In his recent review in New York magazine of the Metropolitan Opera’s production of “Fedora,” Justin Davidson snarked, “’Fedora is an opera about décor.” The headline read, “At Least the Sofa Looks Fabulous.” That’s the kind of pronouncement relished by critics and reviewers, myself included (I do love a good snark, when well-deserved.)
In a backdoor sort of way, Davidson’s sentiment evoked an opposite reaction when assessing Winter Opera’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Macbeth” at the Kirkwood Community Center. One of the major strengths of this production, stage directed by John Stephens, is precisely due to the minimal “décor” and sets. This approach, which was definitely not stagy nonchalance, enabled the production to focus on the essential moments in Shakespeare’s tale of power and corruption, Verdi’s score and the performances of the fine cast. The storyline is the thing, and the result was a solidly satisfying experience that served as a potent post-holiday palate cleanser – we all need a little opera, not a little more Christmas.
Calling the setting simple is not to belittle the work of scenic designer Scott Loebl. It’s to his credit, as well as lighting designer Michael Sullivan’s and technical director Jacob Cange’s, that the mood is so effectively set with appeared at times as a wall of blood, emphasizing the Macbeths’ descent into depravity. The cast members moved through the playing area as though a walk upon Shakespeare’s atmospheric heath.
Photo by Rebecca Haas
One of the risks of production of “Macbeth” in either its theatrical or opera forms, is overplaying the witchiness of the witches. This is not “Wicked” after all. Verdi makes this risk higher turning the play’s three witches into a chorus of witches. But this production makes great, prudent use of this gaggly coven, which sometimes offers comic relief and other times stirring up their portentous predictions. One of the witches contorted her face so dramatically it seemed like an effect that could only be achieve with a mask. Jim Carrey would have been jealous.
The leading roles were performed with uniform excellence by singing actors, several of whom have been in previous Winter Opera productions. The Macbeths, sung by Michael Nansel and Whitney Myers were convincing both singly and as a couple. Myers’ performance as Lady Macbeth offered many insightful moments, marred only by her line “Out, damned spot” through no fault of her own. The line elicited more than few chuckles because its meaning has been ruined after being reduced to an American advertising slogan. Pity.
Nansel as Macbeth also jelled with Nathan Whitson as Banquo. Both used their big, expressive voices to reveal the thoughts and tribulations of their characters. Equally impressive was Jonathan Kaufman as Macduff, especially when confronting (shall I say, laying on) Macbeth.
As with the chorus of witches, the supporting cast was seamless performed and put effective use. The supporting cast included Willard Moseley as Duncan, Damian Ziarko as Fleanzio, Angel Azzarra as a lady in waiting and Kevin Thomas Smith as Malcolm.
Verdi’s score received a well-balanced, thoughtful and atmospheric performance by the orchestra, directed by Edward Benyas. This was noticeable from the start, during the brooding, foreboding overture.
In the play, Lady Macbeth says, “What’s done cannot be undone.” In the case of Winter Opera’s “Macbeth,” what can’t be undone is a fine production of this Verdi-Shakespeare classic.
Winter Opera presented Verdi’s “Macbeth” on January 20 and 22, at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center.
CB Adams is an award-winning fiction writer and photographer based in the Greater St. Louis area. A former music/arts editor and feature writer for the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, his non-fiction has been published in local, regional and national publications. His literary short stories have been published in more than a dozen literary journals and his fine art photography has been exhibited in more than 40 galley shows nationwide. Adams is the recipient of the Missouri Arts Council’s highest writing awards: the Writers’ Biennial and Missouri Writing!. The Riverfront Times named him, “St. Louis’ Most Under-Appreciated Writer” in 1996.
.Union Avenue Opera announces three new garden concerts taking place this spring.
This summer, Union Avenue Opera will make its highly anticipated return to its home stage within the historic Union Avenue Christian Church at 733 N. Union Blvd, just north of the intersection of Union and Delmar Boulevards.
Known for its commitment to presenting operas in their original language, Union Avenue Opera will offer a three opera festival season opening with Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece, Eugene Onegin (July 8, 9, 15, 16) which last appeared on the UAO stage in 2003 to great critical acclaim. The season will also see the return of Verdi’s riotous Italian romp Falstaff (July 29, 30, August 5, 6) which the company last produced in 2005. Rounding out the 2022 season will be the UAO debut of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s charming A Little Night Music (August 19, 20, 26, 27).
