PRESS
→PETER GRIMES press. san francisco: san francisco symphony
director and costume designer
One of the strongest, most theatrically imaginative, musically and dramatically compelling productions of the work I have seen. The meaning and magic of this production depended as much on the designs (by Mr. Darrah, Mr. Mock and Mr. Larsen) as on the music... - David Littlejohn- THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
+Five Stars- For a production so uniformly outstanding - and greeted by such unanimous critical rave...I'd like to emphasize something not yet hailed beyond all the gloriously obvious [...] Thanks to Darrah and video designer Adam Larsen, the beauty of [the] panoramic screen is that it is NOT overused, not intruding. There are faint images of the town and, mostly, of the sea, but these disciplined, thoughtful artists refrained from what most people would do with an expensive toy - and call attention away from what is important [...] musical-choral-vocal-dramatic brilliance. The joined second and third acts are overwhelming and at the end of the performance, the riotous standing ovation also represented an act of shaking off being stunned by this combination of pain and beauty. I am going back. - Janos Gereben- SF EXAMINER
+...a magnificently mortifying semi-staged "Grimes"...The conditions inside and out of Davies Symphony Hall, as well as the performances, were extraordinary....James Darrah, the director and costume designer, offered a sea of gloomy grays and rough-hewn villagers to complete the picture.The set, the excellent direction, a tight and theatrical cast and evocative projections all made [it] devastatingly visceral. - Mark Swed- LOS ANGELES TIMES
→SEMELE press. seattle: pacific musicworks
director + choreographer
+"It is time to judge a bold experiment a success... a solid professional production [...] world-class level. This production is as rich a theatrical experience as it is a musical one. Not only does the stage director, Los Angeles-based James Darrah, deserve praise, but scenic and lighting designer Cameron Mock and video designer Adam Larsen must be called out for creating onstage magic that manages to use minimalist elements to achieve baroque detail. Even the way they display the supertitles is a stroke of genius. -John Sutherland- SEATTLE TIMES
+" a visionary, supercharged production...This was one of those rare productions in which almost everything seemed ideally suited... [a] stunning visual display...Imaginative and energetic...a resoundingly good production." -Melinda Bargreen- KING FM
+" Successful collaboration creates a superb 'Semele'. Stage director James Darrah has created an impressive production with excellent singers. -Philippa Kiraly- CITY ARTS
→AGRIPPINA press. omaha: opera omaha
director
+" [The] production served up a frothy concoction full of passion and desire...Director James Darrah brought ancient Rome to racy contemporary life with staging that was sexy and suggestive. Scenes such as Claudius' triumphant return to Rome and the shunning of Ottone had a cinematic feel, ones that distilled the characters' personalities to full effect. In these instances, his directing showcased the former's brutality when dealing with the men beneath him and the latter's naivete concerning the machinations taking place around him." -Kim Carpenter- OMAHA WORLD-HERALD
+" directed by James Darrah...his production embodies the “power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely” theme so prevalent in such narratives that cross all cultural and regional boundaries. The mood is stunningly set [...] this story is not bound by time...a pleasure to watch, hear and contemplate." -Ron Azoulay- PRAIRIE-FIRE NEWSPAPER
→RADAMISTO press. new york: juilliard opera
director
+" It is to the credit of James Darrah in his production of 'Radamisto' that he injects real drama...striking..." -James R. Oestriech- NEW YORK TIMES
+"...one of the most innovative companies at Lincoln Center. In Mr. Darrah's spare, hypnotic staging, mattersof plot were almost inconsequential, with the director allowing thevoices to tell the story." -Paul Pelonken- SUPERCONDUCTOR
+" ...a gripping production...Juilliard’s was fully staged in a strikingly simple but powerful production directed by James Darrah. Thanks to Wachner and Darrah’s intensity and passion, this [...] proved to a rapt and appreciative audience that heroic opera seria can be consistently enthralling, not the intimidating art form it can appear to be." -the PARTERRE BOX
+"...not your ordinary production...staging was simple but effective...James Darrah made some smart decisions." -Stan Metzger- SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL
