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OPERA REVIEW
Figaro In English,
March 24, 2001
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By Michael Zwiebach
Mozart's Marriage of Figaro in an intimate setting can be a revelation. The interplay between characters can suddenly be as subtle as the music paints it, the singing more flexible, opening up interpretive possibilities that can only be approximated on a grand opera stage. On Saturday, at the Julia Morgan Theater, the Berkeley Opera Company offered just that: a fresh and different look at the opera. The production lacked emotional power and it did not stir the soul, as this jewel in the Mozartean crown will in the best circumstances. But it was still a lively, entertaining afternoon of theater and a highly recommendable offering from this open-minded, inventive company.
The major innovation was the producers' decision to use a new English performing version (by Sherwood Dudley and Miriam Ellis), which replaces the simple recitative of the opera with some of the dialogue from the brilliant play by Beaumarchais. Thus, the show restored some of the play's classic set pieces, including Figaro's complaint against the Count's entitlement ("And what did you do to deserve all this? You took the trouble to be born") and some of Marcellina's forthright feminist defense of women.
Beyond these delights, Beaumarchais' tightly wound dialogue carries a bit more punch than Lorenzo da Ponte's compression of it for the opera. And the Dudley-Ellis version sometimes dovetails dialogue and music in ways that both push the pace and mark different dramatic spaces. For example, during the reprise of the Act I chorus engineered by Figaro, behind the cover of the music he and Susanna share a quick exchange in an aside that clarifies a plot point and shows how much the two are improvising against superior forces. The only fault with this libretto is that its language is sometimes flat, especially at dramatic climaxes.
The performance, however, lacked fully satisfying emotional climaxes. This was a Figaro that often resembled a musical comedy. And Jenny Lord's stage direction seemed drawn from several different contexts. The show was filled with shtick: Cherubino arrived on roller skates, the Count brought an enormous prop poleax to break into his wife's closet, Figaro's hands reached out from behind a bush to strangle his wife during her garden serenade, Susanna did a hilarious imitation of a seal in order to signal Figaro about Cherubino's incomplete military commission, and there was much more. The chorus participated in best faux-Brechtian style, making sound effects, handing props to principals, and adding conversation to the set changes. The first finale ended with operetta-like choreography. I liked some of it, particularly the involvement of the chorus, but too many of the manufactured jokes impeded flow, and the opera never found a rhythm. The intimacy for which the space is so well adapted never materialized, except in isolated instances. In the matter of musical values, Berkeley Opera is in excellent hands, and the cast was quite fine by the standards of a small, local company. There were some strong young voices. Sonia Gariaeff, the Cherubino, was a standout, featuring a warm, supple tone, well supported throughout her range (even on roller skates), and clear diction. Her serenade, however, needed to be more differentiated from her first aria in terms of vocal delivery.
Jillian Khuner's attractive lyric voice is well known to Berkeley Opera audiences, and she was also the emotional lodestone of the production. In one lovely moment, she sat at her mirror, looking at her reflection wearing Susanna's wedding dress, and you could see her remembering her own wedding. I sensed that Khuner had even more to give than the production allowed her. Thomas Pertel, the Figaro, was best in moments of comic bluster. There wasn't much reality to his anger. Though he and Susanna had a natural affection for each other, their dialogues, especially in the beginning, showed an awkwardness with the play's language that really could have been ironed out by the director. Vocally, Pertel is perfectly adequate, although he doesn't yet have the good upper extension the role requires.
His Susanna, a vivacious Shawnette Sulker, has a steady, unforced sound. She deploys her vocal resources with great intelligence, and she was a winning presence onstage. Kenneth Goodson, as Count Almaviva, was encouraged to do far too much mugging, and his dramatic credibility as a threat suffered for it. He has a strong voice with a pleasing timbre. Among the supporting roles, Anna Nicolaus captured Marcellina's comic and crusader sides and Andrew Morton was a suitably insinuating Basilio. John Lindstrom was a bluff Bartolo and Sara Elizabeth Frister delivered her miniature lyric gem with a bright, well-focused sound. Jonathan Khuner conducted a taut performance with strong support from his orchestra, which delivered unexpectedly lush string tone balanced by excellent playing from the wind section. (Michael Zwiebach holds a Ph D in musicology from UC Berkeley, specializing in opera, and is a lecturer for the San Francisco Opera. ) ©2001 Michael Zwiebach, all rights reserved |