“Moving back to our home stage after these harrowing two years away is a joyful outcome to the uncertainty we have faced during this pandemic” said UAO Founder and Artistic Director Scott Schoonover. “Our first two productions are personal and audience favorites from our 28 years of producing opera – Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and Verdi’s Falstaff. These new, vivacious productions welcome back to our stage many returning artists and several debut singers. Director Octavio Cardenas will make his UAO debut with Eugene Onegin bringing his own special brand of visceral, physical directing to the UAO stage. Jon Truitt returns to direct Falstaff (Jon’s favorite opera) with his proven comedic style, and Maestro Stephen Hargreaves will return to the UAO pit.”
“Our third production is a company and composer debut with Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music. I’ve wanted to bring this show to UAO for many years and am so thrilled it is finally happening!” said Schoonover. “Annamaria Pileggi will return to direct this stellar cast headlined by St. Louis’ own Debby Lennon as Desirée. It is a wonderful story with so much memorable music which finishes up a season that certainly offers something for everyone! I know we say often, but this one is truly a season not to be missed – it is chock-full of amazing voices, actors, orchestra and stage technicians eager to get back to great storytelling on the intimate UAO stage.” Single tickets range from $35 to $55 and are available at unionavenueopera.org or by calling 314-361-2881. Discounts are available for Seniors (65+), Military/Educator, and Young Audiences (under 18). All performances start at 8:00PM and free parking is available in the lots behind the venue and overflow parking is available on the street.
Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s: EUGENE ONEGIN
July 8, 9, 15, 16 at 8:00PM Presented in Russian with projected English supertitles Conducted by Scott Schoonover Directed by Octavio Cardenas Libretto by Konstantin Shilovsky and Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky
A cautionary tale of what was, what was not, and what could have been. Tatyana, a lovesick girl from the countryside, declares her love for Onegin and finds herself spurned by the disenchanted aristocrat. Onegin, indifferent to the feelings of others, disregards Tatyana’s advances to pursue Olga, his friend Lensky’s betrothed. A duel commences and Onegin finds himself victorious albeit deeply tormented. He returns years later to find Tatyana happily married to Prince Gremin. Struck by her beauty, Onegin declares his love for her only to find himself face to face with the folly of his naïveté. Eugene Onegin is a sophisticated and melancholy masterpiece by one of classical music’s most universally beloved composers. Tchaikovsky’s lush melodies are enhanced by the opera’s unique folk tunes, infectious waltzes, and passion-soaked arias bringing to life Alexander Pushkin’s verse novel like never before.
Under the baton of Artistic Director Scott Schoonover, Robert Garner (Nabucco, Nabucco) and William Davenport (Hoffmann, Les contes d’Hoffmann) will return to UAO in their role debuts as Onegin and Lensky respectively. No stranger to the role of Tatyana, Zoya Gramagin will make her UAO debut alongside Andrew W. Potter as Prince Gremin. Melody Wilson (Fenena, Nabucco and Mrs. Miller, Doubt) will return as Olga along with local artists Debbie Stinson as Madama Larina, Victoria Carmichael as Filippyevna, Marc Schapman as Triquet, and Benjamin Worley as Zaretsky. This will be acclaimed stage director Octavio Carendas’ UAO directorial debut. Patrick Huber will provide scenic and lighting design with costume design by Teresa Doggett.
Eugene Onegin – Robert Garner Tatyana – Zoya Gramagin* Lensky – William Davenport Olga – Melody Wilson Filippyevna – Victoria Carmichael Madame Larina – Debbie Stinson Prince Gremin – Andrew W. Potter* Monsieur Triquet – Marc Schapman Zaretsky – Benjamin Worley
Giuseppe Verdi’s: FALSTAFF
July 29, 30, August 5, 6 at 8:00PM Presented in Italian with projected English supertitles Conducted by Stephen Hargreaves Directed by Jon Truitt Libretto by Arrigo Boito
Drink. Cheat. Scheme. Repeat. Just don’t get caught unaware… Old, lecherous, and down on his luck, Sir John Falstaff can’t resist the ladies. The fool hatches a plan to reverse his ill-fortune and sets his sights on not one, but two married women. Sharper than they look, Alice and Meg discover the odious Falstaff’s plan to unceremoniously seduce them and trick them out of their fortunes. The women band together and with the help of Nannetta and Dame Quickly, they concoct a scheme to teach him a lesson he’ll never forget and to put him in his place once and for all. Add in a jealous husband, a pair of young lovers, and a touch of the supernatural and what ensues is a sophisticated comedy filled with failed plans and botched disguises. Verdi’s riotous romp Falstaff bubbles with irrepressible wit and charm in this adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor.
