Opera Review: "That infernal nonsense 'Pinafore'" gets a colorful staging at Winter Opera

I don’t know about you, but I could sure use some good laughs right about now. Fortunately, Winter Opera is serving up a heaping helping of them this weekend (Friday and Sunday, November 8 and 10) with a jolly good production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “H.M.S. Pinafore or The Lass That Loved a Sailor.” It’s impeccably sung, credibly acted, and smartly turned out in an ensemble of colorful costumes (Jen Blum-Tatara) and cheerfully cartoonish set (the ubiquitous Scott Loebl).

Gary Moss and ensemble
Photo: ProPhotoSTL

Yes, Stage Director John Stephens has the Sight Gag Meter turned up to 11, which I occasionally found annoying when I saw the final dress rehearsal Wednesday night. But perhaps that was partly due to the psychic hangover from Tuesday night. It is, in any case, no reason for you not to go and enjoy this tasty little pre-Thanksgiving treat—especially if, like me, you find yourself perpetually starving for more Savoyard silliness here in Mound City.

Winter Opera has been at the forefront of bringing back operetta classics for several years now, and while a couple of the works in question have definitely passed their “sell by” dates, most of them have been delights. And the combination of Sullivan’s irresistible music and Gilbert’s pointed (and sometime still startlingly relevant) satire never fails to amuse.

As is often the case, Winter Opera has assembled a stellar cast of (mostly) WOSTL regulars.

As Sir Joseph Porter, the First Lord of the Admiralty who firmly believes that his privileged birth makes him a stable genius who women find irresistible (the “startlingly relevant” part), baritone Gary Moss demonstrates once again the vocal and comedic strengths that have made him a familiar face at WOSTL. Baritone Jacob Lassetter, whose stentorian tones distinguished Union Avenue Opera’s “Pinafore” in 2018, is a proper mix of authority and befuddlement as Captain Corcoran.

Brian Skoog and Brittany Hebel
Photo: ProPhotoSTL

Brian Skoog makes an impressive WOSTL debut as Ralph Rackstraw, the sturdy sailor in love with Corcoran's daughter Josephine. His clear tenor and relentlessly cheerful approach to the role could not be better. Soprano Brittany Hebel, who was utterly winning in WOSTL’s “Naughty Marietta” back in March, scores another hit as Josephine. The lead soprano in fin de siècle operetta, as I wrote back then, was typically a role that called for solid top notes and vocal flexibility. Hebel has all that along with a fine comic sense. Much as I hate to suggest yet another production of G&S’s “Pirates of Penzance,” I sure would like to see what she’d do with the role of Mabel.

In another fine WOSTL debut, mezzo Emily Harmon has given the role of Little Buttercup (whose Deep Secret is one of the most shamelessly ludicrous examples of Gilbert’s “topsy-turvy” plot devices) a lively sense of playfulness, particularly in her “Things are seldom what they seem” duet with Lassetter in Act II.

Jacob Lassetter (C), Joel Rogier (R) and chorus
Photo: ProPhotoSTL

Bass-baritone Tyler Putnam punches out the ineptly villainous Dick Deadeye’s low notes with ease. Joel Rogier, a familiar face and voice on local stages, gets a welcome chance to show off his powerful lower register as the stalwart Bill Bobstay. And the multi-talented Janelle Pierce (composer, conductor, educator, and more) proves that she’s also a solid singing actress as Cousin Hebe.

Scott Schoonover—best known as the Artistic Director and Conductor of Union Avenue Opera—leads the 20-piece orchestra in a crisp if (at least to my ears) strangely re-orchestrated version of the score. As is often the case, he’s also the chorus master, and the quality of his work shows in the musical power of the small but mighty chorus. Sullivan loved to write interlocking counter melodies for the chorus (my favorite is still “When the foeman bears his steel” in “Pirates”) and these singers delivered them with wonderful clarity.

Emily Harmon and chorus
Photo: ProPhotoSTL

In fact, “wonderful clarity” describes all of the singing in this “Pinafore.” The English supertitles are there if you need them, but based on what I heard Wednesday night it’s not likely that you will. How nice to hear all of Gilbert’s wonderfully elaborate jokes so well.

Performances of “H.M.S. Pinafore” are Friday, November 8, at 7:30 pm and Sunday, November 10, at 2 pm at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. It’s a shame that Winter Opera’s runs are so brief, but that’s all the more reason to catch them when you can. Check out their website for more information.

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

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.

Capsule Review: Great voices highlight "Manon Lescaut" at Winter Opera

Joseph Park, Zoya Gramagin
Photo: ProPhotoSTL

Wednesday night I attended a dress rehearsal of Winter Opera’s production of Puccini’s 1894 blockbuster hit “Manon Lescaut.” Performances are tonight and Sunday (January 19 and 21) and if what I heard at the rehearsal is any indication, audiences will be mightily impressed by the high quality of the singing. There’s not a weak vocal link in the cast and the chorus is its usual reliable self, with the singers all creating individual characters while maintaining a solid ensemble sound.

In the title role, soprano Zoya Gramagin displays a rich, powerful voice that is an excellent match for wide emotional and musical range of the part. As the tragic Chavalier des Grieux, Taylor P. Comstock sounds very much like a classic heldentenor with ringing high notes. Bass-baritone Joseph Park, an alumnus of Opera Theatre’s prestigious Young Artists program last year, is Manon’s sugar daddy Geronte. He’s a skilled actor with an imposing voice, but he’s clearly far too young for the role, the somewhat unconvincing grey wig notwithstanding.

Zoya Gramagin, Taylor P. Comstock
Photo: ProPhotoSTL

Tenor Thomas M. Taylor IV gets the evening off to rousing start as the songwriter Edmondo, who leads the chorus in the jolly “Ave sera gentil” (“Hail gentle evening”), neatly setting the tone for the seriocomic first act.

