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This week Calien Lewis, dramaturg with Opera Maine will be joining us again to discuss La Boheme. This year, Opera Maine will be presenting La Boheme during their winter performances and Sweeney Todd for their summer performance. Both operas have a relationship with Broadway. Critics can’t seem to agree on whether or not Sweeney Todd is an opera or a musical. Sondheim states, “essentially, the difference, I think, is in the expectation of the audience. Obviously there are differences in terms of performers and how they approach singing in an art form. But primarily an opera is something done in an opera house in front of an opera audience.”
When Rent went to Broadway in 1996, this librarian was a freshman in college. As soon as someone starts saying the words “five hundred,” in my head, I immediately start singing, “525,600 minutes. How do you measure, measure a year?” I’m fairly positive that other “theater kids” from that generation do the same. My mother, an opera enthusiast, told me at the time that Rent was just a modernization of La Boheme. My mind was blown (apparently the song, La Vie Boheme wasn’t a clue). Wikipedia pulls the genesis of Rent from a 1996 New York Times interview with playwright Billy Aronson:
In 1988, playwright Billy Aronson wanted to create “a musical based on Puccini’s La Bohème, in which the luscious splendor of Puccini’s world would be replaced with the coarseness and noise of modern New York.” In 1989, Jonathan Larson, a 29-year-old composer, began collaborating with Aronson on this project, and the two composed together “Santa Fe”, “Splatter” (later re-worked into the song “Rent”), and “I Should Tell You.” Larson suggested setting the play “amid poverty, homelessness, spunky gay life, drag queens and punk” in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, which happened to be down the street from his Greenwich Village apartment. He also came up with the show’s ultimate title (a decision that Aronson was unhappy with, at least until Larson pointed out that “rent” also means torn apart). In 1991, he asked Aronson if he could use Aronson’s original concept and make Rent his own. Larson had ambitious expectations for Rent; his ultimate dream was to write a rock opera “to bring musical theater to the MTV generation”. Aronson and Larson made an agreement that if the show went to Broadway, Aronson would share in the proceeds and be given credit for “original concept & additional lyrics.”
With this relationship between the two genres of theater, I wondered what other plays or musicals evolved from operas. My first thought went to Elton John’s Aida.
In the year 2000, Elton John and longtime collaborator Tim Rice watched their adaptation of Verdi’s opera hit Broadway. The musical won four Tony Awards including Best Original Score.
In 1943, Oscar Hammerstein’s Carmen Jones, a musical based on George Bizet’s Carmen and starring Muriel Burrell Smith, hit Broadway. In 1954, Hammerstein adapted the play into a film directed by Otto Preminger and starring Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte. Some of us may even remember watching Carmen on Ice in 1990 starring Katerina Witt in the role of Carmen. We don’t get to learn if Katerina had any kind of singing voice. Instead of searching for that on Youtube, stick with Carmen Jones.
In 1904, Giacomo Puccini’s Madame Butterfly premiered in Milan to fairly terrible reviews. Today, the opera is one of the most performed operas in the world. In 1991, Miss Saigon premiers on Broadway and now our American soldier is fighting in the Vietnam War and our geisha is now a South Vietnamese bar girl. Both the opera and the musical were criticized for orientalism and racism, the music of both have definitely become a part of Western culture.
We do hope you will join us this Wednesday, to learn more about the opera of La Boheme and maybe satisfy some curiosities about the “original” Rent.
Be sure to check back here this summer when I explore the question of “Why do humans taste so good?”
Welcome, readers! We’re here to share our end-of-the-year staff picks, and we’re hoping you also have some great stacks of books, movies, and music for the winter nights ahead. Thanks so much for stopping by the Downtown Library, Peaks, Riverton, Burbank and the Bookmobile in 2024. We’ve loved seeing you this year, and look forward to 2025 at the library.
Read on for Northern Lights, Noodles on a Bicycle, The Most Boring Book Ever, and more!
Julia F’s Picks
In the midst of a chaotic season, I’ve been finding comfort and delight in some of the new picture books arriving at the Children’s Library. Here are a handful that I recommend, whether or not you have a child in your life to enjoy them with!
“We are DEFINITELY human,” proclaim the three strangers who crash their way into a new book by Maine author-illustrator X. Fang. These aren’t just any strangers: “Their eyes were very big, their skin was very blue and their shape was very hard to describe.” Still, when they show up at Mr. and Mrs. Li’s door to ask for help repairing their “car” (which looks suspiciously like a flying saucer), the humans are happy to help, because that is what kind humans do. Fang’s pencil illustrations show the brightly-hued extraterrestrials interacting with human-made objects, like cardboard boxes and plungers, in rather unusual ways. A hilarious, uplifting story of cooperation and cultural exchange with visitors from, uh, “Europe.”
