YEE-HAW

Justine Aronson as Gutrune in On Site Opera's Das Barbecü (photo by B A von Sise)

We have seen more than our fair share of Ring Cycles and we have spent quite a bit of time in The Lone Star State; both of these experiences contributed to our enjoyment of On Site Opera's current expression of their mission to present opera in venues relevant to the material.  Only this time it wasn't an opera but a wildly inventive musical called Das Barbecü, starring trained opera singers.

Do you need to have seen Wagner's Ring Cycle to appreciate this original production?  Not really, although a basic familiarity with the story might add to your enjoyment of the parody.  Do you need to have been to Texas to appreciate the Texas tropes? Not really, since you have probably been exposed to Texas stereotypes by film or television. Who wouldn't appreciate the emphasis on barbecue and guacamole, our favorite song being "Makin' Guacamole". And of course, there was a chart in front of the musicians to explain the plot for you.

What we are trying to say is "Go see it!". Your intrepid reviewer was there for opening night and urges you to get tickets to one of the several remaining performances, if there are indeed any left. You will have a swell time and you will enjoy a fine family-style dinner of Texas brisket, barbecued chicken, mashed sweet potatoes, and mac 'n cheese (which Texans consider a vegetable)--all included in the ticket price.

It would be unfair to say that the show condensed 15 hours of Wagner's epic into 2 plus hours; the emphasis is mainly on Götterdammerung and much of the plot from the preceding three operas is revealed in flashbacks. Of course, that is also a feature of Wagner's epic narrative with characters often bringing other characters up to date on what had previously happened.

The show was commissioned in 1991 by General Director of the Seattle Opera Speight Jenkins who offered it as a light-hearted accompaniment to the Seattle Ring Cycle for subscribers to enjoy. The book and lyrics by Jim Luigs are clever and the music by Scott Warrender offers a variety of music from faux Country Western to sincere ballads--all of it tuneful.

We are reluctant to give away too much of the plot or any of the hilarious one-liners. Let us just say that Valhalla is now a ranch with Fricka (Zuri Washington) keeping house and resenting the philandering of her husband Wotan (Robert Wesley Mason). Alberich (David Hughey) is still vying with Wotan for the "Ring of Gold" and the pair reach a surprise reconciliation. Siegfried (also Mr. Hughey) is an earnest but not-too-smart cowpoke who is given a spiked drink at a honky-tonk bar, causing him to forget his bride Brünnhilde (a spunky Jessica Fishenfeld) who gets carried off by the not-too-smart Gunther (Mr. Mason) who arranges for Siegfried to wed his sister Gutrune (Justine Aronson).

One of the best numbers in the score has the two abandoned brides devouring the wedding dinner all by themselves and making friends in the process. 

If all this sounds confusing, rest assured that rapid costume changes and acting skill serve to identify each character. Seeing a cast of five accomplish all this complex storytelling is impressive in and of itself. We haven't even mentioned the hilarious scene with the three Norns and the even funnier scene in which the adorable Ms. Aronson in the role of Freia gets taken by the two giant carpenters and... oh, we will stop here. You will want to see that for yourself!

Direction by Eric Einhorn and Katherine M. Carter kept up a frenetic pace. Whitney Locher's costumes were just right with Brünnhilde's wedding dress taking the cake and evoking one of the bitchiest one-liners in the show.  No, we will not divulge it here!

Music Director Emily Senturia played keyboard with a second keyboard played by Riko Higuma. Liz Faure was swell on guitar and Victoria Paterson fiddled away in true Country and Western style. Clara Warnaar was in charge of the drums. We particularly enjoyed the Texas two-step which they really do dance in Texas!

Looking around at the audience, we have never seen so many grinning faces. We could not tell whether they were simply enjoying the show or were also enjoying witnessing Wagner's complex plot being transmogrified and parodied.

If we were to find one fault with this entertaining evening, it would have to do with the staging and sound. Although it was kind of fun to have the cast moving around the room and between the long picnic tables, it also required quite a bit of rubber-necking. 

Complicating this was the amplification. Fortunately, it was certainly not ear-splitting but it was impossible to tell where the voices were coming from, making the rubbernecking even worse.

We know nothing about sound design so we are unable to say how that problem could be surmounted. Nonetheless, we had a great time and left happy.  And so will you!

