THE CASE FOR PAUL'S CASE

Michael Slattery, Erin Sanzero, Melissa Wimbish, James Shaffran, Amanda Crider, Keith Phare and Jonathan Blalock lying on the floor. (Photo by C. Stanley Photography)

Here in New York City in 2014, we love our misfits.  But in 1906 Pittsburgh, they did not.  Willa Cather's short story "Paul's Case" is an incisive study of a high school student who is just such an outlier.  Prototype has presented an opera with the same title that musically and visually illuminates this character study.  Composer Gregory Spears has written music that reflects both the claustrophobic external environment and the inner world of Paul's yearning imagination; unlike much contemporary music, it avoids tedium and holds the ear from the portentous opening chords until the shattering finale.

The libretto by Mr. Spears and Kathryn Walat tells the story in an expressionistic way with much repetition which is a good thing because the English was not always intelligible.  Titles would have been welcome.

It is to the credit of tenor Jonathan Blalock that we in the audience come to understand this strange young man who was apparently dropped down the wrong chimney.  Motherless since birth, he is acutely aware of being out-of-place and hides his contempt for his bourgeois surroundings with peculiar behavior that his father and teachers cannot understand.  He wears a red carnation in his lapel, bows, smirks and manages to confound and infuriate people.  He is disinterested in school but enjoys working as an usher in Carnegie Hall (Pittsburgh) where he can enjoy music and theater and art.

Mr. Blalock misses no vocal, facial or gestural note in his portrayal.  We sense his joy as he liberates himself from his drab surroundings and flees to New York where he outfits himself handsomely in fine attire and installs himself at the Waldorf-Astoria where he finally feels as if he belongs.  Mr. Spears' music deftly underscores the expansion of his spirit.  Unfortunately his sudden wealth was ill-gotten and his theft is is discovered.  He comes to a bad end as represented by the final tableau.

His three teachers are well portrayed by sopranos Erin Sanzero and Melissa Wimbish and mezzo Amanda Crider; in the second act, in an especially delightful scene, they enact three maids at the Waldorf who are making up Paul's room.  The two sopranos also portray opera singers onstage at the theater.

Baritone Keith Phares makes a fine father, wanting Paul to succeed on his terms.  Baritone James Shaffran sang the roles of the puzzled principal and a hotel bellboy.  Tenor Michael Slattery sang the role of a Yale freshman who accompanied Paul on his night on the town.

The challenging music was conducted by Robert Wood with Keith Chambers on piano.  The string quartet was enhanced by a bass, two soulful clarinets and a harp--The American Modern Ensemble. 

The fine directorial hand of Kevin Newbury kept the movement right on target and built tension throughout the piece.  Amanda Seymour designed the costumes with fine detail for that period.  Set designer Timothy R. Mackabee kept things simple; the masterstroke was the lowering of the grid of pendulum lamps at the end, leaving the audience with a riveting image.

© meche kroop

FUN PASQUALE

Deanna Breiwick, Tobias Greenhalgh, Jeongcheol Cha

What fun we had at Juilliard last night where Donizetti's comic masterpiece Don Pasquale was presented by artists from Juilliard Opera and Juilliard Orchestra.  The story is right out of the commedia dell'arte tradition--a foolish old man wants to marry and gets his comeuppance.  In most productions, we feel great sympathy for the disinherited nephew Ernesto who is so in love with the poor  Norina that he refuses to marry the rich bride his uncle favors, thereby provoking the uncle to seek a bride and produce an heir.

But, in this case, Jeongcheol Cha created such a sympathetic character that our sympathies shifted toward him and less toward the slacker nephew, portrayed by Javier Abreu, a rather unprepossessing fellow who appeared unworthy of the beautiful and spunky Norina, performed by Deanna Breiwick.  The crafty Doctor Malatesta, portrayed by the too young and too handsome Tobias Greenhalgh, initiates a plan to show Don Pasquale how awful marriage is by presenting Norina as his convent-raised sister Sofronia, the perfect wife.  Naturally as soon as the fake marriage contract is signed, Norina proceeds to go through the Don's fortune and to demolish his self-esteem with her wanton ways.  There was a very moving moment when Norina realized how she has injured her future father-in-law; remorse was written all over Ms. Breiwick's lovely face.

Mr. Cha's sturdy bass-baritone served him well in the bel canto style; Mr. Greenhalgh who, in spite of his matinee idol looks and youth, created a dashing image of a doctor who manages to pull off the stunt with panache; his baritone was most pleasant to the ear.  Ms. Breiwick, whose gorgeous golden locks were hidden under a dowdy brown wig, used her lustrous soprano and superior technique to illuminate the coloratura passages with distinction.  Just listen to that liquid silver trill!  Mr. Abreu has a sweet but small tenor and failed to enlist our sympathies for his character.

In a bit of luxury casting, some of Juilliard's finest singers composed the ensemble.  In Swinging Sixties wigs and costumes we had fun trying to recognize them.

The conductor Stephen Lord and the director James Robinson were imported from St. Louis; we were not impressed.  Donizetti's music must sparkle like a diamond and what we heard sounded more like a rhinestone.  Not bad, just a bit lackluster.  The Juilliard Orchestra has sounded better on other occasions.

As far as the direction goes, we saw no reason to place the story in the 1960's, a decade no more relevant to our lives today than the time period in which Donizetti and librettist Giovanni Ruffini placed the action.  This anachronism left us in a disjointed frame of mind when horses and coaches were mentioned.  We were not outraged as we are when serious classics are trashed, just mildly irritated.  There should be a point and there isn't one.  To make matters worse, there were even more contemporary touches like the personal trainer and the green juice drink that didn't belong to the 60's at all.  That being said, these funny bits were....funny.

Set designer Shoko Kambara created a beautiful set for the Don's home with overstuffed furniture and burnished wooden walls that made us think we were going to see an epoch-valid production.  When Norina has the home redecorated, everything appeared to be of the art deco period, another anachronism.

Costumes by Amanda Seymour were colorful and apropos the period.  Still, we were left wondering why Norina, appearing as the modest Sofronia in a black dress, would be wearing bright shiny red stilettos.  In sum, this was a production in which one would do well to forget dramatic logic and just listen to the delightful young artists as they embark on what promises to be some very illustrious careers on the opera stage.

(c) meche kroop