IT WOULD BE A CRIME TO MISS!

Sarah Marvel Bleasdale, Joshua Miller, Duncan Harman, and David Pasteelnick in Utopia Opera's production of Sondheim's Assassins

Stephen Sondheim's 1990 musical Assassins was originally presented Off-Broadway by Playwrights Horizons (we were there) and remounted on Broadway in 2004, garnering 5 Tony awards. It is just as relevant today, if not more so, largely due to the intransigence of the NRA and the vehemence of their followers.

Utopia Opera's decision to present it as their season opener was based, as these decisions are, on votes from the audience. This show got more votes than any other show that was nominated. 

Although some of Sondheim's oeuvre seem quite kin to opera, this one is more like a revue. Although the topic of presidential assassination is a highly serious one, the show gives it a gloss of black humor and Sondheim's music is unmatchable. His dialogue is twice as clever as it needs to be.

With slim biographical data to go on, the characters in the show are fully realized by John Weidman's excellent book: paranoid schizophrenics, disaffected immigrants, woefully misguided idealists, pathetic victims of an exploitative society, and all-around loonies.

The parts were brilliantly cast, effectively enacted, and well sung by a cast that seemed to bring serious vocal training from both the operatic camp and the Broadway camp. Happily, the voices were not amplified.

The versatile William Remmers stepped down from the podium to assume the role of The Proprietor in vaudeville guise, ready to provide guns to the would-be killers. It was a knock-out characterization.

The Balladeer who tells the story of the American Dream and narrates the proceedings was portrayed by Chazmond J. Peacock, in fine voice.

Joshua Miller made a strong impression as John Wilkes Booth--not only in the scene in which he is wounded and tries to justify his murder of President Lincoln, but later when he "inspires" and goads the others to attempt their heinous acts. Of all the performers, his English diction stood out.  We missed not a single word.

Lauren Gismondi made a marvelous Emma Goldman, both looking and sounding exactly right. Her scene with Leon Czolgosz (a fine Duncan Hartman), the killer of William McKinley, was one of our favorites.

For humor we had Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme (Kayla Ryan Walsh) carrying on about her "love affair" with Charles Manson, and Sara Jane Moore (Sarah Marvel Bleasdale gleefully interacting, then hilariously messing up their intended assassination of President Gerald Ford.

Matthew Hughes portrayed the pathetic Giuseppe Zangara who tried to kill FDR, and David Pasteelnick enacted the manic Charles Guiteau who did away with James Garfield. He laughed all the way to the hangman's noose.

Michael Matthias excelled as the patently delusional Sam Byck who failed to rid us of Richard Nixon. Zachary Barnes was fine as John Hinckley, Jr. who tried to kill President Ronald Reagan to make an impression on Jodie Foster!  Jeff Goble was excellent as the weak-willed and suicidal Lee Harvey Oswald, falling under the influence of John Wilkes Booth's spirit.

The 13-piece orchestra, heavy on the brass, was conducted by Benjamin Weiss. Sondheim made good use of the American idiom and at one point quoted Leonard Bernstein. Although the instrumental balance was fine, we felt the volume frequently overpowered the voices, including Mr. Remmers' introduction.

It is also fair to point out that the enunciation was not always as clear as it might have been, particularly on the part of The Balladeer. Sondheim's lyrics are so important that we wanted to hear every word. It occurs to us that surtitles are just as important for English as they are for foreign languages.

Utopia Opera is a perfect example of substituting creativity and imagination for a big budget; they have done so much with paltry resources. There was no scenery to speak of but the costuming (Eric Lamp and Angel Betancourt) seemed quite apropos to the periods. It was quite a challenge to mount a show like this and much credit goes to the company for doing such a fine job. Mr. Remmers himself directed.

It is arguably the job of the artist to hold a mirror up to society and reflect us back to ourselves.  At this performance we felt entertained, enlightened, squeamish, and a bit ashamed of our violent history.  We need to experience our dark side before we can change it. The show has been produced overseas and we can only imagine how Europeans must judge our outmoded infatuation with firearms and revenge.

There will be two shows today, matinée and evening--similarly on Sunday. Can you allow yourself to be entertained and changed at the same time?

(c) meche kroop

KING ARTHUR IN DIDO'S COURT

William Remmers as Merlin and Zoe Hart as Philadel

It was the wizardry of Utopia Opera's William Remmers that made an unusual evening's entertainment out of two works by 17th c. composer Henry Purcell. His concept was to have the 1691 King Arthur performed at the court of Queen Dido of Carthage, in order to cheer her from the grief over the apparent betrayal of her lover Aeneas of Troy. After the intermission, the Dido and Aeneas (Purcell's first opera, dating from the 1680's) was performed.