© meche kroop

CITY LYRIC OPERA SEASON OPENER

Jessica Niles, Eliza Bonet, Jessica Fishenfeld, Cory Battey, Scott Bradley Joiner, and Trevor Martin

In their fourth season, City Lyric Opera has everything going for itself. Helmed by two lovely ladies (incidentally, both possessors of lovely voices), this young company has garnered a highly invested young audience by virtue of their conviction and dedication to their mission. If you, dear reader, recall their origin as A.R.E. Opera, you will probably also recall what the initials stood for--opera that is Accessible, Relatable, and Enjoyable. Trust us when we tell you that these goals are still on the table, although there is a lot more to consider.

The idea of creating an artistic community in New York City is not a new one but it is rather new to the field of opera. Keeping ticket prices affordable--a price point of about $15-20 is eminently affordable--is also not new; but creating works of quality at that price point is a challenge they have met. Superb singers are attracted to the company and are treated as the artists they are, with generous fees paid.

This quality, combined with adventuresome programming relevant to our times, is responsible for their meteoric rise. Productions of operas are augmented by stimulating salon evenings and an annual WorkshOpera, one of which we attended last year; it was an eye-opening experience to learn about the creation of an opera!

We are not sure how the founders, Kathleen Spencer and Megan Gillis, have managed to accomplish this so rapidly but we suspect it has much to do with commitment, conviction, dedication, and hard work.

Last night the season opener was a gala event held at Steinway Hall involving some glorious singing, free-flowing champagne, and delicious passed hors d'oeuvres. These gals sure know how to throw a party! This is a family worth joining!

The major joy of our work is watching the developing careers of young artists. Take for example the sublime soprano Jessica Niles whom we first heard at a liederabend at Juilliard a couple years ago, singing Russian songs which she had translated herself. We were impressed and subsequently caught her performances in Juilliard's opera performances --Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Anna in Nikolai's Merry Wives of Windsor--perfect ingenue roles. 

Last night she performed Adina's aria "Prendi, per me sei libero" from Donizetti's L'elisir d'Amore, showing a deep understanding of the character and exhibiting a nice clean fioritura in the cabaletta. Later, she sang Emily's aria from Ned Rorem's Our Town. Her dramatic interpretation was moving; however we'd be lying if we said we liked the music. We didn't think Thornton Wilder would have wanted his story to be set to music, especially music without a memorable vocal line. Just sayin'!

We were delighted by the performances of mezzo-soprano Eliza Bonet whom we haven't seen since she portrayed a dominatrix (!) in the clever Three Ways by Robert Paterson (libretto by David Cote), a couple years ago. It really takes some Italian singing to appreciate the quality of a singer's voice and last night her choice of "Cruda sorte" from Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri was just right to show off the terrific texture of her instrument and the spunkiness of her personality.

She delved deeper into her capacity for humor in Ben Moore's "Sexy Lady", written for Susan Graham--just one more funny song about the mezzo's dilemma. In this case, the words were more important than the music.

The meteoric rise of soprano Jessica Fishenfeld is another story that delights us. We first heard her as the Sandman in Humperdinck's Hansel und Gretel at Manhattan School of Music about six years ago. Then we saw her with Gramercy Opera in something called Big Jim and the Small-time Investors, a cute story with forgettable music. What we remember best was her duet with tenor Scott Bradley Joiner who joined her last night for the highly convincing love duet "Tornami a dir" from Donizetti's Don Pasquale. Hmmmm. Interesting. We wondered if they met during the production of Big Jim.

Absolutely dazzling was Ms. Fishenfeld's portrayal of Cunegonde from Bernstein's Candide, which opened the program last night. In "Glitter and be Gay" the word "revel" was never given such dramatic realization and the contrast between that and the crocodile tears of the slow section was impressive. Adding to the fun was a huge garment which Ms. Fishenfeld used well in the phrase "spread my wings".

She also performed a duet with baritone Trevor Martin (the only singer last night who was new to us)--"Make Believe" from the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein musical Showboat, which is sounding more and more like opera.

(We might add that Ms. Fishenfeld appeared with New York City Opera the previous night at their 75th Anniversary Concert in Bryant Park. That was understandably amplified so we didn't appreciate the artist's development until the City Lyric Opera event last night.)

Mr. Martin made a convincing Escamillo in the "Toreador Song" from Bizet's Carmen, as well as a fine romantic partner in the Showboat number. He also sang "Joey, Joey" from Frank Loesser's Most Happy Fella, showing us again how operatic a Broadway musical can be when sung unamplified by an operatically trained voice. It was at this point in the program that we realized just how excellent was the accompanist Cory Battey. When the wind whispered to Joey, we actually heard it in the piano!

Similarly, Mr. Joiner got his solo number as well, the well-loved "Questa o Quella" from Verdi's Rigoletto, which was sung in garlic-scented Italian of which every word was clear.

