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OPERA REVIEW
"Plump Jack," No Pangs, No Laughs
March 6, 1999
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By David Gordon
When encountering a musical work for the first time, the usual questions come to mind: who, what, when, where, how. All too rarely do we ask "why?" That question was on my mind as I witnessed the Golden Gate Opera's complete performance of Gordon Getty's opera "Plump Jack" last Saturday in the Florence Gould Theater of San Francisco's Palace of the Legion of Honor. Described by the composer as a "tragic comedy," the opera tells the story of the rotund John Falstaff and his roller-coaster friendship with Prince Harry, soon to become King Henry V. No librettist is credited in the printed program, and so I assume the composer created his own text, taken from familiar scenes in Shakespeare's "Henry IV" and "Henry V."
The Golden Gate Opera's production was lovely. Peter Crompton's sets were charming and ingenious, and Callie Floor's costumes were rich, colorful, and authentic. Janet Bookspan's stage direction was clear and clever, and made wonderful use of the tiny stage. Pianist Kristin Pankonin was an expressive and sonorous "orchestra," and the whole affair was ably conducted by Charles Ketcham.
The vocal ensemble was first-rate. Diana Kehrig, as Dame Quickly, gave the most polished vocal and dramatic presentation of the evening. Her singing is strong and expressive, and her stage presence is natural and genuine. She always seemed at ease in whatever she was singing or doing, and thereby created a real character, a real persona on stage. At her side for most of the evening, artistically and literally, was Macatee Hollie as Jack Falstaff. Dramatically, he wisely avoided the "let's bend over backwards to appear fat" school of acting. His "Plump Jack" was just pleasantly plump, getting old, but still sharp-witted and clever. Hollie sings with great energy, directness, and style, and he easily held the spotlight in his scenes with other leading characters.
Unexpected drama came from the very last minute addition of tenor William Lewis to the cast. Mark Hernandez (Prince Hal) was indisposed, but gamely acted the role on stage and mouthed the words while Lewis sang the music from the pit. Lewis is a savvy, experienced singer, and he infused Prince Hal's music with drama and energy.
The two miscreant buffoons, Bardolph and Pistol, were sung by Tom Hart and David Newman, respectively. Newman had more to sing, and did so with an endearingly goofy comic flair and a lovely smooth tone. Bass Clifton Romig actually sang four contrasting roles, and left me wanting to hear more of his sonorous and mature bass voice. Joseph Meyers, as Snare and Shallow, spent much of his time in comic shtick, and his bright tenor voice projected remarkably clearly, even in the ensembles. Lisa Delan as Falstaff's sidekick "Boy" sang well, but I was distracted from that by her frenetic body language on stage in her attempt to look like a "guy."
I wish I could say that all this fine singing and stage work were in the service of some good cause, but I found the opera itself to be a dull and at times aggravating affair. Mr. Getty is a composer of renown in his home town, San Francisco, and elsewhere. If I were to base my estimation of his skills as a vocal composer solely on this opera, I would ask "why?"
It once was said of Benjamin Britten that in his music "the word and note is one thing not two." So it should be with all great vocal music, but that is not what I experienced in Plump Jack. Getty's opera is a mess of recitative, parlando, sprechstimme, declamation, dry narration, and frequent loud high notes, with just the occasional teasing intimation of a more lyrical vocalism that could have been (like the tantalizingly brief moment between Mistress Quickly and Falstaff at the end of Act I, or the scene between Falstaff and Prince Hal in the tavern).
The music is neither tonal nor atonal, neither avant-garde nor neo-romantic, neither radical nor retro. Labels don't really matter in any event. Bottom line: the music simply failed to hold my interest, and I therefore found myself increasingly unable to care about the story or the characters. As the second act unfolded I began to long for some glimpse of real comedy, or some genuine and touching poignancy. Alas, my heart was never stirred one way or the other.
For most of the evening the singers spoke/sang the libretto in remarkably unintelligible English. Only Mr. Lewis, Mr. Hollie, and Ms Kehrig were able to bring out the clarity of the text. Otherwise I rarely understood a word (except for one lengthy scene in Act II which actually contained no music whatever, just spoken dialogue).
In a performing space as tiny as the Florence Gould Theater, and with an (often sparse) accompaniment of one piano, it is difficult to accept that so little of the sung English could be understood. The singers' task might have been easier had the vocal lines been more lyrical or sometimes more in sync with the inflection, rhythm, and color of the words. What irony: that the audience should not understand the words in an opera based on brilliant, famous scenes by Shakespeare.
(One very small example comes to mind: in this opera Mr. Getty often ends phrases on a high NOTE. That is, the last syllaBLE goes upWARD, at the end of many utterANCES. To my ears the sound, language, and emotions of the characters were somewhat obscured by this vocal gesture. It seemed to go against both voice and word.)
Here were all the makings of a fine evening: excellent singing actors, distinguished conductor, superb pianist, and world class stage director. Charming sets and costumes. All presented in an exquisite little jewel-box theater. Certainly a great amount of energy, cost, effort, and time went into the production. But opera is ultimately about singing, about voice and language and the human heart. The vocal music--the core element of this operatic "tragic comedy"--gave me neither a pang of pathos nor a real laugh. "Oh, for a muse of fire..." indeed.
(David Gordon was a concert and opera singer for 30 years. He is a voice
teacher and performance coach in Oakland, CA, and is Education Director and
Vocal Coordinator of the Carmel Bach Festival.
david@spiritsound.com)
©1999 David Gordon, all rights reserved
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Macatee Hollie (Falstaff)