With works over three centuries old, one does not expect the entire score and libretto to survive, but Mr. Remmers, stepping down from his customary role of conductor, cobbled together a 90-minute adaptation, taking on a number of roles himself. He first played Sir Thomas Betterton, an impresario bringing his troupe of actors and singers to Carthage to perform for the Queen. But the actors were eaten by cannibals and so he was stuck with a bunch of singers who "couldn't act", slipping in a private joke for the audience.

He also assumed the role of Oswald, the Saxon King who was battling with King Arthur, the King of the Britons. This was probably meant to be an allegory for the political situation in Restoration England but we do not need to concern ourselves with that detail. Let us just enjoy the outrageous performances--not only as Merlin but also as the Cold Genius in the Frost Scene and later as Comus, god of the Masque.

Singers also doubled in their roles. The beautiful coloratura soprano Madison Marie McIntosh was perfectly cast as the blind Cornish Princess Emmeline, beloved of King Arthur (Lieve Buzard) but kidnapped by the Saxons; she later appeared as Cupid (not the blind boy-child we have come to expect) and had the opportunity to exhibit an impressive skill with ornamentation.  Having awakened the Cold Genius from his long winter's nap, we were treated to a marvelous aria "Tis I that have warm'd ye" which was picked up by the excellent chorus as "Tis love that has warm'd ye".

It was the custom of the time to give singing roles only to supernatural creatures and rustics; so we had the burly voiced Glenn Friedman, wearing elfin ears, as Grimbald, an evil spirit, and the lovely soprano Zoe Hart as the good spirit Philadel who saves the day for the Britons.

A memorable trio was sung by tenor Matthew Hughes as a shepherd with his two shepherdesses sung by soprano Rachel Rosenberg and mezzo-soprano Sidney Dixon; the harmonies were delicious.

Caroline Tye as Dido and Winnie Nieh as Belinda

THE ADAMANT PRINCESS IDA

Eva Giorgi, Bonnie Frauenthal, and Martin Everall

How often does one have unmitigated fun at the opera?  If you can't remember the last time, get yourself to Hunter College (Lang Recital Hall) for Utopia Opera's production of W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan's Princess Ida.  You will hear great music, laugh at funny dialogue, witness an episode of cross-dressing (gasp!) and laugh yourself silly.  And why not!!!

Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote a narrative poem in 1847 which inspired William Gilbert to adapt it as a play in 1870, utilizing music by Rossini and Offenbach. But the operetta we enjoyed last night, directed and conducted by that OTHER William (Remmers), required all new music by Arthur Sullivan. It was written at the midpoint of their Savoy partnership and is the only one of this oeuvre that is written in iambic pentameter.

Tennyson's poem, the play, and the operetta all satirize themes that were important in the second half of the 19th c. --Darwinian evolution, feminism, and the radical idea of educating women! Indeed, Tennyson wrote "The Princess" just when Queens College was opened to educate  women.

The play involves the lovely Princess Ida (beautifully sung by Bonnie Frauenthal) who refuses to go through with the marriage contracted for her when she was a year old. She has established a university for women from which men are barred.  She is adamant.  (The alternative name for the operetta is Castle Adamant.)

Her intended husband, Prince Hilarion (sweet-voiced tenor Mitchell Roe), along with his two companions-- Cyril (tenor Matthew Hughes who has the comedic style of Nathan Lane) and Florian (baritone Matthew Walsh)--must infiltrate the university dressed as women.

Princess Ida's father King Gama (played hilariously by comic baritone Martin Everall) is being held hostage by Hilarion's father King Hildebrand (bass-baritone Jack Anderson White), along with King Gama's three apelike sons Arac (Ben Cohen), Scynthius (Jonathan Dauermann), and Guron (Spencer Leopold-Cohen)--to ensure fulfillment of the contract.

The funniest lines of the libretto belong to King Gama and Mr. Everall's delivery of patter was sensational as he tries to describe why no one likes him.  (We LOVED him!).  Great amusement was provided by Lady Blanche (mezzo-soprano Eva Giorgi) who is the very strict Professor of Abstract Sciences. Her song "Come Mighty Must" was a real show-stopper. She is a most unpleasant character who wants to take control of the university.

We also enjoyed soprano Mary Langston as Lady Psyche, Professor of Humanities, and Melissa Serluco whose character falls in love with Florian, just as Lady Psyche falls for Cyril.  There is plenty of lyric romanticism along with the funny patter and it was difficult to keep a straight face.

The best part of the performance was that every role was well cast and the entire cast seemed to be having major fun.  Although the level of artistry was professional all around, the enthusiasm and involvement made us think of a school or camp performance. And we mean that in the best possible way.

Mr. Remmers conducted his chamber orchestra and wardrobe was attributed to Eric Lamp and Angel Betancourt. There was no scenery and none was needed.  The evening was all about performance.

If you cannot make today's 3:00 matinée, you will have two chances next weekend. It would be a sad thing, a VERY sad thing to miss this rarely produced operetta.

(c) meche kroop