The Santa Fe Opera Season

The Santa Fe Opera Season

For years, the Santa Fe Opera has been on our bucket list.  Each summer, this small-town state capital (with a population of just over 80,000) presents five operas at a beautiful performance site open to the summer weather in New Mexico, hot during the day but cool and breezy in the evenings. This year we finally checked this unique event off of our list with all five operas in this year’s season.

We started with a good production of one of Bizet’s more rarely produced operas, “The Pearl Fishers.”  Unfortunately, the production was marred by a weak tenor, Ilker Arcayurek.  The limitations of the Swiss tenor were amplified when he sang the opera’s most famous (and absolutely beautiful) duet with the fabulous American baritone, Anthony Clark Evans.  The opera tells the story of two men deeply in love with the same woman in a mythical version of Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon. Evans has a deep and lyrically full voice.  Equally impressive was the electrifying bass, Robert Pomakov.  Soprano Corrine Winters brought a musically satisfying voice to the role of Leïla, the object of the two men’s desire. “Pearl Fishers” was written over 10 years before Bizet’s ever popular “Carmen,” and his death by heart attack at only 36, a few months after his popular opera premiered.  Watching this splendid early work by Bizet, I wonder what he might have given us had he survived his life-long illnesses.

Our next opera was a Mozart favorite, “Cosi Fan Tuttle.”  This very well sung production was an outrageous example of what opera fans call “Euro-Trash,” productions that reconceive an opera in a style that is thoroughly mismatched. It started with a promising image, America’s long-time favorite baritone Rod Gilfrey entering in a classic cowboy outfit against the breath-taking New Mexico sky at the rear of the opera’s stage.  Immediately I thought this was going to be a delightful “Old West” rethinking of Mozart’s comic opera about two pairs of lovers whose faithfulness is tested when Gilfry’s Don Alfonso bets that each woman will fall for the other “best friend” in disguise.  Then the men and women entered in tennis outfits and later the men appear in denim jumpsuits, later changing to silver jumpsuits.  If this does not make sense to you, you’re not alone.  Making a bad situation worse was a lighting design that was gloomy and ominous and made it impossible to see any of the singers.  It looked like the lighting designer thought the opera was one of the darkest of Mozart’s works, “Don Giovanni.”

But the singing in this “Cosi” was as good as it gets. Tenor Ben Bliss and baritone Jarrett Ott, well established America singers, were pleasingly matched as were Soprano Amanda Majeski and mezzo Emily D’Angelo.  Tracy Dahl, as the chamber maid, Despina, played for all humor in her role as Don Alfonso’s comic accomplice with a delightful (if not a particularly distinguished) voice. The real musical treat in this production was in the orchestra pit.  British conductor Harry Bicket specializes in baroque and early classical music and his talents sparkled.  If you closed your eyes, this would have been a wonderful evening at the opera — but you can do that with a good recording on a high-end stereo system in your living room.  There is nothing so entertaining as a new take on an old opera, but this production’s “new take” was totally off the mark.

Santa Fe has been a proving ground for new operas.  This summer’s world premiere is “The Thirteenth Child,” by the acclaimed Danish composer Poul Ruders and American librettists Becky and David Starobin. Based on a Grimm Brothers fairytale, the twelve sons of King Hjarne are exiled when their embittered cousin, Dorian, tells the king that his sons are plotting his assassination.  Eighteen years later, Hjarne’s successor, Queen Gertrude, sets her daughter, Princess Lyra, in search of her lost brothers. When Lyra meets the youngest of the twelve, Benjamin, sung beautifully by an opera apprentice Bille Bruley, he leads her to her siblings and a happy ending.

So frequently with contemporary operas, I find the sounds coming out the orchestra pit much more interesting that vocal lines written for the singers and “Thirteenth Child” is no exception.  Ruder’s orchestrations alternate between his adaptation of minimalism and rich neo-romanticism. It was fascinating how he went from an ultra-modern musical sound to sweeping melodies you might hear in a Verdi or Bizet opera.  The singers are given the usual non-lyrical ups and downs, occasionally forcing the men to jump from deep baritone to their falsetto voices and then back again. Each of the eight principals met the demands of Ruder’s score and the chorus provided a rich sound.  As contemporary operas go, this one was interesting enough to keep me in my seat for both of the short, 40-minute acts.

