San Francisco Classical Voice

It also would have been nice if the program had discussed the relationship of this seemingly incongruous story to the Feast of the Nativity. The text of the play (which is surprisingly self-reflexive at times) tells the audience that it was performed at the Nativity. Considering the average constituency of concerts in today's secular society, it probably would have been a good idea to mention somewhere that Daniel was one of the few Old Testament prophets who foretold the coming of Jesus. That would certainly have helped the people who sat behind me, who were rather puzzled at the end of the show.

As I hinted at two paragraphs ago, much has been made of the “authenticity” of this production (for another dissenting voice, see Anna Carol Dudley's SFCV review of last year's performance). Dunbar H. Ogden, a professor emeritus of Dramatic Art at UC Berkeley and an expert on medieval liturgical drama, conceived the staging. According to his research, the entire space of the medieval cathedral was used in the production of drama. Thus, singing occurred in every corner of St. Mark's, which was acoustically enjoyable. The presence of the singers right next to the audience members also led to a certain sense of involvement, which at times aided in relieving the bored looks on people's faces. Yet, the constant trooping up and down the noisy aisles of the church was definitely distracting. One mass exit of the choir seriously disturbed the dramatic tension as Daniel bemoaned his fate to King Darius.

That was truly a shame, as actor/singer James Hale did a very nice job of interpreting the powerful prophet. His long experience as a rock musician and rep theater regular was apparent in his use of gesture and vocal delivery. Other fine singers included Mari Marjamaa as a heavenly Angel, Henk Verhoef as King Darius, and many of the choir members. David Kurtenbach and Tom Warrington as the Curia were especially pleasing amongst the minor roles.

But that was another difficulty I had. In a performance that lasts less than fifty minutes and is related mostly by the choir, it was hard to say who the principals really were. For example, the Angel only sang about fifteen lines. The Queen (Donna Warrington) had even less. By the end of the performance, I realized that “principal” in this production means, “gets to wear a nice costume designed by Lydia Tanji.”

Once again, that is not to say that there wasn't some fine singing this evening. There was, and I won't say anything about the questionable organ interludes. There were some very entertaining moments, like when the choir imitated the roaring of the lions. However, I did feel that it was not enough to justify the prices that people paid for a work that, due to its nature, can end up feeling amateurish. Perhaps “Daniel” is better planned as the first half of an evening's entertainment (since that is how it measures up time-wise to other concerts). In the end, I would have to agree with the woman next to me, who quipped to her companion at the end, “Well, that was interesting. . .”