The rehearsal was a bit rocky otherwise, so it’s hard to say what the final product will look like this weekend. You’ll just have to see it for yourself.

Besides, this will be a chance for local audiences to see a Puccini opera which, despite its initial success, has since been largely eclipsed by the more coherent and tuneful works that came after it, mostly notably “Tosca,” “La Bohème,” and “Madama Butterfly.” This was Winter Opera’s first production, for example, and Opera Theatre has never taken it on at all. Performances are tonight at 7:30 and Sunday at 2 pm at the Kirkwood Performing Arts center.

Theatre Review: The sands of time have not been kind to "The Desert Song"

The 1926 operetta “The Desert Song,” with music by Sigmund Romberg and a libretto by Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach, and Frank Mandel, was an unqualified hit on Broadway (471 performances) and in London (432). In his Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, historian Stanley Green described it as “the most durable of all Bway [sic] operettas.” In Operetta: A Theatrical History, Richard Traubner called it “one of the 1920s’ greatest operettas.”

“The Desert Song” was filmed three times (each one more unlike the original than the last one) and was, until recently, a favorite of student and community theatres. The Muny produced it a dozen times between 1930 and 1979. It also presented the last local staging of it (in concert form) back in 1996.

Lauren Nash Silverstein and Colin Levin
Photo: Rebecca Haas

It hasn’t been seen here since then to the best of my knowledge. This Friday and Sunday (March 3 and 5) Winter Opera St. Louis (WOSTL) is giving those of us who know the work only through recordings or the silver screen the chance to find out what all the fuss was about.

This “Desert Song” has a new book by Ball State University theatre professor David Little that’s intended to downplay the sexism and trite Orientalism of the original while still retaining all of the music and characters. Having seen the final dress rehearsal on Wednesday, I’m not sure the results are entirely successful. Winter Opera’s cast members are outstanding singers and credible actors, but there’s only so much a performer can do with a libretto that, despite the revisions, still feels antiquated and silly.

The 1926 “Desert Song” was a mashup of standard operetta tropes and then-current events and literary trends. The real-world events included the 1925 uprising of the Riffs against the occupying French army in Morocco and the adventures of T.E. Lawrence (a.k.a. “Lawrence of Arabia”). Fictional influences included the silent screen passion of Rudolph Valentino and the sexually tinged fiction of Elinor Glyn. Little’s revision appears to retain the literary inspirations but turns Morocco into the fictional Sharabhat and the French into the Marnish.

He needn’t have bothered. Hammerstein and Harbach’s Morocco is just as unreal as Little’s Sharabhat, and the plot—a mélange of “Robin Hood,” “Zorro,” and “The Sheik”—is absurd no matter where it takes place.

The capsule version goes like this:

Under the leadership of the mysterious masked hero known only as The Red Shadow, the Riffs are conducting a guerilla war to rid themselves of the oppressive French (sorry: Marnish) army under the command of General Birabeau, whose apparently feckless son Pierre is secretly The Red Shadow. In his red mask, Pierre falls hard for the enticing Margo Bonvalet despite her engagement to the dull Capitan Fontaine. Fontaine, meanwhile, has not quite gotten over his infatuation with the sensual and treacherous dancing girl Azuri. Throw in a comic romantic subplot with the somewhat fey reporter Bennie Kidd and his brassy blond secretary Susan and, for no discernable reason, a troupe of Spanish dancers who are (sort of) prisoners in the harem of The Red Shadow’s ally Ali Ben Ali, and you have a narrative that requires maximum suspension of disbelief.

Lauren Nash Silberstein and Jason Mallory
Photo: Rebecca Haas

The performances of Winter Opera’s fine cast and the playing of the small but mighty orchestra under the baton of Dario Salvi are what make “Desert Song” entertaining enough to be worth nearly three hours of your time, at least for lovers of operetta. Others might find it less enticing.

Pride of place must go to the Margo of soprano Lauren Nash Silberstein, whose clear voice leaps easily up to those high notes so fond of operetta composers. When I saw her in Winter Opera’s “La Rondine” last fall, I described her as “sparkling and charismatic.” She is here as well, despite the sheer silliness of her character. Apparently taking the advice of Liza in “Lady in the Dark” (“Don’t make up your mind!”), Margo waffles back and forth in her affections so frequently that she seems a bit demented. Nash Silberstein’s performance was great fun to watch nevertheless, which is a signal accomplishment.

Lyric baritone Colin Levin is charmingly fatuous as Pierre, but his Red Shadow is more pompous than heroic. With or without the mask, though, he’s an excellent match for Nash Silberstein in vocal agility and power. Their big duets (“Then You’ll Know” and the title song) radiate exactly the kind of musical enchantment one wants to hear in an operetta.

Speaking of great voices, let’s throw a laurel wreath towards lyric tenor Taylor Comstock making his WOSTL debut as the Red Shadow’s second in command, Sid El Kar. His heroic high notes in the opening numbers “High on a Hill” and the famous “Riff Song” get the show off to a rousing musical start, backed by the solid male chorus. He also gets to show off his stunning head voice and falsetto in “One Flower in Your Garden” in Act II.

Tenor Alexander Scheuermann captures just the right comic spirit as Bennie. ”It,” his act I duet with alto Holly Janz’s Susan, is funny without stooping to camp, although the once-topical references might send many audience members to Professor Google for clarification. Janz, for her part, does the classic blonde airhead bit quite well.