The crowd pleaser this season is Puccini’s “La Boheme.”  The quality of the singing for this much-loved score was mixed.  There are so many extraordinary recordings of Pucinni’s masterpiece (not to mention performances at major opera houses) that it is tough to fully appreciate performances by singers who are not at the top of their form. The singing in the Santa Fe Opera (SFO) production was generally pleasant and occasionally impressive.  In the latter category were soprano Vanessa Vasquez as Mimi and Gabriella Reyes as Musetta.  Ms. Reyes not only sings beautifully, but she also roller skated through the glorious second act cafe production number. Mario Chang, as Mimi’s passionate lover, has a decent lyrical tenor voice, but his limitations are quite evident in the initial duet as the two declare their instant endearment.  The weakest link in the portrayal of opera’s dual romances was Zachary Nelson as Musetta’s sometimes lover, Marcello. His insecure baritone is no match for any of other three artists in the Paris garret.  The standout among the four was bass Solomon Howard as Coline who shines in the famous coat aria.  Baritone Will Liverman, who is a standout in SFO’s “Jenůfa,” more than meets the demands of Schaunard.  The SFO chorus, made up of opera apprentices, was first-rate in all five operas, and particularly in the second act Christmas Eve Café Momus scene in this production. The structure of this outdoor opera stage places limitations on designers of scenery.  So special credit goes to Grace Laubacher for inventive sets that evoked the feeling of bohemia in 19^th century Pairs.

The absolute highlight of the five nights of opera was a magnificent production of Leoš Janáček’s “Jenůfa.”  This was a world-class opera production with singing that you would expect to hear at the Metropolitan or Royal Opera Houses.  Janacek’s first opera is starkly realistic and disturbingly focused on infanticide and mismatched lovers against the backdrop of oppressed village mill workers.  The SFO production made the unthinkable actions of the characters utterly believable and the cast sang with dynamic emotion and musical perfection.  As the title character, soprano Laura Wilde, a former SFO apprentice, brought strength and clarity to a very challenging role. Tenor Richard Trey Smagur was suitably repulsive as Jenůfa’s drunken would-be finance. Alexander Lewis as Jenůfa’s eventual husband has a beguiling tenor voice that gave life to a frustrated and emotionally internalized character.  Veteran soprano Patricia Racette was convincing as the stepmother who kills Jenůfa’s baby to conceal her stepdaughter’s fallen state as an unwed mother and, at 54, Racette’s voice was as strong and piercing as when she was the 1998 Richard Tucker Award winner.  The most striking voice in this production was Will Liverman as the foreman at the village mill.  This is a singer to watch as opera musical directors discover his rich baritone and his convincing acting.  Conductor Johannes Debus brought Janacek’s complex score into dramatic unity. Truly a memorable evening at the opera!

Santa Fe has many charms.  Fascinating Native American artists are featured in dozens of galleries.  Canyon Road is filled with a seemingly endless number of fine art galleries that feature both Native- and Mexican-American artists.  There are many tasty restaurants at various price levels.  And this small town has almost a dozen fascinating museums.  Our bucket list served us very well!

The Rolling Stone

The Rolling Stone

At the Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center

Score: A-

You may have noticed, we have been inundated with plays about gay people lately.  Whether it’s a celebration of 50 years of progress since the Stonewall riots or a reaction to the regressive days of the Trump administration, the last few seasons have brought a wave of plays about the lives and trials of our LGBT population. Some were good; many were angry; others were self-indulgent. 

While I am certainly pleased to see so much attention being given to my gay brothers and sisters, given prior disappointments, it was with some apprehension that I took my seat at the Newhouse Theater to see “The Rolling Stone.”  But my trepidation turned to admiration as Chris Urch’s brilliant and compelling play unfolded.  It tells the story of a young Ugandan man who has fallen in love with a mixed-race Northern Ireland doctor who has come to Africa to reunite with his mother’s people.  Dembe, the 18-year-old, struggling to accept his identity, lives with his brother who was recently been anointed as the minister of an evangelical Christian church, and his sister who has aspirations to become a doctor, as does Dembe. A local paper, The Rolling Stone, has started to publish the names, addresses, and pictures of Kuchus – the local slang for gay people.

This brief description of the play’s plot does not adequately communicate the uniqueness of this production.  Mr. Urch, a young white British playwright with one other major play under his belt, displays not only an understanding of the harsh realities of the persecution of homosexuals in Uganda, a former UK protectorate, but also a stunning ability to reveal characters in two short hours.  The two brothers and the sister are very close and share their devout belief in fundamentalist Christianity, although Dembe is struggling with his society’s beliefs versus his natural feelings. Their father recently passing away and their neighbor, who they fondly call Mama, has become the conscience of the family.  She is as close to a holy-roller as any preacher you might see on your TV on Sunday morning.  Sam, Dembe’s secret lover, also seems conflicted – a white Irish doctor who has come to Uganda to practice medicine in his mother’s homeland – although his love for Dembe is absolute.