What better way to warm up on a wintry day than with a steaming bowl of noodle soup? Noodles on a Bicycle, by Kyo Maclear and Gracey Zhang, serves up a nostalgic glimpse of Tokyo past, where demae (cycling deliverymen) speed through the streets with towering stacks of trays and bowls balanced on one arm. Neighborhood children watch in admiration as the cyclists deliver soba to hungry customers, their soup-towers climbing, slanting, and swooping across the pages. Maclear’s sensory-rich text and Zhang’s dynamic illustrations evoke equal parts wonder and warmth–and may cause cravings for noodle soup!
Sometimes We Fall(by Randall de Sève, with artwork by Kate Gardiner), opens on an illustration of a bear cub in a windswept field, gazing up at their mother in the boughs of a plum tree: “It’s a problem when you want a purple plum, too . . . but you’re scared to leap.” In simple, second-person text and gentle, earth-toned pictures, the cub faces their fears to leap, climb, and reach for that coveted plum . . . and learns that falling is not only okay, but can sometimes be delicious! A reassuring, beautifully illustrated book that both young children and their grown-ups can appreciate, this was a hit in a recent preschool storytime.
And for a truly seasonal read, snuggle up with A Cozy Winter Dayby Eliza Wheeler. A village of woodland creatures enjoys a snowy day complete with “comfy pants,” vegetable stew, and a whole page devoted to different types of nooks!
Cindy’s Picks
The first is The Most Boring Book Ever with words by the venerable Brandon Sanderson and pictures by Amulet’s creator, Kazu Kibuishi. It begins with a boy sitting in a chair. Sitting in chairs is boring. But then he goes on to imagine so many fun and active things, such as landing on a dragon’s back with his chair and fighting bad guys in the air. Kibuishi’s beautiful and action-packed drawings light this picture book up in the best and most colorful ways!
Eyes on the Skyby J. Kasper Kramer looks very promising. A novel about Dorothy who lives in Roswell, New Mexico in the early 1950s, where nothing interesting ever happens. She is a budding weather scientist and frequently sends up weather balloons to study weather patterns. One night, a huge blast lights up the night sky right after she has sent up a weather balloon and soon. . . the FBI is investigating whatever happened. Could it be her weather balloon? Or is there something more sinister?
This is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them and Usis an anthology edited by Katherine Locke and Nicole Melleby with short stories about what our rainbow looks like. With stories by the beloved Alex Gino, Eric Bell and Lisa Jenn Bigelow among many other bright stars of LGBTQ+ middle grade fiction, how can you go wrong?
And finally, this brings me to The Shape of Lost Things by Sarah Everett, author of another book I absolutely adored this year: The Probability of Everything. “Skye Nickerson’s world changed forever when her dad went on the run with her brother, Finn. It’s been four years when word arrives that he has been found. But the brother that comes back to live with them is nothing like the brother she grew up with. Could this Finn be someone else entirely?
Christina’s Pick
I would be remiss if I didn’t take the time out to talk about What Time is Noon? by Mainer Chip Leighton. A compilation of hilarious quotes, quizzes, and tips about life with teenagers, this book is a joy to read. Striking up some serious laugh out loud moments, I would recommend this to any person.
Gabrielle’s Pick
My pick for December is Day Jobs by Veronica Roberts. Critical care nurse, restaurant server, dishwasher, nanny, UX designer, agricultural worker, attorney– these are just a few of the day jobs held by the artists profiled in this lush art book. Whether by economic necessity or by choice, the diverse artists featured here could not pursue their art full-time. I loved how this book dismantles the tendency we often have to reduce people to simple labels (“artist” or “dishwasher”) and instead examines how our lives are full of marvelous complexity. The art and the stories are inspiring.
Sarah M’s Picks
My top two non-fiction favorites that I read this year were The Best Minds by Jonathan Rosen and A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan. Both fit categories in the 2024 Reading Challenge—The Best Minds qualifies as a book about friendship and a book with a writer as the main character, while A Fever in the Heartland is set in the Midwest. While each book delves into challenging topics and specific lives, they offer meaningful insights into our society, past, present, and future.
My two fiction favorites were the novels There, There by Tommy Orange and The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel. Mantel and Orange are two extraordinary authors whose stories linger long after the last page. Both books had moments so powerful that I had to pause and simply savor the pleasure of reading something so perfectly crafted or deeply moving. The Mirror and the Light marks the conclusion of a trilogy—and the end of Mantel’s remarkable career, as she passed away in 2022, two years after its publication. There, There, on the other hand, marks the start of an important series, with Orange already expanding the story in a compelling companion novel (Wandering Stars) this year. While their styles and subjects are vastly different, both authors have achieved something remarkable.
Jay’s Picks
In books, I recommend Apostles of Mercy by Lindsay Ellis. I hesitate because it’s the third book of a series, but it’s the best one so far, and I had a blast reading it. It’s sci-fi set in the United States, so I think the world building is familiar enough that someone could enjoy it without reading the first two. What are the selling points? Aliens. Queer characters. Early 2000s nostalgia. The author paying subtle homage to the Twilight and Transformers franchises.