Kelsey Amanda and Jason Mallory
Photo: Rebecca Haas

Another fine singer, baritone Jason Mallory is a persuasively stuck up Capitan Paul Fontaine, and his gradual meltdown under the intense heat of Kelsey Amanda’s Azuri in Act II is nicely done. As Ali Ben Ali, baritone Jacob Lassetter displays the same surprisingly potent low notes that so impressed me in his Ford at Union Avenue Opera’s “Falstaff” last August.

Other notable performances include Christian Bakhoum Sanchez’s stout hearted Clementina, rebellious head of the Spanish dance troupe, and baritone Gary Moss’s General Birabeau. A WOSTL regular, Moss has displayed his flair for comedy in many productions over the last decade or so and does it again here.

Stage Director Jon Truitt, who has shown such skill in maneuvering large casts around the Winter Opera stage in the past, has his work cut out for him here. The creators of the 1926 “Desert Song” envisioned (and originally got) a large cast with sizeable singing and dancing choruses. Neither Winter Opera’s budget nor the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center’s stage can support anything as lavish, but even so there are times when that stage is packed with people. That’s especially true during the many dance numbers which, frankly, should probably have been cut. Yes, Romberg wrote some charming music for them, but the Winter Opera choristers are much better singers than they are dancers.

The bottom line, for me, is that while I have greatly enjoyed Winter Opera’s previous forays into the realm of classic operetta—their 2016 “Merry Widow” is still the stuff of legend—attempting to rehab a theatrical antique like “The Desert Song” might have been a bridge too far. Granted, I saw a somewhat rocky dress rehearsal. But even so, Romberg, Hammerstein, Orbach, and Mandel set out to create a lavish swashbuckling spectacle, and in the hands of a company with very deep pockets and a very big stage (Lyric Opera of Chicago, for example), it could probably still be one.

You can get some sense of that from the surviving scenes of  the 1929 film version available on YouTube. “The Desert Song” does not, however, downsize that well, despite the large amount of talent involved in this production.

Performances of Winter Opera’s “The Desert Song” are Friday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 2 pm, March 3 and 5, at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. For more information, visit the Winter Opera St. Louis web site.

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

Opera Review: A smartly staged 'Macbeth' at Winter Opera

“Verdi adored Shakespeare,” writes Garry Wills in his invaluable “Verdi’s Shakespeare: Men of the Theater,” and goes on to note that the composer briefly considered operatic treatments of “The Tempest,” “Hamlet,” and “Romeo and Juliet.” He considered “King Lear” more seriously, but ultimately left us with only three operas based on the Bard: “Otello” (1887), “Falstaff” (1893), and “Macbeth” (1847, revised in 1865).

Michael Nansel, Nathan Whitson, and the witches
Photo: Rebecca Haas

Union Avenue Opera gave us a solid “Falstaff” last August, but it has been a good seven years since local audiences have had a chance to see “Macbeth” (in an English translation at Opera Theatre). That made Winter Opera’s admirable production last Friday and Sunday (January 20 and 22) all the more welcome. Smartly staged and powerfully sung, its only serious flaw was the fact that it ran only two performances and that, by the time you read this, it will no longer be possible for you to see it. I don’t know whether or not Verdi would have adored it, but I think he would have been happy to see his work treated with such respect.

Audiences who know their Shakespeare probably noticed that Francesco Maria Piave and Andrea Maffei’s libretto follows the bare bones of Shakespeare's original, although the story has been considerably streamlined and many secondary characters have been eliminated. But the big moments are still there: the scenes with the witches, Lady Macbeth's "letter" and sleepwalking scenes, Macbeth's "dagger" monologue, and of course, the banquet with Banquo's ghost. And in Verdi's hands, they form the basis for very powerful theatrical moments.

The banquet scene
Photo: Rebecca Haas

Stage Director John Stephens wisely decided to eschew the kind of gimmicky attempts at updating that have plagued so many productions of established operatic classics in recent decades. “Our production,” said Stephens in an interview last week, is set circa 1100 with magnificent period costumes.” And, in fact, Scott Loebl’s sparse sets, Amy Hopkins’s costumes, and Michael Sullivan’s lighting all set the appropriately Gothic atmosphere.

All this would have been for naught without a cast of strong singing actors. Verdi was, first and foremost, a man of the theatre. “Verdi,” writes Wills, “was determined to break away from ‘the tyranny of good singing,’ from the empty beauties of bel canto.” He wanted gritty, realistic characters for “Macbeth” and Winter Opera’s cast delivered them.

Michael Nansel
Photo: Rebecca Haas

Baritone Michael Nansel, whose resume includes both musical theatre as well as opera, was a big, commanding Macbeth. Verdi wanted his Macbeth to display overweening ambition and crippling self-doubt. Nansel did that, backed up by a powerful voice. Bass Nathan Whitson was an equally compelling Banquo. Both had potent stage presence, making their Act I duettino (in which Macbeth’s growing royal aspirations are contrasted with Banquo’s unease about them) truly compelling.

Unlike Shakespeare, Verdi saw Lady Macbeth as the prime mover in the action who “dominates and controls everything.” So while her role isn’t large, it’s critical, requiring either a soprano or mezzo (some of it lies quite low) with a wide vocal and dramatic range. Soprano Whitney Myers has both, and was equally convincing in both her triumphant Act II aria “La luce langue,” in which she celebrates the “voluttà del soglio” (the “rapture of the throne”), and her hollow-eyed Act IV sleepwalking/mad scene.

“Macbeth” is an opera of low voices, matching its dark themes. The only tenor role of any consequence is that of Macduff, but his one aria—“Ah, la paterna mano” (Ah, the paternal hand”), in which he laments the slaughter of his family at the hands of Macbeth’s thugs—can be heartbreaking if done properly. Jonathan Kaufman employed his heroic tenor to great effect here and was warmly applauded when we saw him on Sunday.

