Bernstein's 'Mass' is celebrated
November 6, 2009
In 1971, while the Vietnam War was still raging, Leonard Bernstein wrote "MASS: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers," a work commissioned by Jacqueline Kennedy for the opening of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Though it drew on liturgical passages from the Roman Catholic mass that were sung in Latin, it had additional English lyrics penned by Bernstein, Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz (now of "Wicked" fame) and Paul Simon, and it drew on elements of rock, jazz, blues, hymns, opera and Broadway.
The work, about a young man's crisis of faith, initially garnered mixed reviews and has generally been performed in concert form since its premiere. But Dominic Missimi is now giving it a full staging at Northwestern University's Cahn Auditorium in Evanston, with some new lyrics by Schwartz, choreography by Jeffrey Hancock and the participation of boy soprano Henry Griffin and the Red Rose Children's Choir of Lake County. Performances are Nov. 12-15. For tickets, call (847) 491-7282.--Hedy Weiss