A classic piece of theater never goes out of style. Everyone will find a part of the story that strikes a personal chord. That tiny fiber of connection will lead them into a world that may seem remote, from which they emerge with a new understanding of others, themselves or the greater consciousness. Puccini’s final epic feels extraordinarily prescient, with its themes of misogyny and sexism, conquest and annexation and emotionalism versus modernism as appropriate reaction to worldwide PTSD. The composer’s art softens what could be an overly replete expedition behind a scrim of the commedia dell’arte tradition, while spinning a fairytale that wanders from his adherence to verismo stories that seep the passions of everyday people.
Read the full review from Aaron Hunt on NewCity here.