KENNY RANKIN IS THE MASTERMIND BEHIND THE PLOT TO MAKE US ALL LOVE JAZZ. And, he is succeeding. Rankin doesn’t fool around – he cuts out all frills and takes us deep into the emotional turmoil of the song. For instance on the wonderful song about breaking up by Alan and Marilyn Bergman’s , Johnny Mandel’s “Where Do We Start?’ And where do we start? We start the moment that Rankin makes the lyrics sound like soft smoke coming from some enchanted foghorn. What he does to you is to make you think about everyone that you have ever loved. And everyone that you probably still love.
Let’s say that you’re a Dad and in the audience. This will cut to the quick fast. Rankin’s song “I’m Just Your Dad”, written for his young daughter after some emotional family upheaval won’t exactly cheer you up, but it will make you think. And hey, maybe there are some things that you can say to your kid that you haven’t and now you can. Rankin has paved the way. Rankin is a seducer. He reeks of sexiness in his manner and through his extraordinary phrasing. He is the mystery man in the undisclosed location. Or maybe he’s Brenda Starr’s mystery man. But lets get this straight. There is no mystery to the fact that Rankin is a huge talent who plays wonderful music. To that music he wraps his voice around the lyrics touching emotions and senses that you probably haven’t felt for a long time.
Here is another heart breaker. “Friends” – a song about old lovers and how they become friends after the break-up. Rankin tells us that it was written when he and his wife broke up. She remarried – they remain friends. “She is still family”, he lets us know.
I could go on and on about this wonderful musical evening, but it is better that you catch him yourself – or you’ll never forgive yourself. Upgrade from Bling to the real thing. And nothing gets more real than when Rankin sings without musical backing “Because of You”. Now, everyone wants to sleep with him. If this doesn’t make you happier and less annoying – then you had better check your pulse!
KENNY RANKIN AT THE PLUSH ROOM. RATING: FOUR GLASSES OF CHAMPAGNE!!!!
+ + + +
Cosi Fan Tutti — A Sitcom Opera 
Alexandra Deshorties (Fiordiligi), Nathan Gunn (Guglielmo), Richard Stilwell (Don Alfonso), Paul Groves (Ferrando), and Katherine Rohrer (Dorabella). Photos by Terry McCarthy.
Maybe Mozart was on to something. Although he may not have known it, he could have written the first Sitcom situation comedy. Or maybe Mozart and Lotrenzo Da Ponte knew that they had come up with a new venue that would inspire thousands of inane, silly stories about mistaken identities.
The Opera was originally set at the foot of Mount Vesuvio in Italy, supposedly to show that human nature is volatile. In this production the action is moved to a casino in Monte Carlo during the outbreak of WWl. O.k. Cossi Fan Tutti is kind-of-cute and it has a couple of really great arias in it – but I have to say that this is probably not one of Mozart’s greatest musical achievements. Most of the music is annoying (except for the Arias) and the trios. It’s the same rat-a-tat stuff all too often.
Cosi is a farce, so lets go with that premise. The plot centers on two air-headed sisters who are engaged to two officers. I won’t bore you with the entire plot – but a scheme is contrived to trick the women by disguising themselves in order to get the sisters to flirt or accept flirts from someone other than their respective finances’, who are in disguise. Now how air headed do you have to be not to see through the disguises? I found the whole thing to be too silly to be an Opera. It’s not that clever or engaging. And there is the question of Mozart’s score. It is said that this was Jacqueline Kennedy’s favorite opera. Obviously she didn’t see many if this were her favorite.
The cast was great and the sets are quite stunning. Of course the orchestra was top notch and the lighting as usual at the Opera House was unequaled. But out of the entire summer series – “Cosi”, The Queen of Spades” and “The Pearl Fishers” – the best by far was “The Pearl Fishers”. But, there will be other summers.
The Cast: Alexandra Deshorties, Claudia Mahnke (thru 6/29), Frederica von Stade, Paul Groves, Nathan Gunn and Richard Stilwell. Plays thru July 10. at the San Francisco Opera House. RATING: TWO GLASSES OF CHAMPAGNE!!
SHUTTERBUGGING! If I could, I would get a pix of Terese Genneco rehearsing for her upcoming bound to dazzle show at the New Conservatory. ..
Forget Tom Cruise – even though he has a movie that is getting some pretty good press – Maizie at the diner told me that she would rather shutterbug Gavin in the nude. And while were at that low point – some have wondered what Phil Metier looks like in the buff. Anyone care to shutterbug him? I’d liked to shutterbug the Supervisors out of their Custom made suits. Do you think there is anything real there? “Crowns” is coming to the Marines Memorial direct from Palo Alto. The Crowns refer to fancy hats that the ladies wear. ..these are made by Willie’s Hat Lady.who is not Jan Wahl. And lastly in this Shutterbug Session – you have got to Shutterbug down to the Plush Room. It is looking more glorious every time I see it. They have now backlit the fabulous Stained Glass Ceiling. Size does matter – and the Plush Room has the biggest Stained Glass I have ever seen – to say nothing of the intriguing talent.
DON’T BE AN OUTSIDER. COME INSIDE WITH YOUR COMMENTS.
Next column – Denver uncovered.
buzztatler@aol.com.