Mr. Urch puts these struggles in the middle of so many major political and religious issues without ever losing the focus on the people.  Uganda Parliament recently considered legislation demanding the death penalty for “the offence of homosexuality” and gay activists have been murdered.   The harsh treatment of homosexuals in several African countries is a carry-over from their time as “protectorates” of European countries, in this case the United Kingdom.  And perhaps most profoundly, the rise of Evangelical Christianity in African countries is the work of American missionaries that preach a literal interpretation of the bible and support horrendous treatment of those who “sin” without remorse.  Mr. Urch puts all of this in the context of real people. 

The Lincoln Center Theater production is compelling and timely.  Ato Blankson-Wood gives an absorbing performance as Dembe and Robert Gilbert, as Sam, is totally convincing in his affection and care for his African lover.  James Udom portrays minister Joe with a fury that makes Franklin Graham (Billy’s inflammatory son) look like a country preacher.  As Mama, Myra Lucretia Taylor is frighteningly committed to her beliefs and her willingness to reject and punish those who do not conform to those beliefs.           Latoya Edwards, as Dembe’s perceptive sister, Wummie, skillfully shows the audience her suspicions while never letting anyone on stage know why she worries.

But the real star in this production is the up-and-coming playwright, Chris Urch, aided by empathetic direction by Saheem Ali.  The play is not perfect.  There is a totally unnecessary subplot about Mama’s daughter Naome, played by Adenike Thomas, who has suddenly lost the ability to speak.  While a very brief explanation of this character’s relevance is shared by her mother in the last few moments of the play, it adds little to the play’s major threads and drags out its length unnecessarily. Still, this is a unique play among the many that deal with similar issues and it is as engrossing and moving as any seen recently.  While Uganda seems like another world to an American audience, it’s impossible to ignore the relevance of this play in this age of Trump and his misguided religious base.

Promenade

Promenade
Encores! Off-Center

at New York City Center

Score: B

Encores! Off-Center production of “Promenade” is exactly what makes Encores! such a valuable resource for people who love musicals.  This wacky 1965 revue by Al Carmine and Maria Irene Fornes is a classic example of the productions that made these two writers at the forefront of the burgeoning Off-Off-Broadway movement.  Carmines' Judson Poets' Theatre at the Judson Memorial Church, along with Cafe Cino and La Mama, brought all types of experimental theatre to lower Manhattan.  Ms. Fornes was one of the most influential playwrights who inhabited these innovative playhouses.

Encore’s! production is absolutely faithful to the original.  Like much of Ms. Fornes’ work, it is difficult to describe the style and point of view of “Promenade.”  Fornes works tended to be non-linear and frequently abstract.  “Promenade” follows two escaped prisoners as they encounter the rich and famous and powerful. “Promenade” is a series of bizarre production numbers and solos performed by a cast in outlandish costumes in the style of the Ziegfeld Follies gone crazy.  But the lyrics are 100% Fornes: “I’m flighty, frivolous, and vane and you, scoundrel, you treated me just like you treated others, who do you think you are?” “Madness is the lack of compassion and there’s little compassion in the world,” “Money makes you crazy,” “I want to be naked, too.” 

The Encores! production makes the most of these goofy numbers.  There are lots of laughs and every so often, the critique of American culture seeps out and hits the audience in the face.  The company is outstanding; quite possibly the best I have seen at an Encores! production, even those shows that featured “big name” performers. Their voices are perfectly suited to their numbers and several reach almost operatic tones.  Director Laurie Woolery and choreographer Hope Boykin make each number absurdly entertaining, supported by a perfect music ensemble led by Greg Jarrett.  Clint Ramos’ costumes are glittering and outrageous.  In short, this is a wonderful production.

Unfortunately, at two hours with no intermission, the luster of the piece wears thin after 80 or 90 minutes and its commentary is repeated to the point of losing its novelty.  Repetitiion was not uncommon in the works of Messrs. Fornes and Carmine and much of the unique style emerges from the parroting.  Still, “Promenade” is a lot of fun and should be appealing to those of us who lived through the evolution of American avant-garde theatre.

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