Word: utopias
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
After leaving their homes, the Morses and thousands of Kachin refugees created yet another Christian Utopia in an uninhabited valley near Burma's border with India. In 1972, the missionaries were ordered out of Burma for good. They settled in the city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand for the eighth phase of the family's career. Robert, 59, is a teacher and linguist, and Eugene, 61, organizes evangelists to reach the 13,000 of the brightly costumed Lisu people within Thailand. Eight of the brothers' twelve children are missionaries in Thailand; the other four are studying...
...poor choice of opera, lackadaisical musical and dramatic staging, and inconsistent performing spoil the fun for everyone. Even G&S aficionados who ordinarily revel in riproarious productions of favorites like The Mikado and the H.M.S. Pinafore--will have a hard time sitting through this long and uninspired production of Utopia Limited or Flowers of Progress. We watch the operetta wilt before our eyes...
...root of the problem lies with the operetta itself. The Harvard group would have been wise to follow the example of other G&S troupes, which seldom if ever mount this little-known work by the famous duo. As a matter of fact, the story of the colonization of Utopia and its incorporation into Utopia Limited borders on the inane and tedious. Not only do the lyrics and score lack the crisp wit and euphonic melodies that characterize most G&S operettas, but also most of the satire falls flat in front of an American audience. It isn't until...
During the course of the evening, we watch the despotic but disorganized King Paramount learn the English version of monarchy. Traipsing around on stage with him are the highly malleable citizens of Utopia, two sycophantic advisors, six stereotypic Englishmen, and three slightly dizzy princesses, the eldest of whom has just returned from finishing school in England. Most of the characters overflow with superfluous emotions that only serve to complicate the already too-intricate plot...
...when a G&S company does decide to produce Utopia it should do a little cutting beforehand: two-and-a-half hours of this circuitous fluff could put even the most hyperactive of audience members to sleep. Not only is the production hampered by its length, but also most of the staging proves too distracting for the weak company to support. Noticeably lacking are introductory overtures before either of the acts. Ordinarily such music helps the audience enter into a nineteenth-century frame of mind. Instead, after a brief warm-up, the opera begins with a riotous choral entrance...