Photo by Marc Janks
If you remember the story of noble Orpheus and virtuous Eurydice, the classic originating with Virgil in 30 BC, Pocket Opera's current treatment of the legend will shock you — in a delightful way.
Jacques Offenbach's "scandalous" 1858 Orpheus in the Underworld was first produced here in Donald Pippin's outrageously funny English version — not just a translation — in 1985. (Adding to statistical data: this is Pocket Opera's 36th season, and founder/artistic director/narrator/conductor/pianist Pippin is a sprightly 87.)
The Offenbach/Pippin version exposes the true nature of a philandering Orpheus, rejoicing in the disappearance of Eurydice (who has a hot affair of her own), forced on his famous underworld rescue trip only by Public Opinion, which threatens him with loss of his position as head of the Conservatory.
But first, there is a visit to Mt. Olympus, to get the gods' permission to enter the underworld, and it is there up high that what starts as a comic operetta explodes into a savage satire of high (or the highest) society, Offenbach excoriating Napoleon III's court in the guise of Jupiter & Co. The emperor, to his credit, attended a performance and liked it well enough not to have Offenbach beheaded. In Pippin's version, the bored gods drawl:
Sleep on, sleep on! Lower the lights.
Come, join the drowsy crew.
For here on these Olympian heights
There's never a damn thing to do.
You folk out there, I have to warn ya:
Here it's worse than Southern California.
Beyond the great can-can number on Olympus, there are plot twists galore, drama and humor, all in an excellent production.
Photo by David Allen
At Sunday's performance, in the glorious setting of the Legion of Honor's Florence Gould Theater (with the dark side of its $1,500–$4,000 base rental fees), a cast of mostly young but already proven talent dazzled, especially in the lead roles.
Even with a degree in mechanical engineering from Princeton, soprano Maya Kherani may not be able to explain how such a great, luxurious voice can project from such a slender frame. Still, as Eurydice, Kherani filled the small theater with such force that we should look forward to hearing her in the War Memorial... or, what the heck, in the Met. She further impressed with flawless theatrical presence and crystaline diction.
Look for her in two more performances of Orpheus, April 21 and 29, then as Johanna in Sweeney Todd with Redwood Symphony, June 1 and 2; and as Leonora in the world premiere of Gesualdo, Prince of Madness with Opera Parallèle, June 7.
Pocket Opera regular Michael Desnoyers shone as Orpheus, making the most of what is a surprisingly small role among all the supposedly minor characters claiming more than equal time. Perhaps the work should have been called "Pluto" for the king of the the underworld, who is all over the place. Daniel Galpin is hilarious and vocally impressive as he begins in the guise of the shepherd seducing (the willing) Eurydice, only to reveal himself as Pluto when taking her down below, supposedly for Jupiter's pleasure, but... we'll refrain from spoilers.
One of the funniest bits in Orpheus is Pluto bringing Eurydice back to life to leave a note for Orpheus. She signs it "In haste, your liberated wife," and when Orpheus reads the welcome news of finally getting rid of her, he is convinced by the note: "she must be dead — she says so herself."
The gods are a splendid bunch. Sean Irwin portrays Jupiter as a failing, philandering, devious but adorable king of heaven, no match to Sonia Gariaeff's Juno. Megan Stetson does justice — in voice and appearance — to Venus, Chelsea Hollow is a sensational Cupid, and beyond all the grand gods and goddesses, there is Diana Kehrig's prim, proper, and manipulative Public Opinion.
Pippin leads the Pocket Philharmonic in a spirited musical performance, featuring many fine solos by concertmaster Yasushi Ogura, and special contributions from clarinetist Lawrence London.
Igor Vieira's stage direction makes the most of tiny stage, Maria Graham's Greeco-Roman bucolic-heavenly-hellish costumes drape over the cast in a pleasing manner.
OK, just one more verse, Eurydice pining in Pluto's boudoir about his absence:
How long can he go on ignoring
A girl who came such a long way?
My spirits are sinking, not soaring;
I note in fact with dismay,
My husband looks better each day.
So eager to please as a lover,
Pluto promised to show me around;
But now that the novelty's over,
He's nowhere in hell to be found.