Opera Review: An Avalanche of Sight Gags Buries "Don Pasquale" at Opera Theatre

The actual opera recedes into the background.

Susanne Burgess and the company.
Photo by Eric Woolsey

As part of its 50th Festival Season, Opera Theatre of St. Louis (OTSL) has elected to return to a classic opera buffa that was part of its very first season in 1976: Donizetti’s 1843 hit Don Pasquale. Returning as well is the director of the first production, Christopher Alden. That first Don Pasquale is hard to remember after all these years. The new one will be difficult to forget—which is not necessarily a good thing.

In his program notes, Alden says that the current production “replaces the period-specific picture postcard realism” of his original “with a more open-ended fluidity, in an attempt to conjure up a psychic space in which the eternal conflict between young and old can be seen from different shifting perspectives.”

OK, then.

In practice, that means using sight gags and other visual gimmicks to underline, reflect, and comment on the thoughts and emotional states of the characters. That’s not a bad concept as those things go . But when the music, lyrics, and singers are constantly upstaged by swarms of people in nearly constant motion, it all starts to feel less like Opera Theatre and more like Circus Flora.

The story and characters are pure commedia dell’arte with the serial numbers filed off. Don Pasquale, a rich old bachelor, decides to get married and to disinherit his rebellious nephew, Ernesto. But Ernesto’s crafty friend Dr. Malatesta cooks up a scheme to make Pasquale rethink marriage. Ernesto’s feisty fiancée Norina will disguise herself as Malatesta’s demure sister Sofronia and “marry” Pasquale in a bogus ceremony solemnized by a fake Notary. “Sofronia” then transforms into a domineering spendthrift, making Pasquale’s life unbearable. As chaos unfolds, Pasquale realizes he has been played, concedes defeat, and blesses the union of Ernesto and Norina.

Set in a “psychic space” that looks a lot like early 1960s Rome, this Don Pasquale boasts exuberantly colorful sets and costumes by Marsha Ginsberg, complimented by inventive wigs and makeup by Krystal Balleza and Will Vicarl. And my earlier comments aside, some of the sight gags did strike me as ingenious and funny.

A case in point is the absurdly large gold-colored chair, footstool, and lamp in Pasquale’s apartment that mock the character’s self-importance. As my wife noted at the time, the image of a little man with a big ego looking like a child on a golden throne is not only a good comment on Pasquale, but it also seems politically relevant. So does the Act I finale, in which Malatesta, Norina, and the omnipresent Notary rejoice at the prospect of Pasquale’s downfall while holding a “Viva la Resistenza” banner.

 

Mostly, though, it just felt like so much noise. Still, nothing succeeds like excess, as the old joke goes, and most of the opening night audience found it all quite hilarious. To steal a line from S.J. Perelman, “de gustibus ain’t what dey used to be.”

The saving grace of this production is its cast. Bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi, who was such an outstanding Don Basilio in The Barber of Seville last season, once again demonstrates his impeccable comic timing and big, accurate voice in the role of Don Pasquale. He punches out those low notes with ease and handles the rapid-fire patter songs with ease, despite all the on-stage distractions,

Baritone Kyle Miller is not just wily as Dr. Malatesta—a pun on mal di testa (headache), which is what he proves to be for Pasquale—but also moves with the kind of grace I’d associate with a dancer. It’s an unusual look for the character but works quite well.

Soprano Susanne Burgess has the coloratura chops for the role of Norina, along with the sass and spark needed to make this character fun. She lights up the stage whenever she appears—a good thing since Norina dominates the second and third acts.

The role of Ernesto can be a bit one-dimensional, but tenor Charles Sy brings out the tragic heartbreak of his Act II “renunciation” aria. He also makes the most of some comic business Alden has given him in the Act III garden scene. Decked out in a cheesy blue brocade tux and shades for his serenade to Norina (“Com ‘ è gentil la notte a mezzo / How soft and light is the spell of the night”), he’s the very model of a 1960s lounge singer. When Norina joins him for their duet (“Tornami a dir che m’ami / Tell me again you love me”) it becomes a “Steve and Eydie” moment that’s both romantic and risible.

Last but certainly not least for the Opera Theatre audience, the celebrated soprano and educator Sheri Greenawald, who sang Norina back in OTSL’s 1976 production, played the Notary. As written, the Notary is a comic cameo but in recognition of Greenawald’s many starring roles at OTSL over the years (to say nothing of a long and distinguished operatic career in general), Alden has elevated the role to a kind of Greek Chorus. Silently observing the action and putting in a bit of pantomime now and then, Greenawald clearly had a lot of fans on hand opening night and got a massive ovation at the end.

In his OTSL debut, guest conductor Kensho Watanabe led members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) in an outstanding reading of Donizetti’s tuneful score. There were some fine solo moments from (among others) Principal Cello Daniel Lee and Associate Principal Horn Thomas Jöstlein. A special shout-out is due to SLSO Principal Trumpet Steven Franklin for his lyrical solo in the Act II Prelude.

