Signature preview
Tall caramel macchiato, check. Cinnamon scone, check. I am now ready to ease back into the workweek. I trust everyone had a good weekend? [Special shout outs to my (two or three) Florida readers, dealing with Hurricane Frances.] Our holiday was pretty chill. Last night I went to the Kennedy Center; the Millennium Stage performance was by Signature Theatre, which gave a preview of some of the musicals they’re working on: One Red Flower, now playing at their theater in Arlington; The Highest Yellow, about Felix Rey, the doctor who treated Vincent Van Gogh; and another show still in development, based on Edgar Allan Poe.
A couple of the songs from One Red Flower, which is based on letters home during the Vietnam war, were really heartfelt and had me on the verge of tears, while another song asked the question, “What are we fighting for?” and you can’t help but think of the situation we’re in today. For me the definite highlight of the evening was a song from the Poe musical: a setting of the poem “Annabel Lee.” Arranged for four singers, it starts out in a haunting minor key, then eventually and unexpectedly gets a major lift for the last chorus. Simply beautiful.