On the heels of last summer’s company debut, Robert Mellon (Figaro, Il barbiere di Siviglia) will lead the cast of returning artists as Sir John Falstaff. No stranger to the UAO stage Brooklyn Snow (the Heroines, Les contes d’Hoffmann, and Cunegonde, Candide) will be reunited with her Candide co-star, Jesse Darden (Candide) as the two young lovers, Nannetta and Fenton. St. Louis-based husband and wife duo Jacob Lassetter and Karen Kanakis will portray Ford and his wife Alice for the production as Janara Kellerman (Rosina, Il barbiere di Siviglia) returns as Dame Quickly, and Melody Wilson will again be seen on the UAO stage, this time in her role debut as Meg Page. A trio of St. Louis based artists round out the cast with Clark Sturdevant as Bardolfo, Mark Freiman as Pistola, and Anthony Heinemann as Dr. Caius. Stephen Hargreaves conducts while Jon Truitt directs. Lex Van Bloomestein’s set designs and Teresa Doggett’s costume designs will be enhanced by Patrick Huber’s lighting design.
Sir John Falstaff – Robert Mellon Alice Ford – Karen Kanakis Ford – Jacob Lassetter Nanetta – Brooklyn Snow Fenton – Jesse Darden Dame Quickly – Janara Kellerman Meg Page – Melody Wilson Bardolfo – Clark Sturdevant Pistola – Mark Freiman Dr. Caius – Anthony Heinemann
Stephen Sondheim’s: A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC
August 19, 20, 26, 27 at 8:00PM Presented in English with projected English supertitles Conducted by Scott Schoonover Directed by Annamaria Pileggi Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Book by Hugh Wheeler Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick Suggested by a Film by Ingmar Bergman Originally Produced and Directed on Broadway by Harold Prince Lovers reunite, passions reignite, and new romance blossoms in the magic of music on a mid-summer’s night.
A Little Night Music explores the tangled web of affairs centered around the glamorous actress Desirée Armfeldt and the two married men who love her: a lawyer by the name of Frederik Egerman and Count Carl-Magnus Malcom.
Both men—as well as their jealous wives—agree to join Desirée at her family’s estate for a scandalous “Weekend in the Country” under the watchful eyes of the wry family matriarch and harmonizing Greek chorus. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler, it is no wonder A Little Night Music won the Tony Award for Best Musical. From the romance of the night waltzes to the hauntingly beautiful “Send in the Clowns,” Sondheim’s sweeping score is infused with humor and warmth weaving together musical theatre and operetta seamlessly in this tantalizing tale.
Debby Lennon (Mrs. Mullin, Carousel) returns to the UAO stage to lead this stunning cast as Desirée Armfeldt under the direction of Annamaria Pileggi, and Scott Schoonover conducts. Also returning to the UAO stage are Peter Kendall Clark (Older Thompson, Glory Denied) and Brooklyn Snow, who makes her second appearances of the season, as the newly married Frederick and Anne Egerman. Eric J. McConnell makes his UAO stage debut as Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm and Leann Schuering (Josephine, H.M.S. Pinafore) as his wife Charlotte. Local actor Teresa Doggett, best known for her work as UAO’s costume designer for the past fifteen seasons, makes her UAO stage debut as the matriarch Madame Armfeldt alongside Amy Maude Helfer as the restless maid Petra and Arielle Pedersen as the young Fredrika. A bevy of St. Louis talent round out the cast including James Stevens as Henrik Egerman, Jordan Wolk as the butler Frid, and Grace Yukiko Fisher, Gina Malone, Sarah Price, Joel Rogier, and Philip Touchette as the “Liebeslieders”. C. Otis Sweezey will provide scenic design for A Little Night Music along with costume design by Teresa Doggett and lighting design by Patrick Huber.
