COMPRESSED, CHILLING, AND CONTROVERSIAL

 

Mary Phillips, Kelsey Lauritano, Freddie Ballentine, and Inna Dukach

(photo by Russ Rowland)

Heartbeat Opera's stripped down version of Samuel Barber's Vanessa is, we believe, the only opera ever presented at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. To us, this makes perfect sense. Under the direction of R.B. Schlather, Gian Carlo Menotti's dark exploration of psychological themes, some overt and others merely hinted at, became intensely theatrical. 

That is not to shortchange the music. Dan Schlosberg's arrangement of Barber's  pungent score for seven instrumentalists filled the Nagelberg Theater at Baruch with more than enough sound and uncommonly interesting textures evoked by Maestro Jacob Ashworth by means of intensity and clarity.

The singers were astutely cast with soprano Inna Dukach creating an almost bipolar Vanessa whose voice lightened in color as she anticipated a most unlikely happy future with the narcissistic Anatol (the Younger), portrayed with serpentine intensity by tenor Freddie Ballentine. In a performance that led us to think that the opera might just as well have been called Erika, mezzo-soprano Kelsey Lauritano commanded the stage in a role that seems to have been enlarged to encompass her larger than life talent. Indeed, the most famous aria of the work "Must the Winter Come So Soon" was cleverly reprised at the end.

Since our experiences with Ms. Dukash had been confined to a few badly amplified outdoor performances, her vocal and dramatic success came as a pleasant surprise. On the other hand, we reviewed Ms. Lauritano's performances at Juilliard more than a dozen times over ten years ago and we were particularly glad to hear and see her again. (One of the sad things about our work is that we get quite attached to promising young singers and then they leave for parts unknown to develop their careers because New York City has so little to offer.)  How wonderful that Heartbeat Opera has recognized her many gifts.

The same could be said for baritone Joshua Jeremiah whom Heartbeat Opera has included in their Hallowe'en drag extravaganzas and who created a marvelous character for On Site Opera several years ago. Creating memorable characters must be Mr. Jeremiah's specialty since his creation of the character of the bibulous Doctor was memorable. His baritone is as rich and full as one would wish for and his charming performance lightened up what amounts to a very dark opera.

Mr. Ballentine is new to us and he impressed with his tenor instrument and the way he colored his voice to show his character's opportunistic and manipulative character. There were some scenes of his making love to Erika that seemed a bit over the top

Not having much to sing, the excellent Mary Phillips commanded attention as the Baroness with her stoic bearing and facial expression which was in such contrast with all the histrionics going on with her daughter and grand-niece. The great mystery of the plot is her silent treatment towards Vanessa in the beginning and toward Erika at the end. Is she just sitting in judgment of their poor romantic choices? We found ourself wondering whether Erika was actually Vanessa's daughter conceived at the time of Vanessa's dalliance with Anatol (the Elder)! So perhaps The Baroness disapproves of out of wedlock pregnancy.

Forgive us Dear Reader for not outlining the plot but, since there have been so many reviews since the opening that we are just assuming you know the story which is not only noir but also psychiatrically compelling.

Mr. Schlather has trimmed the opera of its extraneous characters and stripped the story down to the neurotic behavior of the three women. The Baroness has been giving her daughter the silent treatment for 20 years. Now how rigid is that!!!  Vanessa has apparently had a sexual relationship with a married man and has been living a fantasy for twenty years--two fantasies actually--one that her lover will return and another that if she keeps the mirrors covered she will not age. Now how delusional is that!!!  Poor Erika suffers from youthful naivety and submits readily to the narcissistic charm of the man who invades this female territory; this puts her in the position of capturing her "mother's" lover, a kind of Elektra situation.

Jiaying Zhang has given Mr. Schlather the set design he wanted. Simply a minimalistic solid white background onto which Lighting Designer Yuki Nakase Link has projected ominous shadows. Terese Wadden's costumes for the women are all black. The exchange of roles at the end is signified by Erika wearing Vanessa's dress and pearls. In the original telling, Erika covers all the mirrors to show that she was taking over Vanessa's role. Without a manor house and mirrors, the costume exchange got the point across.

Although we have been highly critical of Heartbeat Opera tampering with the classics that we love, operas that are rooted in time and place, we seem to not care what they do with operas in which we have no emotional investment. We only saw Vanessa once years ago and we didn't love it. Frankly,we still don't! However, it certainly was an interesting night of theater.

