Backstage at "Lost in the Stars" IV: The heavenly choir

The wedding scene from "Lost in the Stars"
Photo by John Lamb

While I am mostly a music and theatre critic these days I have also been an actor/singer since roughly the late Jurassic Era and still do a show now and then. My current acting gig in Union Avenue Opera's production of Kurt Weill's last masterpiece, "Lost in the Stars" (final performances this Friday and Saturday August 24 and 25, 2018). This is part of a short series of observations from backstage.

Observation 4: The Union Avenue Opera chorus rocks. I have been reviewing Union Avenue for the last decade or thereabouts and have always been impressed with the high quality of the company's chorus. Consisting mostly of local singers, the chorus has consistently delivered vocal power, crisp enunciation, and a solid theatrical sense for many years now. The singers this time around are no exception. The fact that many of them also turn in compelling performances in some of the smaller non-singing roles is another point in their favor.

The chorus in "Lost in the Stars" has a vital role. It advances and comments on the drama, delivering some of the show's most powerful moments. And even when they're not singing, director Shaun Patrick Tubbs has them on stage, posing as mute witnesses to the unfolding tragedy. Give them a big round of applause when you see them.

Backstage at "Lost in the Stars" III: Un bel dì

The cast of Lost in the Stars
Photo by John Lamb

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While I am mostly a music and theatre critic these days I have also been an actor/singer since roughly the late Jurassic Era and still do a show now and then. My current acting gig in Union Avenue Opera's production of Kurt Weill's last masterpiece, "Lost in the Stars" (August 17 - 25, 2018). This is the third in a short series of observations from backstage.

Observation 3: We get a day off. And it's not the day one would expect from the non-operatic theatre world.

I'm writing this the night of the day before opening night. And I'm writing not from backstage but from the comfort of my dining room. That's because, in the operatic world, it's standard practice to give the cast a night off before opening.

Why? Because singers are the star athletes of the musical theatre world. They have trained and studied for years and their voices are highly developed instruments that need a rest before they hit the boards. When we open tomorrow night (Friday, August 17, 2018), it will be with leads and choristers who have had a whole day of vocal rest and will be at the top of their form.

Frankly, I'm not sure other theatre companies, musical or otherwise, shouldn't consider adopting the same procedure. I've been in some shows in which opening night was a bit rocky because everyone was so exhausted from a solid week of tech and dress rehearsals. A night off before opening might have helped.

Backstage at "Lost in the Stars" II: La voix humaine

View from the supertitles operator's perch

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While I am mostly a music and theatre critic these days I have also been an actor/singer since roughly the late Jurassic Era and still do a show now and then. My current acting gig in Union Avenue Opera's production of Kurt Weill's last masterpiece, "Lost in the Stars" (August 17 - 25, 2018). This is the second in a short series of observations from backstage.

Observation No. 2: We're playing it Old School. There are no body mics in opera. When I first started acting back in the 1960s, nobody used microphones on stage. That may come as a surprise in an era in which even the smallest houses now use wireless body mics for everything but, trust me, back in the day you had to project and make sure your voice bounced off the rear wall of the house. It has been a while since I've had to do that, so it's kind of refreshing to be in a musical theatre piece in which all the music is acoustic. It's back to the good old days of projection and enunciation.

The somewhat unwelcome surprise for me was that I had gotten a bit rusty about the kind of projection and enunciation. That's especially true in the sections in which I have to speak over background music. It's good to have a chance to sharpen those skills again.

Backstage at "Lost in the Stars" I: A short sharp shock

The "unsung artists" (the non-singing actors) of
"Lost in the Stars"

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While I am mostly a music and theatre critic these days I have also been an actor/singer since roughly the late Jurassic Era and still do a show now and then. I was in Stray Dog Theatre's award-winning production of “Ragtime” last year, for example, and will be appearing in “The Crucible” there next year.

I have done a lot of non-musical theatre, a fair amount of musical theatre and, in recent years, my share of cabaret. What I haven't done is perform with an opera company (unless you count by brief appearance in the chorus of a production of “Amahl and the Night Visitors” many years ago, which I don't). So my current acting gig in Union Avenue Opera's production of Kurt Weill's last masterpiece, “Lost in the Stars” (August 17 - 25, 2018) has given me some interesting insights into a form of musical theatre that I had previously experienced only as a critic. Over the next few days, I'm offering some possibly interesting observations.