Just as one might expect in this bubbly evening, the encore was a group sing of "Libiamo" from Verdi's La Traviata!

This was a marvelous introduction to City Lyric Opera's fourth season and presented many reasons for us opera lovers to give our support, both financially and otherwise.  The next Mainstage event will be Gian Carlo Menotti's The Medium which opens appropriately on Halloween. This will be preceded by a Salon Evening on Oct. 15th which should provide some interesting insights into truth and reality.

(c) meche kroop

BIG JIM

Cast and Creatives of Big Jim and the Small-time Investors

We have decided that it's all opera--whether we call it opera theater, theater opera, music theater, or opera theater.  If trained voices are singing unamplified and music is used to tell a story, it's opera.  We have no interest in splitting hairs, no matter what distinctions the creators try to make.

The story told in Big Jim and the Small-time Investors is that of a con man who fleeces people by getting them to invest in "The Dream Machine", apparently some sort of virtual reality that allows people to experience their wildest dreams. Big Jim himself is kinda virtual.  Makes sense, doesn't it?

The story is reasonably well told with Big Jim's appearance inside a frame suggesting a TV or computer, although we think the idea that he is but a hologram could have been gotten across better through props and lighting which were otherwise quite satisfactory.  Tyler Learned is credited for Lighting Design.

Composer Eric Salzman, recently deceased, has written a score comprising violin, viola, cello, keyboard and electronics (opus 87 Piano Quartet) augmented by an accordion and percussion. The instrumental music was well played but if one were hoping to find a melody, one would have had to wait until after the curtain call when we heard a fine rendition of "Happy Birthday" sung by the cast to a member of Salzman's family.

There was not a single mediocre voice onstage.  Not only did everyone sing with fine tone but the diction was uniformly successful. We only wish that the libretto by Ned Jackson had been more "musical". Between the unmelodic vocal line and the unmusical language, we found ourself, as we often do during contemporary works, focusing more on the drama.

We have heard Rodolfo explaining himself to Mimi a hundred times and have never had our attention wander.  Last night when Big Jim (the excellent tenor Scott Joiner, whom we so enjoyed as Bob Cratchit at Gramercy Opera) was explaining himself to Kim (the superb soprano Jessica Fishenfeld whose career has taken off since we reviewed her in 2013 as the Sandman at Manhattan School of Music's Hansel und Gretel) we got no help from the words or the music in understanding either character.

It isn't true that Salzman could not write a melody because he gave a lovely tango to the accordion, well played by Denise Koncelick, and well danced by Ms. Fishenfeld and baritone Aaron Theno, who created the character of Stan, Big Jim's salesman. It's just that the vocal lines were, well, forgettable.

With such lack of melody, we would have to say that we preferred the duets and ensembles which offered interesting harmonies. We liked the duet between Big Jim and Stan about trust, and also the one between Big Jim and his mother, convincingly performed by soprano Darynn Zimmer. We wanted to know more about their relationship but all we learned was that he was taken away from her and raised by his father in a desert. When she learns who her son really is she keels over dead!

The duet between Jim and Kim--"How does it feel?" was a highlight.

The chorus of investors played several roles each and were admirable in their acting as well as singing. We enjoyed soprano Helena Brown who is always larger than life. We started writing about her 5 years ago and always loved her big mezzo soprano sound.

Soprano Allison McAuley is a familiar presence on New York opera stages and always delights us. Jami Leonard is new to us but we hope to hear her lovely soprano again soon.

The three men in the chorus were similarly effective. Baritone Benjamin Bloomfield has been on our radar screen since Lachlan Glen's perusal of all 600+ Schubert songs. We hear he has been having great success as Falstaff. Big guy, big voice! Tenor Alex Frankel and bass-baritone Blake Burroughs were new to us; they handled their roles effectively.

Conductor Victoria Bond wielded her baton with energy and style. Aside from conducting, she is a well known composer in her own right, and is Artistic Director of Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival which she founded a couple decade ago.

The work was directed by J. Griffith Brown who kept thing moving along nicely. Scenic Designer Abby Walsh created an effective set with a lot of imagination and apparently small budget.  There were lots of cardboard boxes onstage and ski goggles doubled for virtual reality goggles.

The production was a collaboration between Gramercy Opera, Quog Music Theater, and Welltone New Music, Inc.  The Leonard Nimoy Thalia was the perfect size for a production of this type and the audience that packed the theater seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. We enjoyed ourself moderately. We are still waiting for a contemporary opera that we'd want to see a second time.

(c) meche kroop