B6 The Boston Globe TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2019
By Zoë Madonna
GLOBE STAFF
LENOX — Tanglewood loves a
good tradition. Become synonymous
enough with one, and you might start
getting standing ovations just for
showing up. It’s happened for James
Taylor, it’s happened for Yo-Yo Ma, and
it’s happened for John Williams: or-
chestral film score doyen, Boston Pops
conductor laureate, and regular Tan-
glewood presence for the last 39 years.
The adoration is mutual. “I love
Tanglewood so dearly,” Williams said
from the Koussevitzky Music Shed
stage before handing the podium
over to conductor David Newman for
Saturday evening’s Film Night pro-
gram. “It is really a spiritual place.”
Then, calling out what he sees as the
country’s “coarsening of culture,” he
put forth that the Boston Symphony
Orchestra and Boston Pops are “more
important than [they’ve] ever been.”
He didn’t say precisely what he
meant by that “coarsening.” It sound-
ed like it may have been a diplomati-
cally phrased reference to the guy in
the White House who wants to legal-
ize the indefinite detention of mi-
grant children and proposed buying
Greenland as if it were a golf course,
and the spike in white nationalist vio-
lence that has coincided with his ten-
ure. But if it was a politically inspired
remark, it barely qualified. If one
reads it that way, it’s the same vague
chiding that passes for activism in
much of the classical music world,
seemingly crafted to alienate the
smallest number of people possible.
To those who find special meaning
in their music, it’s natural that or-
chestras — the BSO and Pops includ-
ed — can be a comfort and respite in
terrifying times. Now zoom out; on a
macro level, orchestras are no more
(or less) important than any other av-
enue of the arts.
But Tanglewood itself has never
been just about the music. Look on
the lawn, at the old couples sipping
wine and reading newspapers, the
blankets and tarps of every color
spread with picnic dishes, the chil-
dren playing, running, napping:
there, you will see that spiritual
place’s beating heart. In these times,
inclusive gathering-places like the
Tanglewood lawn are more impor-
tant. Surrounded by an all-ages
crowd that has come to share an ex-
perience, it’s easier to remember that
there’s more to life beyond the churn-
ing news cycle.
It’s not mandated that BSO assis-
tant conductors often make their first
public outings with the orchestra at
Tanglewood, but it often happens
that way. So it was for Yu-An Chang,
whose two-year appointment began
last fall. At Friday evening’s sparsely
attended show, he led the BSO in two
showy, earnest symphonic works
written by teenage prodigies — Men-
delssohn’s overture to “A Midsummer
Night’s Dream,” and Schubert’s Sym-
phony No. 2. Assistant concertmaster
Elita Kang, first chair for the evening,marshaled the violins through many
tricky, busy passages. In some parts,
entrances were rough.
The evening’s most exciting mo-
ments belonged to pianist Conrad
Tao, a confident young magician at
the keyboard for Ravel’s Piano Con-
certo in G. Tao made his BSO and
Tanglewood debuts with this pro-
gram as a replacement for Ingrid Fli-
ter, who was advised not to fly during
her pregnancy. With any luck this
sparkling performance will punch
Tao’s BSO return ticket. Technically,
he nailed the short concerto’s acro-
batic and lyric episodes, with his tem-
perament flashing between effusive
and reflective. He ditched his jacket
before coming out for an encore; as
soon as he launched into Elliott Cart-
er’s chromatic whirlwind “Caté-
naires,” it was clear why.
At the next evening’s Film Night, a
capital-T tradition that Williams in-
stigated, every square inch of lawn
looked to be covered by blankets or
lawn chairs. Newman, an active film
composer, conducted most of the eve-
ning, which was mostly music by
Williams with a few pieces by Alfred
Newman (old Hollywood mainstay
and David Newman’s father); in
short, nostalgia-tripping all the way
down the mountain.
The quality of playing, and mon-
tages, ranged from solid to under-
cooked. But when Williams took over
the podium for the final three pieces,
which were all from the “Star Wars”
galaxy, the musicians laid down their
very best for the great man.The brass players especially were
on fire, not missing a note of Star
Wars’s iconic main title or the final
encore, the “Imperial March.” Many
of the BSO’s musicians are of an age
to have grown up with the saga, and
grinning faces could be seen all over
the stage as well as the audience. As
the 87-year-old Williams pulls back
from conducting commitments, ev-
ery opportunity to share time with
him feels more precious.