Observation No. 1: The rehearsal period is short. I'm accustomed to rehearsal schedules of around four weeks or so, including tech week. “Lost in the Stars” started full rehearsals on August 1st, less than three weeks before opening night. Everyone was expected to have their roles fully memorized before the first rehearsal--an unusual requirement, but entirely reasonable given the short time frame.

One of the reasons this is practical, I think, is that (unlike theatre companies in general) opera companies tend to repeat a lot of the same core repertoire, so it's plausible to assume most singers in the major roles are not approaching their parts for the first time. That means most of them will already know their roles anyway and will only need to polish them a bit before starting rehearsals. That's less likely with a relative rarity like "Lost in the Stars," of course, but in general it's a respectable rule of thumb.

The chorus, which plays an important role in the work, started rehearsing about two weeks before the rest of us. More on our remarkable chorus later.

Preview: Cry the beloved opera

On Wednesday, August 7th, Union Avenue Opera hosted a fascinating panel discussion about Kurt Weill's "Lost in the Stars," which the company is presenting August 17 - 25.

Lost in the Stars at Cape Town Opera

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Dr. Timothy Parsons of Washington University talked about the historical background of the opera (described by its composer as a "musical tragedy"), which takes place in South Africa under apartheid. We learned, among other things, that the seeds of that pernicious system of segregation were sown back in 1913 when South Africa passed the Natives Land Act, which forced the black 80% of the population to live on so-called "native reserves," which made up only 13% of the land. Ostensibly designed to protect native culture, the real purpose of the law was to generate cheap labor for South African industry, since the natives, who had a primarily agrarian economy, couldn't support themselves on such small amount of land-and were legally forbidden to farm elsewhere.

Noted writer and director Tazewell Thompson (the production's Kurt Weill Mentor) recalled his experiences directing the show for Cape Town Opera in South Africa (pictured above)  and how the issues it deals with--racial separation and the fear it generates--resonate in America today. He reminded us that Alan Paton's "Cry the Beloved Country," the celebrated novel on which "Lost in the Stars" is based, was actually banned in South Africa for many years.

Kenneth Overton

Director Shaun Patrick Tubbs observed how his approach to the show is informed by the work Thompson and others have done before him. Baritone Kenneth Overton reflected on how his view of the role of Rev. Stephen Kumalo, the black preacher who tries and fails to save his son Absalom from the hangman's noose, has changed since he did the role nine years ago. And Mezzo Krysty Swann talked about the vocal and dramatic challenges of her role as Irina, the woman whom Absalom loves and marries.

Hosted by KETC's Ruth Ezell, the event included some valuable comments from the floor. Most notable was a recollection by a member of the Dunham Foundation board of directors of the time he saw the original cast of "Lost in the Stars" perform at the American Theater in 1950. The American was segregated at the time, with black patrons relegated to the top balcony. But Todd Duncan, who was playing Stephen Kumalo, demanded that black patrons be allowed into the first balcony. A brief story in the Post-Dispatch carried the headline "American Theater eases color line for one show."

Two years later, the American abruptly desegregated.

Krysty Swamm

Preview events continue on Wednesday, August 8, at 6 pm with a brief concert of selections from the opera featuring Mr. Overton and Ms. Swann at Centennial Christian Church, 4950 Fountain in north St. Louis. You can also hear music from the opera on Thursday, August 9--this time with tenor Roderick George, who sings the role of Leader, joining Ms. Swann--as part of Union Avenue's Opera's Open House at Centro Modern Furnishings, 4727 McPherson in the Central West End.

If you missed the panel discussion, you can still get plenty of deep background on "Lost in the Stars" at Union Avenue's Friday Night Lecture Series on August 17th and 24th at 7 pm. Dr. Glenn Bauer will discuss the opera's history and give you a sneak peak at the upcoming performance.

I should note that I'm not exactly a disinterested party in all this. As many of you may know, I have been an actor and singer for about as long as I have been a music and theatre critic, and as it happens I'm performing in "Lost in the Stars" in the non-singing role of Mark Eland. Watching this remarkable work come together has been gratifying, to say the least.

More information on "Lost in the Stars" is available at the Union Avenue Opera web site.