THE OTHER CINDERELLA

Zen Wu, Melissa Serlluco, Ryan Slone, Jeff Goble, Caroline Tye, Alison Cheeseman, and Hayden DeWitt

When thinking about operatic versions of Cinderella, most people think of Rossini's La Cenerentola. But Massenet's 1899 opera Cendrillon offers many delights, including a luscious score with many fine arias and ensembles and a libretto (by Henri Caïn) that hews more closely to the original Perrault story which was already two centuries old. It can be taken as a tale of a highly dysfunctional family.

Papa Pandolfe (warmly portrayed by Jeff Goble) has taken as his second wife the harridan Madame de la Haltière (the over-the-top Caroline Tye) who has brought with her two spoiled daughters Noémie (Zen Wu) and Dorothée (Melissa Serluco). Pandolfe's daughter Lucette (Alison Cheeseman) is adored by her father, who feels guilty for neglecting her, and barely tolerated by her step-family.  This feels so relevant today when "blended families" are quite common.

William Remmers' Utopia Opera operates under a rather unique concept. Audience members vote online for the operas they want to hear the following season. We are consistently amazed by how Maestro Remmers rises to every challenge and comes up with a solution to the problem of combining entertainment and professionalism on a miniscule budget.

Although we always enjoy ourselves and admire the creativity, last night we were wildly impressed by the superlative performances of every performer and the innovative direction of Mr. Remmers who truly knows how to tell a story and to tell it well. We were engrossed and enchanted.

Although there is no scenery and barely any props, the story is told and told well. Costumes are of the "let's put on a show" variety. We imagine cast members rummaging through closets and coming up with something to express the characters they are portraying.  Most original of all was the black tie,  top hat , white silk scarf, and cigarette holder of The Fairy Godmother. The description sounds odd but, trust us, it worked incredibly well. Her fairy spirits dressed completely in white.

Lucette appears first in dowdy clothes of nondescript color and later in a shimmery garment with sparkly shoes. The henpecked Pandolfe wears a velvet jacket. Member of Lucette's step-family wear lavish ball gowns.

We first saw Cendrillon at the Santa Fe Opera ten years ago in a beautiful Laurent Pelly production with Joyce Di Donato in the title role-- and again two year ago at Juilliard with Julia Bullock. We were delighted both times but there was something about the intimacy of the Utopia Opera production that will stay in our mind.

There are a number of unforgettable scenes that one is not likely to forget!  You must see for yourself.

Massenet's music is deliciously romantic; Remmers' 19-member orchestra did the score justice once Mr. Remmers' baton brought them all together and achieved balance between the strings and the winds. We were particularly taken by the English horn solos of Zachary Rosalinsky which accompanied the love duets. The love duet between Pandolfe and Lucette was just as fine as that between her and Prince Charming.

Ms. Cheeseman made a winsome Lucette, one we could care about. We could feel compassion for Mr. Goble's Pandolfe who just made a bad marital decision. We could laugh at the domineering step-mother and the ridiculously entitled and sulky step-sisters. But we were most enthralled by the otherwordly magic of Angela Dinkelman's Fairy Godmother whose costume played so strongly against our expectations. Massenet gave her the best music and she didn't let him down!

Even the chorus was well-rehearsed. The fine direction led to camera-perfect stage pictures such that we have spent hours editing down the multiplicity of shots. And we must mention the fine French diction that was totally understandable.  Our companion told us that the titles were down for a period and we never noticed!

If you have been tempted to share our joy by attending, you will find the Lang Recital Hall at Hunter College to have superb sight lines and you will be amazed at the ridiculously low ticket prices. This same cast will perform next Saturday night, with a (likely just as fine) second cast performing tonight and next Friday night. You won't be disappointed!

(c) meche kroop

IF THE SHOE FITS....

Julia Bullock, Lacey Jo Benter, Elizabeth Sutphen (photo by Nan Melville)

It was a triumph of casting, staging and performance last night as Juilliard Opera presented Jules Massenet's 1899 opera Cendrillon.  Although updated to post-World War II Paris, the spirit of la belle époque shone through in the charming melodies and romantic sentiment.  If you did not smile from ear to ear when Lucette was reunited with her Prince Charming then you are immune to joy.