Sunday afternoon closed down
the season with the king of Tangle-
wood traditions, the farewell perfor-
mance of Beethoven’s Symphony No.- As a prelude, the Tanglewood Fes-
tival Chorus and director James Bur-
ton offered Schoenberg’s wishful
“Friede auf Erden,” and then percus-
sionists of the BSO joined in the Na-
tional Park Service’s nationwide bell-
ringing in commemoration of 400
years since the first enslaved Afri-
cans’ arrival in a North American
English colony. The audience stood in
solemn silence.
As for the symphony, it sizzled
with the life that only a keen orches-
tra, a smart conductor, and a sum-
mer day can give it. In the first three
movements, conductor Giancarlo
Guerrero let the music breathe and
build slowly. The pounding theme of
the second movement surged with
additional strength each time it re-
curred. Bass Morris Robinson woke
the dead with the recitative and solo
that ushers in the “Ode to Joy.” Initial
vocal sections were too fast and
forceful for the TFC and soloists to
hold on, but after the jangling, lightly
martial episode with its vigorous ten-
or solo from Nicholas Phan, the tem-
po pulled back, and the chorus shone
bright. Guerrero was singing along,
sending everyone off into the turning
year with a smile. That’s a tradition
worth keeping.
Zoë Madonna can be reached at
[email protected]. Follow her
on Twitter @knitandlisten.
Madonna’s work is supported by the
Rubin Institute for Music Criticism,
San Francisco Conservatory of
Music, and Ann and Gordon Getty
Foundation.Names
By Terry Byrne
GLOBE CORRESPONDENT
CAMBRIDGE — From the moment
the stars of “Six” make their dramatic
entrance onstage at the Loeb Drama
Center, through their triumphant en-
core, these women barely pause for
breath. After all, they’ve got a lot to say.
In a pre-Broadway run at the
American Repertory Theater, “Six” de-
livers an exhilarating evening of high-
octane talent, inspiring anthems, and,
oh, by the way, a view of history from
primary players who refuse to be re-
duced to footnotes.
Over the next 80 minutes — it feels
like eight — each of Henry VIII’s
queens steps up to center stage with
her microphone to sing a song about
her life. The idea is that this “live tour
of herstory” will culminate with the
crowning of the one who endured the
most hardships. When the lineup in-
cludes wives who were “divorced, be-
headed, died, divorced, beheaded, sur-
vived,” the competition is fierce. And
when the staging keeps the queens
dancing, reacting, and performing
backup singer duties for each other,
the energy never wanes, let alone
those harmonies.
To help flesh out the story, creators
Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss weave
some catty comments and hilariously
anachronistic references into their de-
licious lyrics and between-song dia-
logue. A riff from “Greensleeves” ap-
pears as effortlessly as a nod to the
Spice Girls and nursery rhymes. The
techno-pop “Haus of Holbein” refer-
ences Henry’s Tinder-style swipe-left-
or-right approach to dating — the king
did choose wife No. 4 based on a por-
trait painted by Hans Holbein — pack-
ing a complicated bit of history into a
brilliantvisualmoment.
What Marlow and Moss’s clever
frame makes possible is a revealing
look at human beings separate from
the king they married. Catherine of
Aragon’s stubborn determination is on
display in “No Way”; Anne Boleyn’s
fun-loving spirit comes through in
“Don’t Lose Ur Head”; Jane Seymour
explains her steadfast love in “Heart of
Stone”; Anna of Cleves relishes her
role despite her husband’s disappoint-
ment with her looks in “Get Down”;
Katherine Howard reveals how early
abuse and her desire to be loved led to
her demise in “All You Wanna Do”;
and Catherine Parr explains what she
sacrificed when the king chose her —
and what she accomplished without
him (she published books and sup-
ported girls’ education) — in “I Don’t
Need Your Love.”
The wives’s songs are inspired by
pop divas that include Beyoncé, Ari-
ana Grande, and Rihanna, among oth-
ers (the program even notes the indi-
vidual “queenspirations”), but those
stars have nothing on the six women
performing on the ART stage. Adrian-
na Hicks (Catherine of Aragon), An-
drea Macasaet (Anne Boleyn), Abby
Mueller (Jane Seymour), Brittney
Mack (Anne of Cleves), Courtney
Mack (Katherine Howard), and Anna
Uzele (Catherine Parr) bring their own
spectacular vocals and stunning stage
presence to the show. They hit high C’s
and low notes without missing a beat
of Carrie-Anne Ingrouille’s athletic
choreography. (How do they keep
breathing while singing and making
all those moves?)
Although“Six”playsasaconcert
with a story line to connect the songs,
each actress delineates her character
with distinctive personality quirks,
making them all stand out beyond the
song that provides some context for
their lives. To help shape those distinct
characters, costume designer Gabriel-
la Slade has created eye-popping com-
binations of corsets and bustiers,
Spandex pants and poufy sleeves for
one, a clear plastic miniskirt and bra
for another.