Whitney Myers
Photo: Rebecca Haas

Finally, let us not neglect the witches. Verdi certainly didn’t, seeing them as a powerful malign presence. The score calls for three separate groups of six each—a mob which, on the Kirkwood Arts Center’s stage, would leave little room for anything else. Winter Opera gave us three groups of three, which was not only more manageable but also allowed each which to have her own unique personality, from seductive to deranged. I have noted in the past the Winter Opera’s choristers generally avoid the trap of coming across as (in Anna Russell’s words) “homogenous—as in milk.” Both the male and female singers were consistent in projecting vocal harmony without neglecting dramatic diversity.

Finally, Edward Benyas conducted the small but solid orchestra in an excellent reading of the score, assisted by the warm acoustics of the Kirkwood theatre.

Granted, there were a couple of technical snafus Sunday, one of which left a hapless stagehand frantically dumping dry ice into the witches’ cauldron after the curtain rose on Act III. But that, my friends, is show biz.  The infamous “trampoline Tosca” of Dame Eva Turner comes immediately to mind as an example. But the bottom line is that Winter Opera’s “Macbeth” was a production of which General Director Gina Galati and her crew can be proud.

Winter Opera’s season concludes with Romberg’s “The Desert Song” March 3 and 5; visit the company web site for more information.

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

Opera Review: Puccini's 'Sparrow' takes flight at Winter Opera

This weekend (Friday and Sunday, November 18 and 20) Winter Opera kicks off their season with “La Rondine” (“The Sparrow”), a Puccini work that hasn’t been seen locally since 2015. Giuseppe Adami's clunker of a libretto was probably enough to ensure that it wouldn’t become one of Puccini’s Greatest Hits, and the composer’s inability to decide on a final version hasn’t helped matters any.

Karen Kanakis and
Nathan Schafer
Photo: Rebecca Haas

Winter Opera has chosen, as far as I can tell, the 1917 original. This is good, since it makes Magda, the reformed courtesan whose past destroys her shot at True Love, a stronger character. She makes a deliberate choice to return to her old life instead of being spurned and committing suicide. It’s a welcome change from Puccini’s predilection for (and somewhat sadistic treatment of) heroines who are either hapless victims or clueless enablers of badly-behaved men.

And it gives soprano Karen Kanakis, who has done such splendid work in the past with Winter Opera, a chance to showcase her gorgeous voice and acting ability once again. That’s not always easy in this libretto, which is often so cryptic that it's nearly telegraphic.

The story is basically “Traviata lite”.  Magda, a “kept woman”, leaves her rich, middle-aged lover Rambaldo and her lush life in Paris to take up with Ruggero, a young hunk from the sticks.  Unfortunately the young hunk is, as written, far too painfully naive to be sympathetic, and the rich lover little more than a cipher. That could make Magda's decision to leave them both seem more petulant than tragic, but Kanakis pulls it off anyway. Her character is solid and as credible as it can be, given the material. Brava.

Soprano Lauren Nash Silberstein and lyric tenor Nicholas Huff are an unmitigated delight as Magda’s free-spirited maid Lisette and the temperamental poet Prunier. Silberstein is particularly sparkling and charismatic, which made her a nice foil for the very effective (ahem) huffiness of Huff’s Prunier. Their romantic sparring would not be out of place in a Noël Coward comedy, and it certainly works well here.

Nicholas Huff and Lauren Nash Silberstein
Photo: Rebecca Haas

Tenor Nathan Schafer has perhaps the most thankless task as Ruggero, a character so thinly drawn that he comes across as little more than a classic Italian mammone transplanted to France. His wig and costumes make him look like a young Nigel Bruce, which doesn’t help. His voice, though, is stunning, with that clarity and warmth characteristic of the lyric tenor. His duets with Kanakis are memorable.

As usual with Winter Opera, the supporting cast and chorus are solid. The latter can always be counted upon to create their own individual characters while still singing together harmoniously. Scott Schoonover, artistic director of Union Avenue Opera, conducts the orchestra with his customary assurance, and his players respond with a full-bodied sound that belies their relatively small numbers.

Stage Director Eric Gibson has moved the action forward from the Second Empire France of the original to the 1920s, which makes it feel new enough to be almost familiar while still distant enough to make the attitudes of the characters understandable. His staging is clear and well-paced. The colorful scenic designs of Scott Loebl and period costumes Amy Hopkins compliment that nicely.

Performances of “La Rondine,” in Italian with English supertitles, are Friday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 2 pm, November 18 and 20, at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. Given the quality of the production, it’s a shame there are only two, but there you are. Ticket information is available at the Winter Opera web site.

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

Opera Review: Lovely to look at, delightful to hear: 'Madama Butterfly" at Winter Opera

This Friday and Saturday, March 25 and 26, Winter Opera presents a polished, musically impeccable production of the 1907 version of Puccini’s “Japanese tragedy” "Madama Butterfly." Beautifully sung and respectably acted overall, with fine playing by the orchestra under the baton of Ed Benyas, this might not be the best “Butterfly” I’ve ever seen, but it’s good one and should appeal to those who love this popular opera.

I, alas, am not one of those people.

Seon Duk Kim, Jonathan Kaufman
Photo Riq Dilly

My issues are mostly about the libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, based on a play by David Belasco. On the one hand, I have always regarded Pinkerton, the sailor who seduces and abandons the title character, as arrogant, self-centered, and chauvinistic. On the other hand, the Geisha Cio-Cio-San (a.k.a. Madama Butterfly) displays a degree of naiveté that, despite her youth (she's supposed to be fifteen when she marries Pinkerton), borders on the delusional.

