The Music of La Casa Azul- Courtesy of Carmel Symphony Orchestra. Used with permission.
“The Music of ‘La Casa Azul’” concert presented by Carmel Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Janna Hymes at The Palladium Saturday, will one day be regarded as a seminal performing arts event in Central Indiana. I realize that is a very heady pronouncement, but in all my years of covering local performing arts, I have never experienced anything quite like it.
The Music of La Casa Azul
Composed by Gregory Glade, founder and artistic director of Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre, and lyrics by Kate Ayres, the full production of “La Casa Azul, The Musical” was last presented in July of 2019 at Phoenix Theater Cultural Centre, and I reviewed it favorably, if not ecstatically in this column. I strongly urge you to read my observations because much of what I commented on then applies to the concert version witnessed over the past weekend.
What made the two-hour, twenty-minute-long concert, performed in front of a packed house, so distinctive? It was the combination of the 42- member orchestra, potently led by the formidable Hymes, interpreting Glade’s epic and sweeping score so exquisitely, the outstanding 20-member vocal ensemble, the eight Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre dancers, and the Palladium itself, which has become highly touted as one of the finest music halls in the nation. Ultimately, it was the grand scope and scale, plus the sterling caliber of the overall artistic product that made it a coup as far as partnerships go and one that set the bar high for others to emulate.
The Music of Casa Azul – Courtesy of Carmel Symphony Orchestra. Used with permission.
I cannot say enough about the star quality projected by the soloists in exceptional vocal and dramatic performances that made them, and the rest of the ensemble, appear as if they were all born to perform on the hallowed Palladium stage. The leads included Jessica Hawkins in the role of Frida, Darrin Gowan as Diego Rivera, Katy Gentry McCord as Cristina Kahlo, and Tim Hunt as Alejandro Gómez Arias. Standing out for her moving performance as La Muerte (death) was dancer extraordinaire Abigail Lessaris.
Also deserving of high praise is orchestrator Nicholas Cline; stage director and multi-dimensional artist Georgina Escobar, a Latina whose sensibilities contributed to the cultural authenticity of Glade’s music, choreography, and costuming; and vocal director Tammy Anderson — all of whom were also responsible for the concert’s creative excellence. Gregarious radio & TV personality Bibi Heredia served as the concert’s host.
Contributing to the concert’s visual and audio splendor were lighting designer Nick Brown and sound designer Ben Dobler.
The Music of La Casa Azul – Courtesy of Carmel Symphony Orchestra. Used with permission.
Tinged with brilliance, the concert had an emotional impact on me that went beyond Glade’s magnificent treatment of Kahlo’s fascinating life story and its portrayal of my Mexican heritage. It also had a deeply personal effect on me, given the recent loss of my only sister, human rights activist Yolanda Alvarez who was fiercely proud of our indigenous roots, like Kahlo was, and my dear friend, author, musician, educator, arts patron, and philanthropist Marianne Tobias, a concert pianist who wrote the program notes for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Throughout the concert my mind was flooded with memories of both beloved women, prompted by Glade’s poignant score, which warmed my heart and touched my soul. Most importantly, as art inevitably does, it brought me comfort when I needed it the most.