Desirée Armfeldt – Debby Lennon Frederick Egerman – Peter Kendall Clark Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm – Eric J. McConnell* Charlotte Malcolm – Leann Schuering Madame Armfeldt – Teresa Doggett* Anne Egerman – Brooklyn Snow Henrik Egerman – James Stevens Petra – Amy Maude Helfer* Fredrika – Arielle Pedersen* Mrs. Nordstrom – Gina Malone Mrs. Anderssen – Grace Yukiko Fisher Mrs. Segstrom – Sarah Price* Mr. Erlanson – Philip Touchette Mr. Lindquist – Joel Rogier Frid – Jordan Wolk
A Little Night Music is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com *UAO stage debut
Opera in the Garden In anticipation of the season, UAO will bring classic opera front and center in its 2022 Opera in the Garden – Garden Concert Series Fundraiser this spring. Launched in 2018, as a House Concert Series, UAO moved the concerts outdoor in the fall of 2020 for the safety of its artists and patrons and were some of the first, live, operatic performances held in St. Louis during the pandemic. Each concert will feature two UAO artists from the upcoming season performing an eclectic and entertaining selection of arias, art songs and musical theatre favorites, and will showcase a scholarship winner from UAO’s 2022 CRESCENDO! program along with a guest instrumentalist from UAO’s talented opera orchestra.
Sunday, May 8 at 5:00PM Our opening concert will take place on Mother’s Day and headlined by two singing moms – Gina Malone and Danielle Yilmaz – celebrating the day with us with some wonderful music and fun. Guest artists Raven Brooks, soprano, from Blackburn College and UAO principal flutist, Ann Dolan will join pianist Sandra Geary for this perfect Mother’s Day afternoon. The backdrop for our first concert is the beautiful lawn of the 1959 home of CK Siu and Shannon Hart which sits on what used to be the Krause farm in Ladue.
Sunday, May 22 at 5:00PM Our second concert takes us to the grounds of the former Rand Mansion, now the home of University City mayor, Terry Crow. Artists Sarah Price, Mark Freiman and Nancy Mayo will lead this concert, along with guest soprano, Erica Ancell from Webster University and UAO principal horn player, Nancy Schick, who will team up with Ms. Price and Ms. Mayo for a not-to-be-missed special performance of Schubert’s Auf dem Strom D. 943.
Sunday, June 5 at 5:00PM The 2022 Garden Concert Series concludes with a return to the beautiful flower-filled garden of the University City home of Richard and Mary Ann Shaw. Grace Yukiko Fisher, Philip Touchette and Nancy Mayo will entertain us with opera and musical theatre fun, and guest artists Madalyn Tomkins, soprano, from Webster University, and Carolina Neves, violinist will round out this beautiful afternoon.
Fundraiser tickets are $50 for individuals or $100 for Patron Seating which includes the best reserved seats and a $50 tax-deductible donation to UAO. Tickets are on sale now at www.unionavenueopera.org and must be ordered in advance (no door sales). About Union Avenue Opera
UAO was founded in 1994 to bring affordable, professional, original-language opera t St. Louis, a mission the company continues to pursue to this day. UAO is committed to hiring the most talented artists, directors, designers and technicians both locally and from across the United States. UAO provides promising singers the first steppingstone of their professional career. The company celebrated its 25th Anniversary Season in 2019 and offers vibrant and affordable opera experiences in original languages to audiences who reflect the breadth and diversity of the St. Louis region. UAO is a publicly supported 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization registered in Missouri.
Financial assistance for the 2022 Festival Season has been provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency, and with support from the Regional Arts Commission
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
In a cultural marketplace that is embracing new operatic
works such as “The Central Park Five” and “The Handmaid’s Tale,” is another
production of Verdi’s venerable chestnut Rigoletto really necessary – or
even relevant? Opera Theatre of Saint
Louis’ current production of Rigoletto provides a chorus of emphatic
yeses.
Although it can be asserted that the opera canon in general
and Rigoletto in particular is testosteroney (to borrow a line from
“Friends”), misogynistic and seemingly anachronistic in the current #MeToo
cultural climate, OTSL’s production brings to the fore the question, “Who is
the true victim of the machinations of the men in this play?”
