MasterVoices will present Sondheim's THE FROGS, Korie-penned GRAPES OF WRATH, and more

Fresh after closing out their season with Gilbert and Sullivan's Iolanthe, MasterVoices has revealed its upcoming 2023-2024 season, which will mark Artistic Director (and Tony winner) Ted Sperling's 10th year leading the ensemble.

The season will kick off November 4 with a concert staging of Stephen Sondheim and Burt Shevelove's seldom-produced musical The Frogs, based on the ancient Aristophanes play. Originally written to be performed in a swimming pool at Yale, the work will be produced here in its revised iteration written for a 2004 Broadway debut via Lincoln Center Theater. The revisions are penned by Nathan Lane, who also starred in the Broadway bow. The work, which features the most complex choral writing of any of Sondheim's scores, follows Dionysos and his servant Xanthias as they travel to Hades and back to rescue one of the great artists to save mankind. MasterVoices will offer two performances of the work at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Rose Theater, at 2 and 7:30 PM.

The company is collaborating with choreographer Doug Varone on a new dance piece To My Arms / Restore, which the group will perform at NYU Skirball Center March 22–23. The two-part work is set to a suite of Handel arias and his choral work Dixit Dominus, newly mixed with electronic DJing from composer Nico Bentley. The performance will feature five soloists and musicians from New York Baroque Incorporated.

Closing out the season, MasterVoices returns to the first work Sperling performed with the ensemble, The Grapes of Wrath April 17 at Carnegie Hall. The opera, based on the John Steinbecknovel, features music by Ricky Ian Gordon and a libretto by Michael Korie. Also returning from the previous MasterVoices staging of the work are projections by Wendall K. Harrington.

Visit MasterVoices.org for more details.

https://playbill.com/article/mastervoices-will-present-sondheims-the-frogs-ricky-ian-gordon-and-michael-kories-the-grapes-of-wrath-more-in-2023-2024-season

jkcohen626 said: "OMG!!! Finally get to see The Frogs!!! Can't wait!"

When are tickets on sale?

raddersons said: "These MasterVoices presentations are so awful… I will not be tricked into buying a ticket to one of these again after seeing Anyone Can Whistle last year. Truly dreadful. And it wasn’t at the fault of the material at all."

OMG please don't remind me.

I enjoyed ANYONE CAN WHISTLE as a chance to hear that score in a great concert hall (though Vanessa was lackluster at best), but from my vantage point MasterVoices tries to be a little too ambitious in their staging considering their venues and rehearsal times and budgets. So it's sort of this weird in-between space of a "park & bark" concert vs an Encores presentation. The rehearsal schedule is much more fragmented than, say, Encores or an NYPhil concert, with all the elements coming together later in the game.

Ted Sperling also tends to direct these himself, in addition to music directing/conducting, which might be too much for one person whose primary talent is not directing.

jacobsnchz14 said: "Fresh after closing out their season with Gilbert and Sullivan'sIolanthe, MasterVoices has revealed its upcoming 2023-2024 season, which will mark Artistic Director (and Tony winner)Ted Sperling's 10th year leading the ensemble.

The season will kick off November 4 with a concert staging ofStephen Sondheimand Burt Shevelove's seldom-produced musicalThe Frogs, based on the ancient Aristophanes play. Originally written to be performed in a swimming pool at Yale, the work will be produced here in its revised iteration written for a 2004 Broadway debut viaLincoln Center Theater. The revisions are penned byNathan Lane, who also starred in the Broadway bow. The work, which features the most complex choral writing of any of Sondheim's scores, follows Dionysos and his servant Xanthias as they travel to Hades and back to rescue one of the great artists to save mankind. MasterVoices will offer two performances of the work at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Rose Theater, at 2 and 7:30 PM.

The company is collaborating with choreographerDoug Varoneon a new dance pieceTo My Arms / Restore, which the group will perform at NYU Skirball Center March 22–23. The two-part work is set to a suite of Handel arias and his choral workDixit Dominus, newly mixed with electronic DJing from composer Nico Bentley. The performance will feature five soloists and musicians from New York Baroque Incorporated.

Closing out the season, MasterVoices returns to the first work Sperling performed with the ensemble,The Grapes of WrathApril 17 at Carnegie Hall. The opera, based on theJohn Steinbecknovel, features music byRicky Ian Gordonand a libretto byMichael Korie. Also returning from the previous MasterVoices staging of the work are projections by Wendall K. Harrington.

VisitMasterVoices.orgfor more details.

https://playbill.com/article/mastervoices-will-present-sondheims-the-frogs-ricky-ian-gordon-and-michael-kories-the-grapes-of-wrath-more-in-2023-2024-season"

I know..I know I'm probably in the minority but I saw this at LCT in 2004 with Nathan Lane and Roger Bart. I was not impressed. Perhaps it was the staging, Stro does not seem to be a great fit with Sondheim.

raddersons said: "These MasterVoices presentations are so awful… I will not be tricked into buying a ticket to one of these again after seeing Anyone Can Whistle last year. Truly dreadful. And it wasn’t at the fault of the material at all."

Why? What happened ?

What was so awful about it besides Vanessa Williams? Would it have been good with the right cast?

https://playbill.com/article/nathan-lane-jordan-donica-more-join-mastervoices-concert-of-sondheims-the-frogs

Great cast!

I'm sad as I had been meaning to get tickets and kept putting it off and now they're sold out, so if anyone happens to have an extra ticket let me know!

Dom P said: "I saw this at LCT in 2004 with Nathan Lane and Roger Bart. I was not impressed."

I would watch that pair in anything, to be honest.

It’s a lot of fun and what a pleasure to see this show on stage. With all this Aaron Tveit drama, it was hard not to imagine what Marc Kudisch or Jordan Donica could do with Sweeney. They were both wonderful and Jordan was sporting some very sexy braids. Unfortunately, Douglas Sills needed about two more weeks of rehearsal. He was blatantly uncomfortable singing a lot of the score, especially the jewel that is Ariadne. The dancers were a particular highlight, and I was thrilled to hear this score sung tonight. Kudisch came fully prepared and about stole the show. A lovely, esoteric evening.

Updated On: 11/4/23 at 03:56 AM

I’m biased, as I wrote the dance and incidental music for the 2004 production. However, I saw it this afternoon, and I thought it was simply tremendous! I hear it’s sold out, but if you can get there, you’ll have a wonderful time!