+ presents), I suppose that's what makes Bravo Caruso! all the more interesting and more of a character study than anything. We witness not only the storied elements as Caruso gossips about his fellow opera singers and gets lost in memories of his mother, but we also see a man as he would be, truly, in his dressing room before a performance: intimate and real.
The actors bring top-notch talent to their roles, humor included, and it was a pleasure to watch them become these amusing characters. Opera fans especially would find such joy in these people and this play — so tell your opera-loving friends to get themselves over to the Next Act Theater by December 6th so they, too, can shout "Bravo Caruso!"
For ticket information, visit nexact.org.
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