→200 MOTELS press. los angeles philharmonic, Disney
Concert Hall: 10th anniversary celebration
director
+" L.A. Philharmonic’s staging, led by the orchestra’s conductor laureate, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and directed by James Darrah, is a multimedia production... an impressive experience...a risk that paid off, as Disney Hall was sold out...one of those artistic bonuses that makes active concert-going in Southern California such a fascinating pursuit." -Steven Mirkin- ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
+"...the atmosphere in Disney Hall was more like that of a rock concert. In James Darrah’s rock-opera-like staging, a bemused Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Philharmonic, and a five-piece rock band were placed behind a chain-link fence to suggest a concentration camp...It was that kind of evening – and no, it was not really sensation-seeking exploitation of prurient material. What makes Zappa’s unique world as a whole so difficult for some to accept is that you have to buy the entire package. It’s all of one piece, one vision, and you can take it or leave it." -Richard S. Ginell- CLASSICAL VOICE AMERICA
+" ...a glorious mess.......the perfect thing to put on to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of LA’s Walt Disney Hall and its already turbulent history. The mood in the sold-out hall was practically jubilant" -Isaac Schankler- NEWMUSICBOX
→PEER GYNT press. san francisco symphony
director+production designer
+"...a bold and successful move, an outstanding musical-dramatic
multimedia production. Following a string of semistaged hits [...]
SFS not only dealt with the theatrical challenge on a sliver of the
concert stage (a daunting task in itself), but enhanced the drama
with the work of three composers...On James Darrah's minimalistic
but highly effective stage design [...] a large cast performed
admirably. [The] stage direction, using all possible spaces, must
also be credited for the all-around good diction, so vital in this
presentation. " -J. Gereben, SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE
+"...A wave of multi-media productions has been rising over the past few
years at the San Francisco Symphony. The production is imaginative
and accessible. Delicate images enhance the work's moods of
alienation and grief. [The] San Francisco Symphony Chorus became a
jabbering choir of troll-demons... Terrific." -Richard Shienin, SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS
+"A cloudlike scrim that fell over part of the
raised chorus terrace was well used by director James Darrah and
video designer Adam Larsen for images of actors' faces, Peer's
abduction of Ingrid, the windblown Norwegian woods, the flames of
hell, ships' swaying rigging, and the sea in various moods. [The]
collaborators yielded another vital and viable "Peer Gynt" for our
generation. " -D. Littlejohn, WALL STREET JOURNAL
+"[The] elements, from music to acting to visuals, come together organically. The
visuals for this production are also eloquent. [They] set a mood for
each scene that’s subtle and doesn’t try to manipulate the
audience’s emotions. [The] ensemble manages to sustain a dreamlike,
narrative quality throughout which is quite spellbinding." -Chloe
Veltman, ARTS JOURNAL ONLINE
+" a knockout...this was not
'semi-staged,' but, going even farther, 'co-staged'---ultimately a
provocative collaboration of musical and theatrical forces, of the
sort we’ve rarely encountered in concert halls. [A] colossal
audience impact! The conceptual master of the theater was James
Darrah [...] the quest for identity is the theme of this
drama---highly entertaining, yet in the end hardly a happy one. The
message was profound." -Paul Hertelendy, ARTS SF
+"...the results were pretty amazing. ...fitfully successful creation of a new work
of art illuminating an old one." -P. Cambell, THE BAY AREA REPORTER
→TESEO press. g.f. handel. chicago/ chicago opera theater (u.s. midwest premiere)
director+choreographer+costume designer
+"The so-called Medea Trilogy, a series of Baroque rarities inspired
by the mythical sorceress.. came to a satisfying conclusion with
Handel's five-act epic Teseo. COT's excellent mounting easily
verified the opera's current viability...The production by James
Darrah...was a pointed example of economic minimalism with no
sacrifice of theatrical dazzle. Darrah's timeless costumes presented
menswear that vaguely evoked archaic military garb, while the women
sported a pastiche of classical gowns and contemporary couture.