I really wanted to like this Don Pasquale. Having greatly enjoyed the 2023 Union Avenue Opera production as well as the Norina/Malatesta scene that was part of that same year’s Center Stage concert at OTSL, I know this is a very funny piece taken on its own terms and was looking forward to what OTSL would do with it for its 50th anniversary.

Ah, well. As the old song goes, “you can’t always get what you want.”

Don Pasquale runs through June 27th on the Browning Mainstage Theatre at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. More information on times and tickets for the Opera Theatre season can be found at their web site.

This article originally appeared at St. Louis Arts Scene, where Chuck Lavazzi is the founder and principal critic.

Review: At Opera Theatre,"Titus" sings a song of mercy

Laura Wilde and René Barbera
Photo: Ken Howard

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If you're a lover of Mozart's operas in general and of La Clemenza di Tito, his final essay in the form, in particular, I'd say there's a lot to like in the Opera Theatre production (retitled Titus in this brand-new English translation), which runs through Saturday the 24th.

If, on the other hand, this is not your favorite Mozart, it's unlikely that this version, for all its virtues, will change your mind.

Mozart interrupted work on one of his genuine masterpieces, The Magic Flute, to write Clemenza di Tito in response to a commission from the Prague National Theatre in 1791. They needed a ceremonial piece to celebrate the coronation of King Leopold II and since Mozart had been trying to get some patronage out of Leopold for the past year, it probably looked like a golden opportunity for the perennially impoverished composer.

The original libretto, by the ever-popular Metastasio, was an obvious choice. It's based on the historical Roman Emperor Titus who, in Metastasio's incarnation, is the Platonic ideal of the benevolent despot, routinely forgiving his enemies and ruling with wisdom and justice. Mozart had the Viennese court poet Mazzolà revise and shorten the script in keeping with then-fashionable notions of what constituted “a true opera” (i.e., one employing elements of both opera buffa and opera seria), along with some very Masonic/Christian notions of forgiveness and repentance.

Cecelia Hall and Laura Wilde
Photo: Ken Howard

The final result makes Titus/Tito look more like a saint than an earthly ruler, so it's fortunate that OTSL has someone with a (ahem) heavenly voice in the title role: tenor René Barbera. If you saw him in OTSL's Elixir of Love in 2014, you already know that he combines a clear, powerful, and pretty much seamless voice with an appealing stage presence. Tito isn't the largest role in the opera, but he has some major arias in the second act as he struggles to maintain his forgiving nature in the face of betrayal by both his friend Sesto and his empress-in-waiting Vitellia. Mr. Barbera's performance could not be better.

Sesto, whose passion for Vitellia moves him to attempt Tito's assassination, is probably the most important part in the opera. Originally written for a castrato, the role is usually played by a woman these days (that whole castrato thing being illegal). Mezzo Cecelia Hall, a former Gerdine Young Artist, beautifully conveys the character's passion for Vitellia and anguish at double-crossing his friend, and does it with a spectacular voice that easily negotiates the role's most florid passages.

Soprano Laura Wilde is the scheming Vitellia, whose lust for Tito's throne (if not for the emperor himself) nearly destroys both herself and everyone else. It's a juicy part, and Ms. Wilde does it full justice, giving her scenes with Ms. Hall real passion.

There are equally impressive performances by mezzo Emily D'Angelo as Sesto's friend Annio (another "pants" role), soprano Monica Dewey as Sesto's sister Servilia, and bass-baritone Matthew Stump as the loyal Publio.

Monica Dewey and Emily D'Angelo
Photo: Ken Howard

Director Stephen Lawless and designer Leslie Travers have moved the action from imperial Rome to Mozart's own time, with all the Romans decked out in black outfits with silver wigs. I'm not sure it adds anything, but it certainly doesn't detract. Mr. Lawless's decision to give his performers lots of comic "business" is another matter. I think it takes away from the more serious ideas that underlie the text and generates inappropriate laughter at what ought to be dramatic moments.

Still, it's all wonderfully sung, with Cary John Franklin's chorus doing their usual splendid job. Opera Theatre Music Director Stephen Lord, who is making his farewell appearance with the company, conducts with his customary authority and sensitivity, and St. Louis Symphony clarinetist Scott Andrews plays the virtuoso passages Mozart wrote for his friend Anton Stadler with real panache.

Opera Theatre's Titus might not change anyone's mind, but maybe it doesn't need to. If you love great singing then, to quote Mr. Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet III, 1), "'tis enough, 'twill serve."

Review: Flaws and all, Winter Opera's "La Cenerentola" is good fun

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Rossini's romantic comedy La Cenerentola, based in part on the classic fairy tale Cinderella, was your prototypical rush job. He threw it together in three weeks at the end of 1816 when the libretto for the opera he was originally supposed to write (on a completely different subject) was rejected by the Papal Censor. Bits of the opera (notably the overture) were recycled from earlier works and some of the music was composed not by Rossini but by his collaborator Luca Agolini.

