Cabaret Prop’d Accompanied by a different band each week, a rotating cast of storytellers, tap dancers, burlesque feather dancers, comedians, and poets test out material and perform laid-back short-form sets in this late-night variety show. At the performance I attended, the Rocombu Jazz band, led by “growl” trumpeter Yves François, filled most of the two acts with a concert of groovy rumba songs and New Orleans-style brass numbers. Generous time slots and the emcee’s discursive crowd work make for a long haul, but there are some glimmers of traditional cabaret fun. And it wouldn’t be Rhinofest without at least one quintessentially off-kilter feature: according to Curious Theatre Branch’s website calendar, the Crooked Mouth’s set (2/17) will be “folksy and Brechtian.” —Dan Jakes
Norma Bellini’s tragedia lirica, first performed in 1831, is an old-fashioned, stand-and-sing bel canto opera, and nothing in this Lyric Opera production, directed by Kevin Newbury, changes its static nature. The libretto is a melodrama about a love triangle between two Druid priestesses and a Roman occupier in 50 BC; Lyric’s supporting cast, clearly chosen for their outstanding vocal talent, aren’t much help in the acting department; and sets, costumes, and props (including a giant ox and a hacked-off tree), said to be inspired by Game of Thrones, are pedestrian. In short, it doesn’t work as theater. But the opera remains a marathon showpiece for the lead singer, and Lyric’s Norma—Berwyn native turned international diva Sondra Radvanovsky—is up to the task. She dominates, physically and aurally, captivating the house with a powerful, butterscotch soprano and caressing the high notes into silky whispers. —Deanna Isaacs