There were some very arresting directorial choices." -Mark Thomas
Ketterson, OPERA NEWS
+"a Tour de Force for Darrah and COT...
...what is most arguably the city’s best opera production this
season. With musical intensity and...powerful poetic awareness,
Darrah has brought the best of COT’s impressive resources to create
a production that is artistically resplendent and brings the
company’s baroque trilogy to a thoroughly satisfying conclusion. COT
is at the height of their powers in this production. If you miss any
opera performance this year, don’t let it be this." -Scott Elam,
CLEF NOTES
+"a supremely stylish staging, Teseo was far and away the
most successful of the company’s Medea series. All credit to James
Darrah for...bringing both a striking visual sense and fluent and
sensitive stage direction to a difficult assignment. As he did with
Médée last year, Darrah has once again worked visual wonders with
COT’s usual brand of cost-effective Minimalism. He has outfitted his
good-looking cast with elegant gowns and suits that effectively meld
a timeless past with contemporary cool. Handel operas are
notoriously difficult to stage and block effectively and Darrah has
pulled this off supremely well with graceful semi-stylized movements
for the characters. Most importantly, Darrah does Handel justice by
treating the score with respect and faithfulness, always keeping the
music and the characters’ primary emotions front and center while
avoiding revisionist excess and silliness." -Lawrence A. Johnson,
CHICAGO CLASSICAL REVIEW
+"Highly Recommended. Chicago Opera Theater
has another winner with the premiere of yet another little- known
Handel opera. The story’s freshness and emotions are
alive...especially under James Darrah’s stage direction. Darrah’s
naturalness with the characters is echoed in the simple but
evocative set of Francois-Pierre Couture, lighting by Julian Pike
and Darrah’s own costumes." - Andrew Patner, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
+"[COT] offered its sixth Handel opera, a powerful new production of
Handel’s Teseo. ...propelled by superlative singing actors and
understated but powerful stagecraft. ...directed by James
Darrah...Handel’s long running times, florid melodies and repetitive
verses no longer seem intimidating or ill-suited for the modern
stage. The production...was tautly paced and dramatically
involving." -Wynne Delacoma, MUSICAL AMERICA
+"Interesting thing about very old opera done with imagination and zeal: It comes back
to life with the energy and edge it must have borne when it was new.
That’s the experience of witnessing “Teseo” in a vibrant and vocally
polished production from Chicago Opera Theater. All the more credit
to stage director James Darrah, who has captured the opera’s almost
unrelenting emotional intensity through a modernist fusion of
dreamscape and magic. ...Darrah’s commingling of ancient and modern
costumes added a sharp accent to the opera’s Baroque birthright, and
to its timeless piquancy." -Lawrence Johnson, CHICAGO ON THE AISLE
+“…Teseo provides closure for the woman who loses it…big time! As an
opera and a story, “Medea” is the heart-wrenching core of this
trilogy...” -Katy Walsh, CHICAGO THEATER BEAT
→L'INCORONAZIONE DI POPPEA press . claudio monteverdi. los angeles/ operaucla (new edition premiere)
director+choreographer
+"...the star of the show was the stage director, James Darrah...He
had a vision, and he used his visual artistry to create movements
for the singers that enabled them to produce characters that sparked
the audience’s attention...[He] choreographed dances.. were joined
together to create a modernistic overall vision. The show had
phrasing... movements had grace. The singers’ bodies formed
well-designed patterns as if part of a water ballet. Darrah is an
innovative director who is respectful of the music and singers, does
not try to inflate his own ego at their expense, but directs in the
name of artistry and creativity. -Carie Delmar, OPERA ONLINE
→RECITAL I (FOR CATHY) press . luciano berio. los angeles
philharmonic
director
+"Green Umbrella's gripping 'Recital 1'... a rare and important
