This Weekend: Full of Family Fun, Inaugural New-Year’s Opera Opens at Asia Society
Lawrence Elizabeth Knox
Feb. 13, 2024
SATURDAY HERALDED THE 2024 Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year. Based on the lunar calendar’s cycles of the moon, with years instead of months aligned to the twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac, it is a time for family reunions, delicious meals, and leaving behind the detritus in our lives to make room for new beginnings.
This weekend, to help ring in the Year of the Wood Dragon, the Houston Grand Opera, and Asia Society Texas present the world premiere of The Big Swim, a one-act, fun, family-friendly opera created by composer Meilina Tsui and librettist Melisa Tien that retells the legend of a great race between the animals of the Chinese zodiac calendar. The Big Swim runs Feb. 16-18 at Asia Society Texas. Like Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, The Big Swim will be presented annually to coincide with Houston’s New Year celebrations.
“It’s zany, fun, and designed to leave you with a heart full of joy,” says The Big Swim’s director Mo Zhou. “It’s an experience … a rich symphony of East Asian cultures that combines the beauty of tradition with the thrill of innovation.” The thrill of innovation informs the stylistic range of Tsui’s score, which draws on opera buffa, Peking and Cantonese opera, Gregorian chants, American and Asian pop music, and modern-day animated musicals such as The Lion King. Meanwhile, Tien’s libretto brings the ancient tale (and tails) up-to-date with an emphasis on community and collaboration over first-to-cross-the-finish-line competition.
Tsui and Tien's first visit to Houston was in 2022, around the time of the Lunar New Year, and both were surprised by the range of homegrown New Year festivities, as well as the cultural and ethnic diversity of the city. “We did everything from exploring the temples to going out for dim sum,” said Tien in an interview with Opera Cues. “I remember coming back from that trip and going, ‘That city is so cool!’ I had no idea.”
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Decadent New Speakeasy-Style Chocolate Shop Has Captured Our Hearts This V-Day!
Dylan McEwan
Feb. 12, 2024
CHOCOLATE AND BOOZE are two of the oldest epicurean vices, and especially popular for Valentine’s Day. Combining the best of both worlds, CASE Chocolates is decidedly different — and devilishly delicious. The handsome new speakeasy-chocolate-shop offers globally sourced chocolates filled with a wide variety of spirits.
Scheduled to open this spring by Houston native and serial entrepreneur Casey McNeil, CASE Chocolates is reviving the lost art of Starch Casting — a Swiss technique perfected by Rudolph Sprungli in the 1800s. The chocolates with a liquid center encompass a range of high-end spirits, from rare whiskeys to vintage liqueurs, and non-alcoholic options like local coffees and adaptogen elixirs.
Founders Casey McNeil and Janan Araujo-Siam
“Chocolates and spirits are a perfect pairing, but the only options have been sort of novelties. We’re changing that by creating unforgettably unique experiences and flavors that focus on the highest quality ingredients,” says McNeil.
Current offerings include eight-packs of bourbon, rum, gin or carajillo-filled gourmet chocolates; mixed variety packs; and the BTAC Collection Specialty Box starring chocolates filled with some of the rarest whiskeys in the world from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. The latter is packed in a decadent and eye-opening custom-made cacao pod.
Although the storefront isn’t ready yet, CASE is selling its luxury chocolates online. It will preview the speakeasy tasting experience with a Valentine’s Day pop-up dubbed Chocolate & Cocktails in the Jungle at Eden Plant Co. near James Beard-awarded Street to Kitchen in The Plant. CASE’s first-of-its-kind speakeasy will feature an intimate chocolate and cocktails pairing experience in a moody setting. The tastings showcase a global variety of chocolates paired as flights with various spirits and cocktails. Each tasting will last approximately 45 minutes, with reservations required.
“Cacao is more nuanced than wine, and we want to emphasize the unique flavors that different origins offer. The journey gets more exciting when people see how those flavors pair with different spirits and cocktails. We’re redefining chocolate by creating new moments of ‘wow’ and joy,” added McNeil.
McNeil studied under a Swiss chocolatier to learn the art of chocolate-making and now travels the world sourcing the best cacao from places such as Peru, Guatemala and Bali. Sweet!
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