The libretto by Henri Cain hews closely to the Perrault fairy tale, as Rossini's Cenerentola (seen across the plaza at The Metropolitan Opera) does not.  The starring role was wisely given to the incomparable soprano Julia Bullock who is currently rocking the opera world with her gorgeous voice, stage presence and dramatic skills.

Here, she has created a truly lovable character who is not quite downtrodden, just neglected.  Her role gave her a chance to portray effectively a wide range of emotions, including terror.  Her opening aria showed her nobility of character.  Her duets with Prince Charming and with Pandolfe were equally memorable.

Poor Papa Pandolfe (the fine baritone Szymon Komasa) is the ultimate henpecked husband of the imperious and unpleasant Madame de la Haltière, brought to vivid life by the superb mezzo Avery Amereau.  Clearly, this character in this production gets by on the basis of stunning good looks and an acute sense of fashion!

Her daughters Noémie and Dorothée (here performed respectively by the excellent soprano Lilla Heinrich Szász and the fine mezzo Marguerite Jones) are neither vicious nor ridiculous, only privileged and controlled by their helicopter mother.  Indeed, one might say the story unreels as a domestic drama about a dysfunctional family.

But then, there is the magic of the fairy-tale component, so inextricably woven together with the reality.  And oh, what a piece of magic is soprano Elizabeth Sutphen whose thrilling coloratura nailed the florid trills and turns and runs of the Fairy Godmother. 

In the travesti role of Prince Charming, Lacey Jo Benter was completely believable as the bored and lonely prince whose father (the excellent bass Önay Köse) wants him to marry.  Ms. Benter sang with a warm tone, lovely phrasing and nearly perfect French diction (confirmed by our native French-speaking companion), obviating the need to look at the sur-titles.  Come to think of it, that was true for the rest of the cast as well.  What a treat it was to just sit and listen without reading!
 
 In the roles of the Prince's staff, we enjoyed tenor James Edgar Knight and baritones Kurt Kanazawa and Joe Eletto.  We couldn't imagine better casting.

The Juilliard Orchestra, always excellent, responded to the lively conducting of Emmanuel Villaume, who also addressed the audience in the persona of Charles de Gaulle, a fine touch.  The music ranges from sweet gentle love melodies to the rapid-fire and energetic music of the bickering family, while the fairy music has an other-worldly feel.  All were effectively communicated.

A fine directorial hand was shown by Peter Kazaras.  It was an interesting choice to set the piece in 1947, the only anachronism being the presence of a king and a prince.  However, the directorial choice allowed for some interesting sets and costumes.  Sadly, the extensive ballet was cut.

Scenic Designer Donald Eastman created a very authentic appearing bistrot, complete with Thonet chairs.  Lucette's step-mother was the proprietress with Papa being the barman.  When the fairy godmother gets Lucette and the Prince together, it is not in a garden but in a cinema.

Costumes were witty and accurate to the period with Lucette's ball gown evoking Dior's "New Look" in Schiaparelli pink--simply gorgeous.  The Fairy Godmother looked rather prim with eyeglasses and a tailored suit.  Her six helpers were dressed like bellboys; think vintage Philip Morris advertisements.  In a stroke of luxury casting, we heard Kelsey Lauritano, Nicolette Mavroleon, Hannah McDermott, Mary-Elizabeth O'Neill, Kara Sainz and Angela Vallone.  We heard them but we would never have recognized them in those costumes and wigs.

We have only seen this opera once before, in Santa Fe about 8 years ago.  Joyce DiDonato sang the lead, Eglise Gutierrez sang the Fairy Godmother and Jennifer Holloway sang the Prince.  Our notes read (verbatim) "Best opera of the Santa Fe season.  Original costumes, colorful and outlandish".  Now we have two stellar productions to hold in our memory.

© meche kroop