As a result, this tragedy has always struck me as a bit forced. The libretto also spends far too much time (two entire acts) chronicling Cio-Cio-San’s decline and fall. Citing Butterfly as an example, Dr. Ross Hagen has observed that there is “an impulse towards sadism in Puccini’s treatment of these ill-fated heroines that he has supposedly come to empathize with.” I’m inclined to agree.

Winter Opera has, in any event, assembled a strong cast here, headed by Seon Duk Kim in the title role and tenor Jonathan Kaufman as the appalling Pinkerton. Their voices blend beautifully in the long and rapturous Act I love duet “Bimba, Bimba, non piangere” ("Sweetheart, sweetheart, do not weep") And a good thing, too, since the contrast between the diminutive Kim (who really does look like a teenager in the role) and the imposing Kaufman tend to give the entire business a creepy, child molester vibe. Legally, after all, Pinkerton is committing what in our day would be statutory rape.

L-R: Michael Nansel, Jonathan Kaufman
Photo: Riq Dilly

Both singers have strong individual moments as well. Kim's small but crystalline singing makes her "Un bel dì vedremo" (the opera's Big Hit) a lovely thing and Kaufman's big, clear voice drives home the nationalistic braggadocio of “Dovunque al mondo” ("Throughout the world"), his Act I duet with the American Consul Sharpless (baritone Michael Nansel, in another solid performance).

The best combination of acting and singing skills, though, can be found among the supporting roles. In addition to Nansel’s compassionate Sharpless, we have mezzo Sara Louise Petrocelli’s tragically loyal Suzuki, bass-baritone Joseph Park as the romantically disappointed Prince Yamadori, and tenor Marc Schapman as the scheming marriage broker Goro. Director Mark Freiman also has an impressive moment in the cameo bass role of The Bonze, who self-righteously excoriates Butterfly for converting to “the American God.”

The Winter Opera chorus continues their unblemished record of producing a small but mighty sound while still creating individual characters in the process.

Seon Duk Kim and chorus
Photo: Riq Dilly

Freiman and his team have put a lot of care into making this "Madama Butterfly" look and feel authentic—which is considerably more than Puccini and his librettists did.  Lauren Smith Bearden’s costumes and Scott Loebl’s simple but effective set firmly establish the Japan of the librettists’ imagination, assisted by Jessica Dana’s wigs and makeup.

In the 2020/2021 season, “Madama Butterfly” was the 6th Most Performed Opera in the world according to Operabase, so my disdain for it puts me in the minority. If you're in the majority, I don't think you can go wrong with this production. Winter Opera continues to maintain a high standard of quality on a relatively low budget, and that is most admirable.

Winter Opera presents “Madama Butterfly” Friday at 7:30 pm and Saturday at 2 pm, March 25 and 26, at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. For more information, visit the Winter Opera web site.

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

Review: Oh, what a lovely war!: La fille du régiment at Winter Opera

Donizetti wrote so many popular operatic tragedies that it's easy to forget that his long list of operas includes a fair number of comedies. His 1840 opéra comique (i.e. an opera with spoken dialog) La fille du régiment is one of the most popular, and the Winter Opera production last weekend (January 24 and 26), despite some obvious flaws, demonstrated why that's the case.

Andrew Potter, Isaac Frischman, Gina Galati

Originally written as a quick replacement for a delayed opera by another composer, La fille was initially greeted with indifference by the Parisian public and hostility by Berlioz (then music critic for the Journal des débats)--mostly because he was annoyed by what he saw as Donizetti's domination of the Parisian opera scene. Audiences quickly came around, however, and over the years the title role has become a favorite of high-flying sopranos from Jenny Lind to Joan Sutherland.

Marie, the titular daughter, is a war orphan adopted as a baby by the rather tender hearted French soldiers of the 21st Regiment. Now a beauty with the voice of an angel and a colorful military vocabulary, she loves and is loved by Tonio, who saved her from toppling off an Alp. Their love is opposed initially by her guardian, Sergeant Sulpice, and the other soldiers (who mistake Tonio for a spy), and then by the snobbish Marquise de Birkenfeld who, in a classic comic opera revelation, turns out to be Marie's long-lost mother. All ends happily, of course, with plenty of rousing ensembles and solo vocal fireworks along the way.

Andew Potter and Gina Galati

Make no mistake, a production of this work depends heavily on the singing and acting skills of the singers in the three principal roles of Marie, Tonio, and Sulpice. Fortunately for Winter Opera, they had a strong trio in those parts.

Tenor Isaac Frishman was a fine Tonio. He handled the demanding air "Pour mon âme,” with its (in)famous nine high Cs, with real polish, and proved equally effective in the more dramatic "Pour me rapprocher de Marie" in the second act. Winter Opera General Director Gina Galati was a convincingly tomboyish Marie. When I saw the show on Sunday afternoon, though, her voice seemed less strong than it has in the past and she seemed to strain for some of the high notes-of which there are quite a few in this demanding coloratura part.

Still, she and Mr. Frishman blended well vocally and had convincing chemistry on stage. And given Ms. Galati's exemplary work in the past (most recently in Union Avenue's Glory Denied last August), I'm inclined to treat this as an outlier.

Gina Galati, Andrew Potter, Joy Hermalyn

Bass Andrew Potter, who has done plenty of first-rate comedy work for Winter Opera in the past-most recently as the wily Dulcamara in their 2018 L'elisir d'amore--once again demonstrated that infallible combination of vocal authority and comic timing that has apparently made him the company's "go to" guy for basso buffo roles. His imposing stature (he's well over 6 feet tall) also had the advantage of making Mr. Frishman and Ms. Galati look, in comparison, like the youngsters they are supposed to be.

