indecent proposal

Houston Grand Opera weds saucy comedy with '60s retro vibe in Mozart masterpiece

HGO's Marriage of Figaro is a whole '60s vibe.

Photo by Lynn Lane

For non-opera fans, the seminal classic The Marriage of Figaro might just be the perfect starter show, replete with sexual politics, class warfare, lewd comedy — all set to memorable music.

And oh, what music. Mozart's iconic operatic work features unforgettable performances that are sure to be masterfully executed by the stars of Houston Grand Opera, which kicks off its winter repertoire with Figaro starting January 13, 2023.

For this Houston iteration (first staged in 2016), Tony Award-winning director Michael Grandage’s reimagines the setting in Francoist Spain. Grandage's production promises a vibrant set and costumes that hark to the Moroccan influence on the country, with sets, costumes, and even vehicles that evoke the 1960s.

A stellar collection makes up the headlining players: Bass Nahuel Di Pierro stars as the titular Figaro, soprano Elena Villalón plays Susanna, bass-baritone Adam Plachetka plays the Count, soprano Nicole Heaston plays the unforgettable Countess, and soprano Lauren Snouffer plays Cherubino.

This time around, Ian Rutherford will direct, while HGO's artistic and music director Patrick Summers will serve as conductor.

Based on the Beaumarchais play La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro, the opera is a classic day-in-the-life tale (hence the ‘A Day of Follies’ subtitle) – specifically, Figaro’s wedding day.

Working-class everyman Figaro is enraged when he discovers that his master the Count plans to bed his beautiful bride-to-be Susanna — which will reinstate the just-abolished ‘feudal right’ that permits a lord to have his way with a servant girl on her wedding night. Our fuming hero, Susanna, the abandoned Countess, and the page boy Cherubino set out to ensnare the Count, where, as one might guess, hilarity ensues.

Originally opening in 1784 in the midst of political revolution, the play theme of servants rising up and outwitting their masters so angered the aristocratic ruling class that the play La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro was banned in numerous European cities, including Vienna, where Mozart was based at the court of Emperor Joseph II.

Thankfully, modern audiences still love this charming, breezy Mozart masterpiece — especially this '60s-inspired, picturesque postcard by HGO.

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The Marriage of Figaro runs January 13- January 29 at Wortham Theater Center (501 Texas Ave.). Tickets range ($26 to $335) are available by calling 713-228-6737 or online.

sit and relax

Rothko Chapel dedicates a peaceful new garden for quiet contemplation

Photo by Brian Austin, courtesy of Rothko Chapel.

The Rothko Chapel will dedicate its new Peace Garden on Friday, November 14.

Generations of Houstonians have experienced moments of quiet contemplation inside the Rothko Chapel. Now, they can do so just outside its walls as well.

On Friday, November 14, the chapel will dedicate the the Kathleen and Chuck Mullenweg Peace and Reflection Garden. Described in press materials as “a contemplative outdoor space designed to foster stillness, renewal, and connection,” it’s the latest addition to the Rothko campus as part of its Opening Spaces expansion project.

Similar to the chapel’s minimal interior of black panels, the new Peace Garden offers a relatively austere environment of benches surrounded by low plants and shaded by young trees. It allows visitors to sit quietly and relax while experiencing sunlight, the sky, and the day’s weather. The chapel cites research by Harvard University that found time spent outdoors has a number of health benefits, including reducing stress, lowering blood pleasure, and improving mental well-being.

“Few places in the world embody the marriage of the sacred and the civic as profoundly as the Rothko Chapel,” Rothko Chapel president Abdullah Antepli said in a statement. “This new peace and reflection garden extends that invitation outward — a place where silence becomes a shared language, and where reflection can blossom into hope.”

Rothko Chapel Mullenweg Peace Garden Another view of the garden. Photo by Brian Austin, courtesy of Rothko Chapel.

The Peace Garden will be open daily during the same hours as the Rothko Chapel.

Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects worked with the Rothko Chapel to design the garden. The firm has been involved in a number of projects in Houston, including ongoing work at Memorial Park and the recently-dedicated Ismaili Center.

First announced last year, the Opening Spaces campaign is a $51 million project to expand the Rothko Chapel campus with additional buildings. Led by Architecture Research Office (ARO),

it includes the new Administrative and Archives Building and the Welcome House. Still to come are a new Program Center, building a guest bungalow for speakers and fellows, and creating a tree-shaded plaza that will serve as a venue for events. So far, the chapel has raised $38 million towards that final goal.

The dedication ceremony will feature remarks by Christopher Rothko, chair of the Rothko Chapel Capital Campaign; Matt Mullenweg, Houston native and co-founder of WordPress; Lanie McKinnon, principal at Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects (NBWLA); Adam Yarinsky, principal of Architecture Research Office (ARO); Troy Porter, Rothko Chapel board chair; Council Member Abbie Kamin; and Abdullah Antepli, president of the Rothko Chapel.

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