© meche kroop

ORGY AND BESS

Jamilyn Manning Bernard Holcomb Angela Yam and John Taylor Ward

in Heartbeat Opera's "Orgy and Bess"

We chose to spend our Halloween evening at Judson Memorial Church with Heartbeat Opera at their annual drag show and we are so glad we did. The show succeeded on so many levels we scarcely know where to begin. 

If you came to have a riotous good time you would have been titillated by the off-color repartee and private jokes . If you came to hear your favorite arias professionally sung you would have been well satisfied. If you came because you love cleverly snarky dialogue and lyrics you would have left smiling. If you came for the visual impact you would have been thrilled by the costumes. 

This annual show is always top notch and this one even outdid prior iterations, thanks to the astute direction of Ethan Heard, the fine singing and acting by the cast, the lavish costuming by David Quinn and the outstanding make up design by Maiko Ando. The script was written by Ethan and Peregrine Heard and Jacob Ashworth.

If outrageous costuming is your thing stop reading and look at our FB and IG entries to see why we were so impressed. Nothing anywhere in NYC could have been as colorful and creative. If you came for the snarky gay humor we wish we had a transcript for you to read.  Better yet, you may be able to snag tickets since the show has been extended through next week.

If you are interested in the operatic offerings this is the right place to learn how context is so vital. Arias can be given different shades of meaning by virtue of the setting. Should you be offended by such tinkering, your opinion would have seemed well represented by John Taylor Ward's impression of an opera patroness of the Upper East Side variety. Eventually the hi jinx won her over and she joined in the fun, shedding her pearls and pumps to participate in the foreshadowed orgy. You will not be offended since said orgy takes place behind a white sheet leaving the various shadows to the interpretation of your imagination.

If suffering heroines comprise your operatic taste you might have fixated on Jamilyn Manning's interpretation of Lucia, complete with bloody wedding gown and great big knife. Or you may have preferred the Cio-Cio San of Angela Tam (also a knife-wielder) whose costume echoed contemporary Japanese girl fashions like "decora"and "gyaru". Poor Serena from Porgy and Bess is another suffering heroine and Bernard Holcomb gave her lament "My Man's Gone Now" a unique twist. Multiple pants roles were enacted by Sichel Claverie who, as a male, did not seem to suffer much!

Ears that were attuned to opera were kept entertained, identifying familiar arias and choruses no matter how out of context.  A medley of tunes related to Asian inspired operas and musical theater melded Puccini with Gilbert and Sullivan, Rogers and Hammerstein, Schönberg and Boublil. Vastly entertaining in the moment, it did lead to some reflection on the cultural depiction of Asian women from Flower Drum Song to Miss Saigon to Madama Butterfly.

There was a banquet of cleverness that was supported by a deep knowledge of the repertory. We would have loved to have been a fly on the wall during some of the writing sessions but must be content with marveling at the results. Opera lovers must have had a fine time playing "Name that Tune".  We are sure most of us picked up on the Wagner, the Verdi (loved the "Anvil Chorus" from Il Trovatore) ,the Donizetti, Bellini, Leoncavallo, Händel, and Orff. We probably missed a few such as Rameau's Les Indes Gallants and The Wiz, neither of which we have seen. And what an astonishment to hear Aretha Franklin's version of "Nessun dorma" performed by Mr. Holcomb.

All of the performances were spot on and, as you can see from the photos, David Quinn's costumes were outstanding, as was Maiko Ando's makeup design.  It comes as no surprise that Ethan Heard returned to direct the show; his artistic stamp is always recognizable.

The marvelous musical direction was in the hands of Jacob Ashworth and Dan Schlossberg who played, respectively, violin and piano. Mr. Ashworth made quite an impression as a Valkyrie when he took to the stage after the performance. A guitar and clarinet made up the remainder of the accompaniment and we have nothing but praise for the arrangements.

Although we have occasionally objected to HeartbeatOpera's tampering with the classics, their artistic leanings are always welcome on the occasion of the annual Halloween drag show which we have never missed.  Braving the Greenwich Village crowds and transportation snafus seemed a small price to pay for such an evening. It is amazing to know that a collection of musical and visual artists can conspire to produce an impressive evening like that.

We urge you Dear Reader to get tickets for the few remaining shows. Halloween is such a fun holiday that it seems worth extending the celebration of it for another week.