Mezzo Joy Hermalyn's broadly played Marquise of Berkenfield might not have been to everyone's liking, but I found her willingness to sacrifice vocal purity for the sake of theatrical effect refreshing and very effective. Baritone Gary Moss, another Winter Opera regular, turned in yet another fine bit of slapstick comedy as the Marquise's fussy butler Hortensius.

Members of the chorus

The chorus was small but mighty as it so often is at Winter Opera. Since no choral director is listed, I assume the credit must go to conductor Edward Benyas and, of course, to the company's stalwart ensemble singers.

Winter Opera's equally small but cohesive orchestra played very well, with especially fine work by Tricia Jostlein and Nancy Schick on horns. Their solo at the beginning of the overture was perfect. Trumpets Jason Harris and Dawn Weber deserve praise as well. Mr. Benyas's tempi felt a bit on the slow side at times, but overall his account of the score felt right.

Scott Loebl's brightly colored set and Felia Davenport's equally vivid costumes helped contribute to the comic atmosphere, giving everything the look of a 1950s Warner Brothers cartoon.

Joy Hermalyn

My biggest issue was with Audrey Chait's direction. For reasons which escape me, she had the cast singing in the original French but speaking in English, which made little sense and tended to induce a kind of linguistic whiplash. The pacing of the spoken interludes also felt sluggish and some of the comic business felt more intrusive than funny. All of which is a bit surprising, considering what a great job she did with the aforementioned L'elisir d'amore.

Winter Opera's season continues March 6 and 8 with Puccini's rarely-seen La fanciulla del west (usually referred to as "The Girl of the Golden West"), which will be getting its St. Louis premiere. Set in the American west circa 1850, it's a work I've always wanted to see staged, so it looks like I'm finally getting my wish. For more information, visit the Winter Opera web site.

Review: Winter Opera's "Norma" scales the heights

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

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The great soprano Renata Scotto once referred to the title role of Bellini's 1831 tragedy "Norma" as "the Everest of opera...You want to climb the mountain. You know you are supposed to climb the mountain. But it is so difficult." Soprano Christine Lyons is singing the role at Winter Opera this weekend, and if she doesn't quite scale the part's highest peaks, she turns in a mesmerizing performance nevertheless.

Christine Lyons
Photo: Convergence Media

There are good reasons why the role of Norma, the Druid high priestess who loves neither wisely nor well, is widely regarded as one of the most difficult in the repertoire. It's a big part, and not just because of its length; its wide emotional and musical range requires a daunting combination of vocal flexibility, physical stamina, solid acting ability, and a dynamic stage presence. Ms. Lyons certainly has that presence, and her emotional commitment to the role makes her performance compelling.

Her voice has the range and flexibility that that part demands as well. When I heard her at final dress rehearsal on Wednesday, though, there was also a curiously muffled quality to her sound that reduced its power. Practically speaking, that meant that while her "Casta diva" was lovely, she tended to recede into the background a bit in duets and trios. Still, her Norma is theatrically on point. And that's the bottom line.

Tenor Peter Drackley, who was a charmingly winsome Nemorino in Winter Opera's "L'elisir d'Amore" last year, is less credible as the faithless Roman general Pollione, whose attempt to love and leave Norma ends in disaster for both of them. He still has the solid and wide-ranging voice, but he hardly seems to be acting the part at all. Pollione is a pretty unpleasant character on the page. An actor needs to give him a bit of depth on the stage to make him at all interesting.

Benedetta Orsi and Peter Drackley
Photo: Convergence Media

Mezzo-soprano Benedetta Orsi, who gave us such a memorable "Carmen" at Winter Opera in 2017, impresses once again as the young priestess Adalgisa, whom Pollione tries to spirit away to Rome. The role is smaller than Norma but still very demanding, and Ms. Orsi's dark, powerful voice handles it easily. Some of the best moments in this production happen in her duets with Ms. Lyons, as if the two were drawing strength from each other.

Bass-baritone Neil Nelson, who has displayed such a wide vocal and dramatic range locally in roles as diverse as di Luna in "Il Trovatore" (Winter Opera) and Hagen in "Götterdämmerung" (Union Avenue Opera), is a commanding presence as Norma's father, the Druid Chief Oroveso. His "Ite sul colle, o Druidi" with the male chorus gets the first act off to a rousing start. Soprano Grace Fisher and tenor Thomas Taylor provide solid performances in the secondary roles of Norma's friend Clotilde and Pollione's companion Flavio.

Neil Nelson and the company
Photo: Convergence Media

Conductor Darwin Aquino delivers another robust performance from the small but mighty Winter Opera orchestra. I don't know whether it's the Viragh Center acoustics, the quality of the players, or a bit of both, but the band at Winter Opera always seems to sound larger than its small size suggests.

Stage Director John Truitt paints some appealing stage pictures, but seems too fond of the static, "plant your feet and sing" approach that one sometimes sees in bel canto opera productions. And speaking of stage pictures, Scott Loebl's stark sets and JC Krajicek's striking costumes bring the drama to vivid visual life. Norma's flowing white gown is especially impressive.

Performances of Winter Opera's "Norma" are Friday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 3 pm, March 9 and 11, at the Viragh Center on the Chaminade campus in Creve Coeur. The opera is sung in Italian with English supertitles and runs just short of three hours, including one intermission.

Review: The fool on The Hill

Gina Galati and cast
Photo by Wylde Brothers Productions

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When I saw my first Winter Opera production back in 2012, I wrote that the company "stands poised to be an important player in the growing opera scene locally" and that "we can expect great things from them." If their production this past weekend (March 9 and 11, 2018) of Donizetti's comedy "L'Elisir d'Amore" ("The Elixir of Love") is any indication, that prediction has come true.