L-R: Sharon Sullivan, Robin Bradley, Andrew Potter,
Joseph Ryan, Isaac Frishman
Photo: Wade Brothers Productions

Still, as the production Winter Opera is presenting this Friday and Sunday (January 27 and 29) demonstrates, it holds up pretty well. The score is a charming cornucopia of elaborate coloratura arias, rapid-fire patter songs, and the kind of layered ensembles that earned Rossini the nickname “Signor Crescendo.” Stage director Matthew Haney may be overly fond of cluttering up those ensembles with silly stylized movement that is almost (but not quite) choreography, but even so the good humor of Rossini's music and Jacopo Ferretti's libretto remain intact.

The role of Angelina (a.k.a. Cenerentola) is something of a rarity-a leading coloratura part written for a contralto. Kate Tombaugh, who sings the role here, is a mezzo but sounded quite at ease with the part's tessitura when I saw her at the final dress rehearsal Wednesday night. Combined with her capable acting, that higher voice gave the character an engagingly naïve charm that contrasted nicely with the acidic brattiness of her stepsisters. I thought she sounded a bit less comfortable with the role's coloratura side, however. Her big rondo finale ("Nacqui all'affanno ... Non più mesta") lacked the vocal fireworks I would have expected.

Rossini was generous to the lower male voices as well, with choice roles for two basses and a baritone - the social-climbing stepfather Don Magnifico (the prototypical "buffo" clown of Italian comic opera), the Prince's wise tutor Alidoro (substituting for the fairy godmother because Rossini hated supernatural elements in opera), and the wily valet Dandini, who spends most of the opera masquerading as Prince Ramiro so the latter can get an unvarnished look at the Magnifico family.

Kate Tombaugh
Photo: Wade Brothers Productions

Winter Opera is blessed with three very strong performers in these key parts. Bass Andrew Potter's alcoholic pomposity is spot on, and he handles the role's more florid passages expertly, although at dress rehearsal he sometimes got out of synch with the orchestra. Baritone Joseph Ryan is equally strong vocally and makes the most of Dandini's droll observations.

Bass Nathan Resika turns in perhaps the most surprising performance, finding interesting shadings in what could be the fairly ordinary role of Alidoro. The character is essentially a saintly fellow who delivers the libretto's explicitly Christian message about the last being first, but Mr. Resika acting (and, more importantly, reacting) makes him more three-dimensional than one might expect.

Soprano Sharon Sullivan and mezzo Robin Bradley are Angelina's stepsisters Clorinda and Tisbe. In this version of the story they're not so much wicked as foolish, superficial, and terminally self-involved. Their vocal and physical battles are appropriately funny stuff, and nicely sung.

Tenor Isaac Frishman is Prince Ramiro, hiding behind a pair of glasses, Clark Kent style, to separate the gold diggers from the real princess candidates. Angelina passes the test, of course, by falling for him even though she believes him to be only a servant, while he spends much of the opera being moonstruck by her. Mr. Frishman acts the part a bit blandly but sings beautifully, which is ultimately more important. His voice blends perfectly with Ms. Tomaugh's, which is also a bonus.

The male chorus, under the direction of Nancy Mayo, sings with power and precision even when they're marching around the stage and then falling down into a heap (which happens more often than necessary). This is not the first time I have been impressed with Ms. Mayo's work at Winter Opera, and I expect it won't be the last.

Conductor Kostis Protopapas conducts with a sure hand-although I would have liked somewhat more fleet tempi in the overture-and the small orchestra (fewer than 20 players) sounded quite polished, especially for a final dress. There was especially nice work by (among others) Chamber Project St. Louis members Jennifer Gartley and Dana Hotle on flute and clarinet, respectively, as well as Peg Bumb on bassoon and Tricia Jöstlein on horn.

Joseph Ryan (center) and the company
Photo: Wade Brothers Productions

Scenic Designer Scott Loebl and Costume Designer JC Krajicek have created a bright, colorful, fairy-tale world for Cenerentola, lit dramatically (if sometimes a bit obtrusively) by Maureen Berry. And while Mr. Haney's direction sometimes gilds the theatrical lily, as I noted earlier, for the most part it creates effective stage pictures and directs our focus where it needs to be.

Rossini's La Cenerentola isn't heard that often-it was last done in a somewhat stripped-down version by Union Avenue Opera in 2011—so this production is most welcome and a great deal of fun overall. Besides, Winter Opera remains one of the better practitioners of musical theatre in St. Louis. They also have the distinction of being the only one of our three opera companies to be working in a space that was actually built with an orchestra pit and music-friendly acoustics-a virtue not to be taken lightly.

Winter Opera's La Cenerentola will be performed Friday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m., January 27 and 29, at the Skip Viragh Center on the Chaminade campus on Lindbergh just north of Plaza Frontenac. The opera is sung in Italian with English supertitles. It's not especially long as operas go-around two and one-half hours, including intermission-and the bright comic action might make it a good choice for younger audience members as well as for adults. For more information: winteroperastl.org.