We will close by expressing the wish that the ghost of Al Carmines, the late Minister of Judson Memorial Church, might have visited the church and enjoyed the production. Mr. Carmines was himself a creator of vast talent and filled the church with a succession of original musical theater performances that were our introduction to the art form. On All Saint's Day, the dead are allowed to return to earth and enjoy an ofrenda from the living-- so our fantasy is not so far-fetched! We think of Heartbeat's production as an ofrenda to the spirit of Mr. Carmines. Does anyone still remember him, his warm and loving personality, and his original productions? We know for a fact that the renowned Ira Siff does, since he starred in one.

© meche kroop

 

THE EXTINCTIONIST

Philip Stoddard and Katherine Henley

(photo by Russ Rowland) 

 

                                                                                                
                Katherine Henley and Claire Leyden

                 (photo by Russ Rowland). 

  

How interesting that our companion for the evening (an opera singer) came up with the same thought as we did at the conclusion of Heartbeat Opera's production of The Extinctionist. "This would have made a great play!" Upon return home we took a look at the program for the first time, only to learn that the work was adapted from a play by Amanda Quaid!  She wrote the libretto for this work, which is the first commission ever made by this risk-taking company.

There seemed to be two interwoven themes at play. One was a woman's fear of bringing a child into a dying world and the other theme being marital discord over the issue of starting a family. Fortunately, the play is not polemic and leaves the audience to decide for themselves. Good theater makes us think. We have heard that art is a mirror that gets us to see ourselves plainly.

Th woman in the story is well performed by Katherine Henly and her ambivalence about pregnancy resulted in palpable anguish. That she is the only character who feels threatened by catastrophic global warming makes us focus on her dilemma. On the one hand, a potential child comes to her in her dreams and we learn that she and her best friend, winningly played by Claire Leyden, had long planned to get pregnant at the same time (as did two sisters of our acquaintance). On the other hand, she is terrified by what she alone perceives as the end of the world as we know it.

A meeting between the two women had our main character shocked and distanced by her friend's rapture at being pregnant. "How could anyone bring a child into the dying world?"--a thought we ourself have shared.

The woman and her husband had been trying to achieve pregnancy for some time and one gathers that they may have married believing that they both wanted the same thing. The husband, ( played by Philip Stoddard) is not exactly sympathetic.

The most awkward scene we have ever seen onstage was the woman being given a pelvic exam by her gynecologist and later given a diagnosis which we will not reveal. We do wish the production team had consulted  a genuine doctor as we found a couple inaccuracies in the dialogue and action; but perhaps the scenes with the physician (played by Eliam Ramos) were meant to be the woman's perception, rather than reality.

The work was well directed by Shade Ghaheri and Kate Noll's scenic design was stunning.  The couple's bedroom was tasteful and modern, indicating that they were financially comfortable. It occupied one side of the wide stage whilst the other side served at times as a living area and at others as a gynecologists examining room. Bare trees and dying plants were scattered about the stage.  Reza Behjat's lighting design subtly contributed to the mood of each scene  Projection design by Camilla Tassi was apt, as is seldom the case. Scenes of weather disasters served to remind us what stirred the woman's anxiety. Costume design by Haydee Zelideth and Asa Benally was apt. The child puppet, created by Afsaneh Aayani, was adorable.

So, Dear Reader, as drama it worked.  But, and this is a big but, this was billed as an opera. Was the music good? Yes, it was. Dan Schlosberg's original composition for piano, violin, viola, electric guitar and percussion would make an excellent curtain raiser on any symphonic program. 

Although the instrumentals served to heighten the mood, the vocal lines were entirely unmusical. We wondered how the cast managed to learn their parts. And to sing with such excellent diction! This is a common feature of contemporary operas and the reason that they are rarely seen a second time. We want to leave the opera humming a melody.  Our brains are programmed to want this!

It is likely that some of you, Dear Reader, will disagree with us and that is fine. We all attend live events for different reasons. We would just as soon have seen the play.

© meche kroop

EUGENE ONEGIN (the Cliff Notes)

 Edwin Joseph and Emily Margevich

(photo by Russ Rowland)

Last night at the Baruch Performing Arts Center, we attended the premiere of Tchaikovsky's heartbreaking opera Eugene Onegin, performed by Heartbeat Opera (no relation);  at least we heard a 100 minute adaptation of the opera. The co-adaptors were Director Dustin Willis and Artistic Director Jacob Ashworth who also conducted the chamber orchestra.

We have been writing about Heartbeat Opera since their inception ten years ago (under different leadership-- by Louisa Proske and Ethan Heard). They have always put a unique spin on the classics, some of which thrilled us and some of which dismayed us or puzzled us.  This production had some very rewarding moments, some insightful ones, and some puzzling ones.