Based on Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's popular comedy "Le philtre" from 1831, Felice Romani's book for "The Elixir of Love" is the story of Nemorino, a humble peasant smitten with the wealthy and beautiful landowner Adina. She, though, is more taken with the macho Sergeant Belcore. In desperation, Nemorino buys a love potion (actually just some cheap wine) from the traveling quack Dr. Dulcamara. Complications, as they say, ensue. But all ends happily for everyone-including Dr. Dulcamara who, as the curtain descends, is still fleecing the suckers.

Winter Opera's cast was one of the strongest they have come up with to date, with solid voices and acting skills to match. Tenor Peter Scott Drackley was an outstanding Nemorino, with a powerful tenor voice (including some remarkably strong low notes) and a winsome character that reminded me of Lou Costello (of Abbot and..). Winter Opera General Director Gina Galati was a lively and charming Adina, with a bright and flexible voice.

Bass Andrew Potter, who was so hilarious as Don Magnifico in Winter Opera's "La Cenerentola" last year, once again stole the show as the wily Dulcamara, complete with top hat, cape, magic wand and blonde assistant. His voice was solid right down to the bottom and his comic timing was impeccable.

L-R: Christopher Holloway, Gina Galati, Peter Scott Drackley
Photo by Wylde Brothers Productions

Equally adept at comedy was baritone Christopher Holloway as the self-admiring Belcore. Soprano Karen Kanakis turned in a strong performance as the Giannetta, lighting up the stage with her gossipy "Saria possibile" number at the top of Act II.

Donizetti and Romani intended "The Elixir of Love" to be somewhat remote from its original Milan audience from the start, setting it in Basque country late in the previous century. Winter Opera director Audrey Chait moved the action to St. Louis's Italian "The Hill" neighborhood in the early 1940s, which put it at about the same remove chronologically and culturally, in addition to injecting some local color.

Conductor Darwin Aquino led the small but robust orchestra in a fine account of Donizetti's appealing score. As is so often the case, they sounded bigger than ther modest size would lead one to expect.

"L'Elisr d'Amore" concluded Winter Opera's 11th season. Season 12 pick up in November with Strauss's "Die Fledermaus." At this point, my biggest criticism of the company is that they only present two performances of each show. Work this good deserves more exposure. I hope they get it some day.

Review: Vocal pearls at Winter Opera

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

Sonja Krenek and Spencer Viator
Photo: Wylde Brothers Productions

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As I have noted in the past, nobody would ever mistake Georges Bizet's 1863 Les pêcheurs de perles (The Pearl Fishers), an appealing production of which is on stage at Winter Opera this weekend, for Great Art, given what an implausible mess the libretto is.

Set in "ancient times," the story about Ceylon pearl fishers Zurga and Nadir, lifelong friends driven apart by their mutual love for the priestess Leïla, makes little dramatic sense, but Bizet set it to some irresistible music. "Au fond du temple saint," the Act I duet in which the two men swear that their earlier infatuation with Leïla will never part them again, has become something of an operatic Greatest Hit, and the rest of the score is filled with equally appealing stuff.

Winter Opera St. Louis has four very strong singers in the leading and supporting roles (there are only four named roles in the opera), with an especially strong Leïla in soprano Sonja Krenek. "Comme autrefois dans la nuit sombre," a vocally elaborate number in which Leïla recalls her earlier romance with Nadir, requires the high-flying flexibility of a coloratura soprano. Ms. Krenek had that nailed when I heard her at the final dress rehearsal Wednesday, and was believably alluring in her scenes with the besotted Nadir as well.

Dancers and chorus
Photo: Wylde Brothers Productions

Tenor Spencer Viator and bass-baritone Andrew Pardini were also vocally stunning. Mr. Pardini, in particular, has the kind of big, ringing voice that can easily fill a theatre. Looking at his resume, I was surprised to see an absence of Wagner; he sounded like a performer who would be at ease in that repertoire.

Mr. Viator isn't quite in the same league in terms of sheer power, but there's a lyrical beauty to his voice that felt like a perfect match for the lovelorn Nadir. He and Mr. Pardini were, to quote a Sondheim lyric, "a practically perfect pair" in "Au fond du temple saint."

The role of the high priest Nourabad isn't large, but he needs to dominate the stage, physically and vocally, when he's there. Bass Richard Zuch certainly did that Wednesday night, with a high-voltage voice that rolled like thunder. An imposing presence is what's called for, and that is what we got.

The chorus is important in Les pêcheurs. Bizet has given them some prime material, like the hymn to Brahma that closes the second act, so they need to grab and hold our attention. Chorus Master Gail Hintz's forces are small but their sound was mighty. The small size of the chorus was also something of an advantage, in that it allowed individual singers to create their own characters and create the sense of a real community rather than just a collection of singers in costume.

Andrew Pardini and chorus
Photo: Wylde Brothers Productions

As he has in previous Winter Opera productions, Darwin Aquino led the small (25 piece) orchestra in an authoritative account of the score. The Winter Opera orchestra always seems to project a sound larger than its size might suggest. I don't doubt that the acoustics of the Viragh Center help in that regard, but it's still a real credit to their work. There was some fine solo work by orchestra members as well, including (but by no means limited to) Carrie Smith's cor anglais accompaniment to Nadir's "Je crois entendre encore" aria; flautists Jennifer Gartley and Laura Dwyer's piccolo work at the top of Act II; and Megan Stout's harp throughout the evening.

Director and talented operatic bass Mark Freiman moves things along briskly but, as has sometimes been the case in the past, still displays an unfortunate tendency to simply plant actors on stage and have them sing facing front. JC Krajicek's costumes and Scott Loebel's set create the right exotic feel, as does the small dancing chorus, although their repertoire of steps is limited.