performance of Luciano Berio's elaborately operatic study in
meaningful madness...She is on a personal and musical roller
coaster. An understated stage direction by James Darrah and
Milarsky's careful conducting were effective…" -Mark Swed, LOS ANGELES TIMES
→MEDEA press (Médée). marc-antoine charpentier. chicago/ chicago
opera theater (u.s. midwest premiere)
director+choreographer+costume designer
+"But the stylish, austere production directed by James Darrah (who
also designed the costumes) offers…a probing psychological study of
human beings in the grip of lust for both power and sex." -Wynne
Delacoma, MUSICAL AMERICA
+"...what a fascinating opera it turned out to be, in a fresh and stimulating production by James Darrah, a
gifted young American stage director…" -John von Rhein, CHICAGO TRIBUNE
+“…the movement of the chorus across the stage…creates
effective, graphic tableaus that are in many cases more dramatic
than actual scenery.” -Lori Dana, CHICAGO STAGE REVIEW
+"Darrah wisely aim[s] for simplicity: no dragons, no chariots, no extra
visual story lines, a largely abstract invocation of the demons of
hell. [He] keeps the story one of humans at whatever extremes of
emotion and action they might inhabit." - Andrew Patner, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
+"Visually stunning…Director James Darrah’s vision unifies
contemporary minimalism with the controlled, ritualistic stateliness
of French Baroque opera. Every sleek and suggestive element...
buttresses the underlying power and deadly magnificence of its
central character. From modern dance movement to costuming, Darrah
loads [the] production with chic sophistication that meshes easily
with the lush and powerful elegance of Charpentier’s compositions.
Such a well-integrated design not only pays off in building to and
amplifying Médée’s mournful rages, but also frames and supports the
intrigues carried out." -Paige Listerud, CHICAGO THEATER BEAT
+"COT’s new production is austerely elegant…" -TIMEOUT CHICAGO
+"…this tour de force, staged by James Darrah with a minimal
intensity to balance the grandeur of a sumptuous score, is solid
stagecraft. Every emotion is concentrated before being unleashed."
-CHICAGO STAGE STYLE
+"Under the direction of James Darrah, the action takes a ballet-like quality…the synchronized rhythm transfixes as ritual…the chorus purposefully supports the focal
point. Darrah provides visual stimulation to accompany the
singing... the chorus purposefully supports the focal point. The
effect captivates as the chorus continually shifts alliances between
the principals..." -Katy Walsh, THE FOURTH WALSH
+“A skillful, stylish production…Darrah’s COT stage debut was auspicious, with the
designer-director allowing the spare, primary human emotions to
register without filling the stage with hard-sell postmodern
distraction.” -CHICAGO CLASSICAL REVIEW
→AGRIPPINA press. g.f. handel. los angeles/ operaucla
+"…clever, dramatically effective, and not incidentally loads of
fun… [Agrippina’s] revival keeps alive [the] spirit of musical
adventure, the efforts of Darrah and Stubbs to make a relevant
contemporary performing edition being particularly commendable."
-Rodney Punt, LA:OPUS
→FLIGHT press. jonathan dove. los angeles/ operaucla (u.s. west
coast premiere)
director
+"...production was impressively polished and
sophisticated...Director James Darrah establishes an initial
theatrical tone of absurdist efficiency. As the characters shed
their pretenses, he shifts the tone by subtle degrees to a darker,
and later yet a warmer human realism. Los Angeles, once an operatic
backwater, now looks like Opera Central, USA." -Rodney Punt, LA:OPUS
→LAST 5 YEARS press. jason robert brown. los angeles/ 2008
director+costume designer
+"...superbly directed and terrifically performed
production...directed by a young man of great imagination and
promise named James Darrah."
+"...performances easily stand
comparison with the best of those I’ve seen so far, and Darrah’s
direction rivals that of directorial geniuses.Again and again,
Darrah reveals himself to be an inspired director.." -Steven Stanley, STAGESCENE LOS ANGELES