Directors Moss and Jamie Armit-
age keep the action moving swiftly
from song to song, while Tim Deiling’s
lighting and Emma Bailey’s scenic de-
sign combine to create a concert vibe
tempered with an intimate theatrical
feel.
“Six” stands out as an inspiring
window into a handful of unique indi-
viduals dismissed by history. With toe-
tapping songs and some unforgettable
anthems, this musical is a reminder of
the power of each individual voice.Terry Byrne can be reached at
[email protected].LIZ LAUREN
Adrianna Hicks performs in
American Repertory Theater’s
production of “Six” at Loeb Drama
Center.Bow to the
scintillating
queens of
ART’s ‘Six’
STAGE REVIEWSIX
By Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss.
Directed by Moss and Jamie
Armitage. Choreography by Carrie-
Anne Ingrouille. Presented by the
American Repertory Theater.
At the Loeb Drama Center,
Cambridge, through Sept. 29.
Tickets from $25, 617-547-8300,
http://www.americanrepertorytheater.orgA Tanglewood summer ends
with time-honored traditions
MUSIC REVIEWBOSTONSYMPHONYORCHESTRA,
BOSTONPOPSESPLANADE
ORCHESTRA,
TANGLEWOODFESTIVALCHORUS
At Tanglewood, Lenox. Aug. 23-25.HILARY SCOTTJohn Williams conducted the
Boston Pops Saturday during a
portion of the traditional Film
Night program.“Saturday Night Live” is returning next month, and
NBC just dropped the fall lineup — which is chock full of
stars likeKristenStewart,WoodyHarrelson, and, most
notably,EddieMurphy.
The show will feature Harrelson with musical guest
BillieEilishon Sept. 28;PhoebeWaller-Bridgeand mu-
sical guestTaylorSwifton Oct. 5; “Stranger Things” ac-
torDavidHarbourand musical guestCamilaCabelloon
Oct. 12; Stewart on Nov. 2; and Murphy on Dec. 21.
Murphy’s return is especially notable because the co-
median, who was an “SNL” cast member from 1980 to
1984, hasn’t performed on the show in more than three
decades — he last hosted in December 1984, shortly af-
ter leaving the show.
But, according to The New York Times, Murphy got
into a feud with “SNL” after a joke about his career wasmade byDavidSpade: “Look children, it’s a falling star;
make a wish,” Spade had quipped, as a photo of Murphy
appeared on the splitscreen above him.
Spade recounted the verbal lashing he received from
Murphy in his 2015 memoir, “Almost Interesting,” de-
scribing the incident as “so much worse than I had
imagined.”
“He just got caught in friendly fire and my deep de-
sire to make an impression on my bosses and keep my
job. How pathetic,” Spade wrote.
However, Murphy appeared on the “SNL” 40th anni-
versary special in 2015, saying the show was “such a big
part of who I am.”
The show, which has seen a resurgence in interest in
today’s political climate, won an Emmy in 2018 for best
varietysketchseries. JACLYNREISSSenatorElizabethWarren’s last book opened with a mention of the HBO
show “Ballers.” So perhaps it’s only fitting that the last season of “Ballers” opened
with Warren’s book.
Thepremiereoftheshow’sfifthandfinalseasonkickedoffSundaywitha
scene ofDwayne“TheRock”Johnsonsitting on a beach reading Warren’s 2017
book, “This Fight Is Our Fight,” in yet another expression of the mutual fandom
between the actor and the Massachusetts senator.
“I have one more chapter left,” Johnson’s character, Spencer Strasmore, tells
his girlfriend, who teases him: “The same one you’ve been reading for the last
three hours?”
The book’s appearance must have been a pleasant surprise to Warren, who is
a huge “Ballers” fan and tweeted earlier Sunday that she and her husband,Bruce
Mann, were looking forward to the Season 5 premiere. The Democratic presi-
dential candidate also congratulated Johnson on recently getting married to his
real-life longtime girlfriend (and Lynnfield High School grad),LaurenHashian,
in Hawaii. NIK DECOSTA-KLIPA, Boston.com
Warren’s book appears in
‘Ballers,’ her favorite TV show
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson reads from Elizabeth Warren’s book in the
Season 5 premiere of “Ballers.”
Eddie Murphy to host ‘SNL’
for first time in over 30 years
AMY SUSSMAN/GETTY IMAGES
PHOEBEWALLER-BRIDGERICHARD SHOTWELL/INVISION/AP/FILE
EDDIEMURPHYMARIO ANZUONI/REUTERS/FILE
KRISTENSTEWART