There are two performances of Les pêcheurs de perles, Friday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 3 pm, January 26 and 28. Revel in the fine singing and try not to pay too much attention to the plot, and I think you'll find this two-hour trip to legendary Ceylon a welcome respite from crazy weather and crazier politics.

Review: Winter Opera offers a 'Student Prince' to warm the operetta lover's heart

This review originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

Andrew Marks Maughan and male chorus
Photo: Wylde Brothers Productions

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Time was when operetta was common on local stages. Shows like Rose Marie, The Fortune Teller, and Robin Hood made up the bulk of the season at The Muny when it opened back in 1919, and even as late as the 1970s you could still see the occasional Desert Song or Student Prince on the Forest Park stage.

For those of you longing for the sounds of good old-fashioned operetta in general, or The Student Prince in particular, Winter Opera has a brand new production of that 1924 Sigmund Romberg classic for you Friday and Sunday, November 10 and 12, 2017. And while not quite up to the standard set by their Merry Widow last fall, it's still a nice piece of work that's likely to warm the cockles of the operetta lover's heart.

When it opened on Jolson's 59th Street Theatre on Broadway, The Student Prince was a great hit, running 608 performances. That made it the longest-running show of the decade. Subsequent revivals in the 1930s and 1940s maintained its popularity, but it was undoubtedly the 1954 film version, featuring the voice of the legendary tenor Mario Lanza, that really brought it into the American mainstream.

Caitlin Cisler
Photo: Wylde Brothers Productions

Based on Wilhelm Meyer-Förster's play Old Heidelberg, the book by American actress and playwright Dorothy Donnelly revolves around young Prince Karl Franz of the mythical kingdom of Karlsberg. Chafing at the gloomy regimentation of castle life, the prince is taken by his kindly tutor Doctor Engel to study at Engel's alma mater, the University of Heidelberg. There he has a brief romance with Kathie, who waits tables at her uncle's beer garden, and is ready to run away with her to Paris when he learns the king is ill and he must return to seal the betrothal to Princess Margaret that was arranged when they both were children. In the end, Margaret persuades Kathie to give up her claim on Karl Franz's affections and Karl Franz reluctantly takes up his kingly mantle, wistfully recalling the good old student days.

It's all rather thin stuff by contemporary standards, with cardboard characters and a perfunctory plot advanced with telegraphic brevity between songs. But what wonderful songs they are!

John Stephens
Photo: Wylde Brothers Productions

The enchanting "Serenade (Overhead the Moon is Beaming)" is probably the most famous number from the show, but there are plenty of other memorable moments in this appealing score, including the students' "Drinking Song" and the moving "Deep in My Heart, Dear." The music is what matters in The Student Prince. A production will stand or fall based on the strength of its voices.

It's a good thing, therefore, that Winter Opera has strong, appealing singers in both the lead and supporting roles, starting with tenor Andrew Marks Maughan as Prince Karl Franz. From the first notes of his sentimental duet "Golden Days" it was obvious that he had an excellent clear voice that projected easily over the orchestra without being strident.

The same is true of soprano Caitlin Cisler as Kathie. Her acting is not, perhaps, in the same league as her fluid and flexible singing, but when she and Mr. Maughan joined their voices in the lovely "Deep in My Heart, Dear" that hardly mattered. They're both attractive and charismatic performers, their vocal blend is ideal, and they are, in any case, dealing with a text that is not what you'd call dramatically deep.

As the kindly and ailing Dr. Engel, bass John Stephens radiates warmth and compassion. Zachary Devin's powerful tenor leads the Heidelberg students in a rousing rendition of the drinking song, ably assisted by baritone Joel Rogier, and Gary Moss once again demonstrates his considerable comic talents as the prince's self-important valet Lutz.

Parenthetical note: Lutz seems to me to be a gloss on Pooh-Bah, the Lord High Everything Else from The Mikado, which makes his disdainful references to Gilbert and Sullivan that much more amusing.

Gary Moss
Photo: Wylde Brothers Productions

Ellen Hinkle, who was such a delight as Frasquita in Winter Opera's Carmen back in March, once again charms as Princess Margaret, most notably in the waltz duet "Just We Two" with tenor Ryan Keller. Although they're both just starting their careers, their vocal and acting skills are already impressive, and I hope to see more of them in the future.

There are many other fine performances in this large cast. That includes (but is not limited to) Karen Kanakis as the stern Grand Duchess Anastasia, Karla M. Hughes as the flighty barmaid Gretchen, and director Dean Anthony as the unyielding Count von Mark.

When I reviewed Winter Opera's Merry Widow last year, I noted that Mr. Anthony clearly had a good eye for what works well on a stage. The same is true here. That includes his choreography, which once again does an excellent job of keeping the real dancers front and center while providing easily executed steps for the non-dancing singers. Things were still a bit rocky in spots when I saw the show at final dress rehearsal, but that could easily change by the time you see it in performance.

Under Scott Schoonover's baton, the Winter Opera orchestra has never sounded better, with a full and polished sound. JC Krajicek, who has costumed so many fine local productions, scores once again with appropriately colorful outfits, including lavish hoop skirts for the women and dashing military garb for the men. Scott Loebl's sets are in the same fairy tale mode, including a nice trompe l'oeil backdrop for the big Act III ball scene that's reminiscent of the one he did for Merry Widow last year.

It's nice to see Winter Opera taking up the mantle of the neglected operetta repertoire. The sentimental melodrama of The Student Prince might not have aged as well as the comic hijinks of The Merry Widow, but it's still fun to hear these classic tunes sung so well in the warm acoustics of the Viragh Center.