Opera Review: New World orders

Victor Herbert's 1910 operetta "Naughty Marietta" got quite a fine production the weekend of March 1 by Winter Opera St. Louis. With a new book by Ball State University’s David Taylor Little (to replace Rida Johnson Young's convoluted and somewhat racist original), this New and Improved "Naughty Marietta" was rather like a bag of Cheez-Its: I knew it was junk food but it sure was tasty.

Brittany Hebel
Photo: Peter Wochniak

Winter Opera has had a pretty good track record of reviving classic operettas that simply aren't being done these days. Their 2016 "Merry Widow" was spectacular, and their 2017 "Student Prince" was great fun. This "Naughty Marietta" was right up there with those two, boasting a Grade A cast of strong singers who could also act and knew how to handle comedy.

Soprano Brittany Hebel was the titular Marietta, a Neapolitan Countess on the run from an unwanted marriage and hiding her real identity in 1780 New Orleans. In 1910 the role was sung by Emma Trentini, a petite soprano with an outsized voice. Hebel was very much in the same mode in terms of height and vocal chops. The lead soprano in fin de siècle operetta was typically a role that called for solid top notes and vocal flexibility (think Mabel in “Pirates of Penzance”). Hebel showed the latter to great effect in the famous “Italian Street Song” with its high-flying melodic line and pseudo-coloratura ornamentation.

Melanie Ashkar and
Zach Devin
Photo: Peter Wochniak

Tenor Zachary Devin was another vocal powerhouse as the stolid Captain Rick Warrington, head of the local militia, who is smitten with Marietta but loath to admit it. His clear, soaring voice rang out easily over the male chorus in “Tramp, Tramp, Tramp,”  and his performance had just the right “Dudley Do-Right” touch to make his Rick the perfect foil for the twinkling-eyed mischievousness of Hebel’s Marietta.

Bass-baritone Michael Colman was a wonderfully villainous Etienne Grandet, the son of the governor and secretly the dreaded pirate Bras Pique. His character’s only real solo, “You Marry a Marionette,” isn’t much of a song but his performance was such an attention grabber that it was wildly applauded.

Mezzo-soprano Melanie Ashkar provided effective dramatic weight as Adah, the woman Grandet has wronged, in the ballad “Under the Southern Moon”. Her voice had the rich, sultry quality the role required.

Michael Colman
Photo: Peter Wochniak

There are some great supporting comic roles in “Naughty Marietta,” and they were played by great comic singers. Tenor Marc Schapman, a familiar figure on local opera stages, was wonderfully fatuous as the Simon O’Hara, the least stalwart member of Captain Rick’s band. Baritone Gary Moss was a delight as the puppeteer Rudolfo, who helps hide Marietta’s identity, and baritone Joel Rogier’s fine voice and comic timing enhanced the part of Rick’s lieutenant, Sir Harry Blake.

Soprano Grace Yukiko Fisher was thoroughly winning as the woebegone Lizette, a “casquette girl” (a program the libretto confuses with the less exploitative “Filles du Roi” from the previous century) wooed and scorned by the feckless O’Hara. Happily, she ends up paired off with the admirable Sir Harry. Rounding out this consistently top-flight cast were Jessica Barnes, Caitlin Haedeler, and Emily Moore.

John Stephens and Mark Ferrell provided the fine stage and musical direction, respectively, and Scott Loebl once again put together a set that looked great and made maximum use of the relatively small stage at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. Kudos as well to Jen Blum-Tatara for the colorful period costumes.

The ensemble
Photo: Peter Wochniak

Operetta is a sadly neglected art form these days, at least locally. Even Gilbert and Sullivan are rarely performed, and when they are it’s invariably one of the Big Three (“Mikado,” “Pinafore,” or “Pirates”). So thanks again to Winter Opera for giving us a glimpse of the kind of entertainment that used to light up the stage a century ago.

Besides, who doesn’t like a nice bag of snack food now and then?

“Naughty Marietta” concluded Winter Opera’s 17th season, but they have some special events coming up; see their web page for details.