Word: primae
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After the woman pointed out that the idea of "prima nocta" in Gibson's film "Braveheart" was an 18th century invention that had no place in a medieval film, Gibson asked, "Damn cinematic...
...exquisite risottos, no matter what the market demands. Secondo, the maitre d', shoots his cuffs with elegant panache but is not quite the shrewd and worldly businessman he thinks he is. When Pascal proposes that they throw a scrumptious, sumptuous banquet, promising to supply a celebrity (Louis Prima, the old-time band leader) whose patronage, Pascal assures them, will bring saving glamour and publicity to their enterprise, they invest the last of their capital in the plan. On one level this turns out to be a bad deal. For the pressures of the big night bring out the worst...
Even the minor characters are easy to appreciate. T.J. Meyers and Ian Jon Bourg draw many smiles and even occasional laughter from the audience as the perplexed and frustrated theater owners, Firmin and Andre, respectively. Carlotta, played by Kelly Ellenwood, makes and excellent egotistical prima donna. However, in this particular production, she seems more pitiful and needy than she does vicious and greedy. Her companion, Piangi (Stefano Fucile), possesses both a self-esteem and a voice pompous enough to match hers. Hating the two of them is still enjoyable, but not exactly a pleasure...
...PRIMA TIME...
...take notice. Fortunately conductor Jonathan McPhee soon shepherds his fellow musicians into a warm, rolling succession of tunes you'll be sure to recognize from the Walt Disney cartoon. (Hint--if you go to a matinee showing, expect to hear at least four little future prima donnas around you singing along with the "Once Upon A Dream" segment.) The score is simply so relaxing and lucid that it's practically therapeutic. Don't consider yawning to be an insult--rather, consider it a compliment to the music's charming tranquillity. You'll feel a lot less guilty when it happens...