Chief among the delights was the singing. Soprano Emily Margevich made a believable and touching Tatyana. In the lengthy letter scene, she showed us all the unbridled passion of an adolescent girl with all of  its concomitant terrors. She reminded us of Juliet in the early scenes of the ballet version of Romeo and Juliet, almost dancing around her bedroom, trying to put her wild thoughts into words. It was a commendable performance.

As the "older man" she falls in love with (probably an older man of twenty-five) we found baritone Edwin Joseph thoroughly believable and as fine in his singing as was Ms. Margevich.

Flirtatious sister Olga was finely realized by the excellent mezzo-soprano Sichel Claverie and as Olga's devoted fiancé and childhood sweetheart Lensky, we thought tenor Roy Hage performed admirably, delivering a poignant "Kuda, Kuda". Also fine were Shannon Delijani as Madame Larina and Tynan Davis as Filipyevna, the nursemaid. Rounding out the cast was Lloyd Reshard, Jr as Prince Gremin.  More about him later.

Spoiler Alert! If you plan on seeing this production, and we hope that you do, you may want to stop reading here, especially if you are new to this standard of the Russian repertory. One difficulty for us was making the effort to block our memories of prior productions and comparing them. Still, we couldn't help seeing the falling Autumn leaves as Madame Larina and Filipyevna peeled apples or potatoes in the opening scene nor could we not hear in our mind's ear the chorus of peasants in the background, here omitted.

In this production, the nearly bare set made use of wooden frames and planks, metal step-ladders, and reams of fabric. One could see right through the performing area to a kind of workshop/storage room "backstage". The two older women were busy doing something we couldn't make out and Madame Larina appeared to be pouring something from a flask and drinking.  Vodka perhaps.

For the name-day scene, a raised platform was erected right in front of the audience with an abundant buffet set up upon it. Olga, dressed as a clown, sings the aria usually sung by the French tutor Monsieur Triquet. At this point, the chamber orchestra (comprising strings, French Horn, Clarinet doubling on Bass Clarinet, Harp, and Guitar) goes mad, out of tune and cacophonous with electric amplification. Perhaps this is to mark the flip from pleasant drama to tragedy as Olga flirts with Onegin, angering Lensky who then challenges Onegin to a duel.

Equally. puzzling was in the final act, when Prince Gremin sings his aria into a microphone (!) and then is wheeled off like a dressmaker's dummy (!!).

There are a number of liberties taken with the opera, chief among which is the subtext of a homosexual relationship between the two men. Was this "concept" suggested by the director? It is no secret that Tchaikovsky was homosexual and that he himself received a letter from a pupil whom he later married to no good effect. But does that mean that his stories have a homosexual subtext? There are a few scenes between the two men that were unconvincing and if Mr. Willis wanted to persuade us that Lensky's jealousy was directed differently than in the Pushkin verse novel upon which the opera is based, he failed.

There were several other puzzling episodes. What was the intent of having Maestro Jacob Ashworth interact with the singers, at times abandoning his post, so to speak? And watching the singers participating as stage hands constructing and dismantling the set?

The final scene, in which Onegin tries to persuade Tatyana of his love, is staged in a frame, reminding us of a marionette theater. The rest of the cast and some of the musicians are watching. When she bids him to get up, it is not an Onegin begging for her love, but an Onegin who has pressed her to the floor and lain on top of her. And then, off to the side, a bereft Onegin is cradling the dead Lensky in his arms.

Those puzzling moments aside, a good case could be made for an abridged version of the opera. Tchaikovsky's libretto uses much of Pushkin's text from the latter's verse novel, but he also altered certain things which one could learn from reading the original. So the current revision is not an insult. However it would have been better had it made theatrical sense. 

As far as the alteration of the music, lots of classical works have been altered or re-orchestrated and symphonic works have been reduced; we were not disappointed in this case.  As much as we love the orchestral original, the arrangement was interesting and the melodies we know and love were preserved. We cannot tell from the program who was responsible since the program indicates  Dan Schlosberg under "newly arranged".   Our guess is that Mo. Ashworth newly arranged the music and Mr. Schlosberg might have newly arranged the libretto with "co-adaptors" Mr. Willis and Mr. Ashworth.

We spoke to some women after the performance, women who had never seen or heard the opera. They loved it. Much can be said for a "virgin experience".

© meche kroop