All stories by James Jorden on BroadwayStars

Monday, June 17, 2019

‘Galas’ Presents the Life of Maria Callas as Equal Parts Opera and Soap by James Jorden

Perhaps better than any other examination of Callas' life and career, the play 'Galas' delves into the frustration and pain that engendered her genius

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 12:11PM
Monday, January 9, 2017

‘Old Lady’ Linda Lavin Animates NYCO’s Stale ‘Candide’ by James Jorden

What a marvelous idea it was to program the operetta Candide as the centerpiece of New York City Opera’s current season. Leonard Bernstein’s most inventive score for the theater, the par…

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 11:53AM
Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Star Quality Spices Up a Bland ‘Roméo et Juliette’ at the Met by James Jorden

James Jorden's review of the most recent Met production of 'Romeo and Juliet.'

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 11:27AM
Monday, September 19, 2016

LoftOpera Makes a High School Musical Out of Mozart by James Jorden

NYC's LoftOpera performs "Cosi fan tutte" as an exploration of teen sexuality.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 11:30AM
Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Arias Al Fresco: Two New York Operas, Outdoors by James Jorden

An unfairly maligned Rossini and arias in a sculpture park round out this summer's outdoor opera programming.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 07:57PM
Sunday, July 10, 2016

They’re Young, They’re in Love, And They’re Ready for the Big Time by James Jorden

Prelude to Performance not only readies opera singers for professional careers, but presents a solidly entertaining ''La Boheme' as well.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 07:22PM

A Night at the Opera, No Pants Required by James Jorden

Fortunately, pants-free opera is now no longer a dream or a luxury for just the few.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 07:22PM
Friday, June 3, 2016

The Met’s James Levine Conducts Wagner For His Swan Song by James Jorden

It was likely the longstanding Met conductor's final live work.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 11:32AM
Friday, May 27, 2016

New York Opera Fest: The Good, the Bad and the Rubato by James Jorden

If the first weeks’ presentations seem more remarkable for good intentions than for polished results, there’s still plenty to enjoy.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 02:28PM
Monday, May 16, 2016

Opera Orchestra of New York Flubs Latest Experiment by James Jorden

Opera Orchestra of New York--known for obscure, one-off operas--really dropped the ball this time.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 10:39PM
Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Two Shorter Operas, Two Very Different Performances by James Jorden

Hopper’s Wife turned out to be the most unpleasant piece as I’ve heard since NYCO’s notorious fiasco The Dreyfus Affair, two decades ago.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 12:26PM
Friday, April 29, 2016
Thursday, March 31, 2016

The Met’s Long History of Failing to Fire Lackluster Opera Directors by James Jorden

The Met's production of 'Roberto Devereux' is just the latest reminder of the institution's rough history of using flailing opera directors.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 01:04PM
Thursday, January 28, 2016

Why, Tosca? Really. This Performance Made Us Question Everything by James Jorden

A review of the New York City Opera Renaissance's most recent production of 'Tosca.'

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 08:57PM
Thursday, January 14, 2016

High Notes: Raw, Powerful New Operas Tackle Human Trafficking, Sexual Deviancy by James Jorden

New opera 'Dog Days' marks the formal arrival of the three-year-old Prototype Festival.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 09:36PM
Saturday, January 2, 2016

Bizet’s First Opera Still a Masterpiece by James Jorden

The Met's 'Pecheurs de Perles' delights.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 01:47PM
Thursday, October 22, 2015

A Fresh ‘Pirates’ and a Reliable ‘Tosca’ Highlight New York’s Fall Opera Offerings by James Jorden

Fall opera offerings in New York include the surprise revelation that Deborah Voigt can sing Gilbert & Sullivan.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 04:18PM
Thursday, October 15, 2015

Fall Arts Preview: 7 Operas That Opera Fans Must Not Miss by James Jorden

7 opera picks for the fall in New York City.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 11:33AM
Wednesday, September 2, 2015

The Kids in Bushwick Who Figured Out Opera by James Jorden

It’s not easy to pin down exactly what makes LoftOpera so unlike the myriad other small opera companies that dot New York, but whatever that disparity might be, it makes all the difference.

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 10:39PM
Wednesday, July 22, 2015

An Appreciation of ‘Guilty Pleasure’ Operas by James Jorden

What a lot of opera queens flock to is a corner of the repertoire that can be best labeled “guilty pleasures,” pieces we all know are of dubious artistic quality—but what fun to listen!

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 02:35PM
Saturday, June 13, 2015

When Operas Cross Genres, It’s Mishmosh — or Magic by James Jorden

Two small-scale operas offer different results

SOURCE: The New York Observer at 11:11AM
Monday, May 25, 2015

A Mozart 'Tutte' made for Twitter Opera by JAMES JORDEN

Can a 220-year-old opera be taught new tricks? That's the goal of operamission, which, starting tonight, will present Mozart's "Cosi Fan Tutte" in a format that's part miniseries, part town…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 05:58PM

'Ring' it on! by JAMES JORDEN

Ask anyone who knows opera what an opera house's biggest challenge is, and they'll tell you: “Der Ring des Nibelungen.” This 18-hour, four-night epic, written in the mid-1800s by…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 05:58PM

Some dings in Met's ‘Ring' by JAMES JORDEN

The loudest cheers at the Met on Monday rang out before the curtain went up on Wagner's “Das Rheingold,” the company's most expensive staging ever.A pre-show standing ovation for…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 05:58PM

Feline groovy on 42nd by JAMES JORDEN

The newest star on Broadway is a singing, dancing cat, and Andrew Lloyd Webber has nothing to do with it.The feline in question is fairy-tale favorite Puss in Boots, or "El Gato con Botas,"…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 05:58PM

'Hoffmann' tenor has his own tale by JAMES JORDEN

In the Met's "Tales of Hoffmann," Giuseppe Filianoti plays a poet defeated by life. In reality, the 36-year-old singer's brush with tragedy had a far happier ending. The Italian tenor seemed…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 05:58PM

Soprano dies after 'Stupenda' career by JAMES JORDEN

Even in the twilight of her career, Dame Joan Sutherland delivered more bang for the buck than sopranos half her age.The diva, who died yesterday at 83, played the teenage virgin Gilda in V…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 05:58PM

Sets not good enough for marvelous ‘Godunov' by JAMES JORDEN

At the close of “Boris Godunov,” a leaderless Russia churns in chaos. Happily, the Met's new production of Mussorgsky's masterpiece — despite a last-minute turnover on the …

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 05:58PM

Tenor is the night by JAMES JORDEN

Saturday night's Met debut of Vittorio Grigolo in "La Bo heme" was promising enough to suggest the tenor may one day live up to his own hype. An onslaught of advance hoopla for the 33-year-…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 05:58PM

God's love, he delivers by JAMES JORDEN

Roberto Alagna an swers questions even before they're asked. Strolling through Central Park the other day, chatting in lightly accented English about his performances tonight at Carnegie Ha…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 05:58PM

Not the right kind of 'Place' by JAMES JORDEN

You'd think that anything written by the man who gave us “West Side Story,” “Candide” and “On the Town” would be worth at least a listen, yes? Well, despi…

SOURCE: The New York Post Subscription at 05:58PM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards