News, Reviews and Recommendations
Recommendations
"In the six years I have been with The Dallas Opera, I have worked with some of the world's greatest opera directors: John Copley, Bernard Uzan, Garnett Bruce, Alfred Kirschner and many more.
I have only once worked with a director who came into the pre-production phase with as clear a vision as Candace and none who were easier and more professional to work with, start to finish. She received incredible plaudits from reviewers for her brilliant stage direction, something we rarely see commented on in the standard review.
Any theater or opera company that hires Ms. Evans to direct (and/or choreograph) is making a wise and timely decision. Timely because I expect her star to ascend very quickly.”
Suzanne Calvin
Media and PR, The Dallas Opera
News and Reviews
Candace Evans named Associate Artistic Director of the Door County Opera Festival
The Door County Opera Festaival is proud to announce their newly appointed Associate Artistic Director Candace Evans, a Madison WI native who currently resides in Texas. Evans earned a Master of Fine Arts in Classical Theatre/Direction and works as a freelance Stage Director & Choreographer for companies like Dallas Opera, Madison Opera and Palm Beach Opera to name a few. Trained as an Opera singer, and having danced with the Wisconsin Ballet Company, Evans is passionate about integrating all art forms to create a seamless and emotional experience for everyone. “When the words 'Door County' & 'Opera Festival' were mentioned to me, I was immediately interested. I have attended and participated in summer arts events all across the country and can think of no location more perfect than here” said Evans. “In just a few years, I can envision the Door County Opera Festival becoming an opera 'destination,' not unlike Glimmerglass Opera, St. Louis Opera Theatre, Fort Worth or Santa Fe Opera.”
Don Pasquale
Donizetti's Don Pasquale Delicious in Dallas' New Winspear Opera House
“…..the stage direction by Candace Evans was full of fun; and conductor Stefano Ranzani did his work with efficiency and charm. I assume that the inspired, very effective mime episodes played in front of the curtain during the scene changes were the inspiration of director Candace Evans. These and the accompanying wry, humorous supertitles added significantly to the overall comedic effect.
Overall, Evans showed a remarkable talent for inventing genuinely funny bits of business……the only real test is audience reaction, and there was plenty of laughter at the performance I attended.
La Scena Musicale
~Paul E. Robinson
This is Dallas Opera’s best show of the last season. Maybe two.
The Dallas Opera’s new production of Don Pasquale has such a contemporary feel (thanks to Candace Evans’ lively direction) that it could convince skeptics that opera can be energetic and fun.
DallasVoice.com
~Arnold Wayne Jones
“Stage director Candace Evans avoided the mild slapstick that some productions of Don Pasquale fall back on, wisely relying on the natural energy and vivacity of the principal singers. Still, there were a few notable innovations, including the introduction of silent-movie-style pantomimes, performed in front of the curtain between scenes, with the captions explaining and commenting on the action. Scholars and connoisseurs of operatic stagecraft might want to take note of this new, expanded function of the caption…”
FrontRow
~Wayne Lee Gay
“Director and choreographer Candace Evans has created a world of real people with real domestic and romantic troubles. It is all the funnier for it’s realistic approach. …”
“Bonus mini-vignettes, pantomimed during two usually unstaged orchestral sections (another Evans idea), were especially delightful.”
“When Don Pasquale dares to stand up to her, she (Norina) delivers The Slap. While this action has always been right there in the opera as a minor comic effect, it is Evans' skill as a director that makes this defiant action the one-step-too-far, the turning point of a very human drama. Everything builds up to it, and then resolves away from it.”
Theatre Jones Feed your Need
~Gregory Sullivan Isaacs
“Spirited, Beautifully Sung “Don Pasquale” at Dallas Opera…
Candace Evans, the stage director, obviously has absorbed the spirit of the piece, as it is defined by Donizetti’s music and Ponnelle’s sets and costumes (with additional set features and costumes created by the Dallas Opera’s technical departments).
This is a wonderful opera for both the veteran aficionado…and the newcomer to opera, seeking sprightly, melodious music encased in a story that is fun to watch. The Dallas Opera has produced a great “Don Pasquale”.
OperaWarhorses.com
~William Burnett
Dallas Opera’s ‘Pasquale’ a High-Spirited Romp
…..Candace Evan’s staging… brings the chorus beautifully into the action…
KERA Art and Seek Blog
~Olin Chism
Carmen
The production also offered one of the most exciting evenings in recent Madison Opera history. Following the performance, people who -- you have to trust me on this -- actually are frequent opera goers, were debating whether this was the "best" performance of "Carmen" they'd ever attended or merely "one of the best."
Willian Wineke -
Channel3000.com
"Top ten of 2009"
In fact, much credit for the success of all three hours of Madison Opera's "Carmen" goes to Evans. She skillfully inserts Tania Tandias' swiveling flamenco dancing for color, moves the chorus on and off stage swiftly and gives the French dialogue a natural cadence…..Candace Evans' integrated direction energizes a tragedy that's so familiar it's almost cozy.
Wisconsin State Journal
While the leads were uniformly gifted, I was most impressed with Candace Evans’ smoothly integrated direction... Madison Opera has set the bar high for future performances, which can only mean good things in 2010.
Lindsay Christians -
The Capital Times
Director Candace Evans contrived a staging rich in vivid details, strong on gestures and movements…
Madison Isthmus
Merry Widow
Watch excerpts from the Dallas Opera production of "Merry Widow." 2007
"Under Evans's direction, timing was virtually flawless, and even the slightest characters had real personalities."
Opera News
Candace Evans was the Stage Director. All I can say about her directorial debut is: BRAVA! The Dallas Opera never fails to dazzle in the production components, but normally, the biggest weakness is in the stage direction. Ms. Evans staged this beautifully. You can tell she comes from the world of dance for she understands the use of the human body on a stage to aid in the story telling. The blocking made sense, she kept a constant pace, she used the space effectively and created visual compositions that appealed to the eye and reinforced the plot. At one point Count Danilo and Anna, the Merry Widow, play a game of one- upmanship; Ms. Evans had them slowly circle one another like two animals preying on each other, seeing who would give in first; this visual metaphor was comical and perfect! I beg of the Dallas Opera that they use Ms. Evans again in future productions. The Merry Widow is one of the best productions the Dallas Opera has put on in recent years. Go see it!
Pegasus News
TOP TEN CLASSICAL EVENTS OF 2007
The Dallas Opera: The Merry Widow, Nov. 30 – Franz Lehár's operetta was served up in one of the best productions the local company has mounted in recent memory. With a superb cast led by Ruth Ann Swenson and Rod Gilfry, with gloriously opulent costumes, it was a joy start to finish.
“Lotfi Mansouri's production, based on Christopher Hassall's delightful English doggerel translation, has been reworked, brilliantly, by Candace Evans. There's plenty of action, but it all means something.”
Dallas Morning News
Radio interview with Candace Evans on WRR Classical 101.1
Listen to the podcast on iTunes or
Listen to the interview here or here
This radio interview with Candace Evans on Inside The Dallas Opera focuses on the opera "Die Fledermaus" for which Ms. Evans will serve as choreographer. She has worked for the Dallas Opera for several seasons, previously directing "Merry Widow."
Die Fledermaus
Watch video excerpts from the Dallas Opera production of "Die Fledermaus." 2008
But, maybe from first-night caution, the voltage seemed low until the second-act ballet, snazzily choreographed by Candace Evans.
Dallas Morning News
Salome
"Mlada Khudoley was a daring dancer. Choreographer Candace Evans conceived the Dance of the Seven Veils with hints of a pop video. Six men - Herodias' bodyguards - swirled and swooned, carrying shield-sized mirrors before which Salome posed. They recalled Madonna's toy-boy entourage, and gave the dance pacing and dimension."
Opera Now
Ariadne auf Naxos
“Richard Strauss’ bizarre and astoundingly poetic Ariadne auf Naxos, being staged by the Dallas Opera, has something for every type of opera lover.”
Fort Worth Star Telegram
Love’s Labour’s Lost
“Love’s Labour’s Lost is one of the Bard’s earliest comedies, and it’s pretty slight. But as directed by Candace Evans, this gorgeously designed staging (set in pre-World War I Europe) is a solidly acted show… this production makes a strong case for its being revived more frequently.”
Fort Worth Star Telegram
“… the complex plot proved surprisingly easy to follow and the mood stayed light and festive--- for as long as it was supposed to.”
“If you’ve never seen it, you’re missing something—and you’re unlikely to find a better opportunity than at Shakespeare Dallas.”
Dallas Morning News
3 Redneck Tenors
And the choreography (that’s a French word that means dancin’), by Candace Evans, was plum good, too. For one number, they came out in Santa-drag, including tight red skirts and high-heel boots (and not the cowboy variety). Until I saw that scene, I thought The Nightmare Before Christmas was only a movie.
Fort Worth Star Telegram
Therein lies the value of The 3 Redneck Tenors. Unlike a lot of “redneck”-friendly acts, there’s real cultural value amongst the “I’m poor and ignorant” jokes. If you brought your kids to Wednesday’s show, they would have laughed at the bathroom humor along with me, while unwittingly being exposed to some exquisitely performed classical music.
The Buffalo News: March 2008
"Loved the Redneck Tenors, who with their mullets and overalls, were the most entertaining thing that's been on TV in some time."
NY Daily News - 7/1/07
‘3 REDNECK TENORS' IS A ROMP
Another show you'll want to catch is a musical comedy called "3 Redneck Tenors." I got to see it when it was in town at the Luxor a few weeks… …the hilarious show follows three singing cousins from their modest beginnings in Paris, Texas, all the way to their triumphant debut at New York's famed Carnegie Hall. It's what my daddy would call a foot-stompin', knee-slappin', redneck romp, with tunes from Elvis to Puccini, soul to pop and country to opera. Billy Bob, Billy Joe and Billy Billee mix NASCAR with Beethoven, lite beer with Puccini and even kick up a little dust with "Ave Maria Dixie." Over the past three years, "3 Redneck Tenors" has performed in more than 100 cities throughout the United States. Go see it. I promise you'll love it!
Las Vegas Reviewjournal.com
Jane Eyre
"Directed by Candace Evans with musical direction by Scott A. Eckert, Jane includes many awe-inspiring moments."
Ft. Worth Star Telegram