The answer in this interpretation is clear: Rigoletto’s own daughter, Gilda. She has lived her short life cloistered in a tight ring of chastity, raised by an overly protective father (or hostage-taker, depending on your point of view), whose nickname is Transgression. She falls in first-love with the duplicitous Duke (dubbed Retribution), whom she meets at her seemingly only contact with the real world – Mass at the local church (another male-dominated institution). The poor girl. Given such options and opposing forces, it’s no wonder she believes self-destruction is the only way to escape this milieu of trickle-down masculinity.
Even before the orchestra tunes up, OTSL’s latest take on Rigoletto
begins to pull the audience members out of their comfort zone. Sitting on a
trunk, center stage in low light, is Rigoletto’s puppet, staring blankly like a
demented Charlie McCarthy dummy, a chubby-cheeked Chucky. He seems to be
saying, “Let the horror begin.”
This conceit by itself would not be enough to carry the
opera. The cast, under the stage direction of Bruno Ravella, who is making his
main season debut, is fully up to the challenge of Verdi’s memorable score and
this production’s challenging, polarizing balance. Roland Wood immerses himself
in the role of Rigoletto, the Duke’s own dummy, as a man resentfully balanced
(or unbalanced, depending on your point of view) between being a
father/manipulator and being manipulated as the Duke’s court jester. Wood effectively
leads the audience to ponder: “Should I blame you or pity you?”
As the Duke, Joshua Wheeker, is a selfish puppeteer
extraordinaire. He does not overplay the indulgent, king-baby aspects of the
role and instead offers a straightforward “what the Duke wants, the Duke gets”
attitude – and to hell with who pays consequences. His short-sighted need for
instant gratification enables the storylines of Rigoletto and Gilda to unravel.
In terms of relevance, this should be familiar to anyone who follows the
current news cycles.
Navigating (or trapped, depending on your point of view) between
a fiercely overprotective father and a hedonistic lover is the wonderful and
wonderfully cast So Young Park, a former Gerdine Young Artist. With seeming
effortlessness, Park wends through her a role that demands she be naïve without
being girlishly gushy (ala Liesl’s “Sixteen Going On Seventeen” in Sound of
Music). Young accomplishes this as well as meshes her performances
seamlessly with Wood, especially in Act II.
Among the supporting cast, Christian Zaremba, making his
Opera Theatre main season debut, plays Sparafucile, the assassin, with reserve
and respect – admirable considering how easy it would have been to overplay the
part with squinty sliminess. Zaremba’s straightforward, transactional portrayal
facilitates the opera rather than calls too much attention to the role. Also of
note is the horn-dog horde – the male chorus that moves about the opera en
masse, providing light humor, encouragement to the Duke’s predilections (as
only good sycophants can) and locker-room banter.
OTSL’s Rigoletto is set in Paris, where Victor Hugo
set his play, which is the source for this opera. The Francophile-inspired set
design, under the aegis of Alex Eales, is understated, streamlined and
efficiently conveys the essence of each scene. The opening scene keys off a
recognizable Folies Bergere atmosphere and the inn where Sparafucile and his
sister conspire to murder the Duke is distinctly saloon-like in a Wild West
sort of way. On the surface this may seem incongruent, but the sets well within
the opera’s polarizing elements. They provide “just enough” background for the
story.
Like the set design, costume design, by Mark Bouman, does
not break new ground, but neither does it break the flow of the entire opera.
Both serve well the story being told. In Act I’s party scene, the dresses of
the dancing ladies have a pleasing Manet, demimondaines quality. Sparafucile
sports a Driza-Bone-inspired duster that makes him instantly recognizable
regardless of the scene. And Gilda wears dresses – girlish without being girly
– that befit a young lady with a conservative father. Even Gilda’s final
costume, when she is posing as man, is Chaplinesque in a way that makes sense
within this production.
Rigoletto may be one of Verdi’s workhorse operas, but
like all great art, it is open to wide interpretation. Just as Paul Simon
observed that “every generation throws a hero up the pop charts,” every
generation since the premiere in 1851 has produced a Rigoletto befitting
its times. OTSL’s is exceptionally no exception. #GoSeeRigoletto.
“Rigoletto” plays at the Loretto-Hilton Center through June 30. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.experienceopera.org
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