In movies, I recommend What You Wish Forand Club Zero. I’d characterize both as disturbing but fun for horror/thriller fans.
Serena’s Picks
My first pick is TheCovenant of Water by Abraham Verghese, a beautiful multi-generational story set in South India. It was the perfect escape for me in the last month.
Another great read (recommended to me by a librarian) was Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo. It’s the second book in the Ninth House series and set in New Haven, CT, my hometown. The book is based on the secret societies at Yale and is full of magic and ghosts. A wonderful read for a dark night!
Mikayla’s Picks
Two books about librarians really captured my heart this year—go figure!
Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey is set in a post-apocalyptic American West where librarians are morally upright women who travel town to town distributing government-approved propaganda…or at least that’s the guise for their true purpose of distributing resistance materials. Our protagonist Esther who’s running away from a forced marriage is about to find out all about it the hard way!
For a gentler library-centered read, consider What You Are Looking for is In the Library by Michiko Aoyama, translated by Alison Watts. This Japanese novel introduces us to five characters at difficult moments of their lives who visit a unique librarian and receive a book recommendation, a felted figure, and a small nudge. Perfect to read in one sitting on a cozy day with a warm beverage, or savor bit by bit on a lunch break. Happy reading!
Elizabeth’s Picks
It seems a million months ago that I read Greta and Valdin and Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop, but they are two of my favorite novels for adults from 2024. Greta and Valdin is quirky and endearing; Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop is thoughtful and inquisitive; but they are both gentle reads with great characters, soothing and absorbing.
I felt the same way on a lunch break the other day when I read Gail Donovan’s stellar Sparrow Spreads Her Wings, a chapter book that follows fourth-grader Sparrow Robinson through one very-eventful wintry weekend. (An injured pigeon, a blizzard, a new baby, kittens, friendship!). Most of all, I connected with Sparrow’s interior life, which is wonderfully written: her questions, her concerns, her attempt to make sense of how adults wanted her to behave and communicate, her love of animals…I could relate. Elysia Case’s cover art and illustrations scattered through the book are perfect. I’m really looking forward to reading this and Sparrow Being Sparrow (the first book in this trilogy—one more to come!) to the cat-devoted kids in my life over the holidays.
2×2 Tuesday was a collaborative library project I worked on this year—here are two books I shared recently. Waubgeshig Rice’s novel Moon of the Turning Leaves is a beautiful, gripping post-apocalyptic novel: a group of Anishinaabe family and friends travels together, braving the danger ahead to take care of each other on a journey to create a new community. As a younger character says in the book,“We have to think about the future. We’ll still be here after you’re gone. And we deserve a say in the world we’re going to live in. I say we keep going.” One more: Knitting for Radical Self Care. Knitting nourishes and heals.“I’m rooting for you. I’m rooting for me,” author Brandi Cheyenne Harper assures us.
Everything Must Go: The Stories We Tell About the End of the World is probably the book I’m most looking forward to reading in the new year. The end of times is a very popular subject across all belief systems, whether you’re looking at the Book of Revelation or when Skynet takes over everything and we’re left in a dystopian nightmare: you know you’re interested too.
I’m also looking forward to Pretend We’re Dead: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of Women in Rock in the ’90s. I was in high school and college during the 90s and therefore all of the music I tend to gravitate towards comes from that era or sounds like it. I met my best friend in college when I heard the Divorce Song by Liz Phair coming from her dorm room. I lost my mind when the Pixies got back together in 2004. I named one of my cats Jose Jones. The pictures on my walls in high school included Tanya Donnelly along with members of L7 and of course, both Deal sisters. If this was you, I’m pretty sure this book will also be.
Speaking of music from the 90s…Kim Deal is releasing a new album, Nobody Loves You More, and it’s already gaining traction on streaming apps. From the few songs I’ve heard so far, this is bound to be a great solo album. What truly blows my mind, however, is that this is her FIRST EVER solo album. Because writing music for three different bands for the last 40 years wasn’t enough. The Deal twins will turn 64 next year. Do YOU feel old yet?
Some other upcoming music I can’t wait to listen to:
Mille Affettiby Bruno de Sa: Singer de Sa, is one of the very few male sopranos in existance. I’m looking forward to hearing his arias.
Mirage Tour ’82 by Fleetwood Mac: Several bands are releasing older concert recordings and I’m totally for it. I may be a little too young to have gone on this tour, but at least I can sing along now.
The Kurt Weil Album by Joana Mallwitz: Kurt Weil is thankfully more than just the Three Penny Opera (not that there is anything wrong with that opera). Also an album with a FEMALE conductor. That’s just rare and should be appreciated.
Lastly, I can’t forget about the holidays coming up. Fred Schneider of B-52s fame has created Destination….Christmas! To those who celebrate (or just really love the B-52s), I hope your whole shack shimmies this upcoming year.
As ever, thanks for reading! You can find all of our staff picks and place holds on anything that interests you in the booklist Northern Lights: December Staff Picks.
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