Die
Fledermaus
Johann
Strauss
NY
Opera Exchange
November
7, 2014 - Church of the Covenant
From
the moment we took our seats, it felt like something extraordinary was
happening: the average age of the public was clearly under 30, which
is about 4 decades younger than the usual crowd at pretty much any opera
performance in NYC, whether mainstream or indie. And it gets better: during the
waltzy overture several patrons were itching to dance in their seats, swinging
heads, shaking shoulders and tapping their feet, which also very unusual from the average
snoozing public. The energetic crowd was not deceived as NY Opera Exchange’s Die
Fledermaus turned out to be a whole lot of fun and an all around highly
entertaining evening at the operetta.
This
was my first “‘Maus” and I was surprised by how much I liked it. It’s truly a
bubbly and lighthearted piece with terrific music and hilarious comic
vignettes. Director Melissa Frey’s decision to present the piece with
recitatifs in English translation and arias sung in the original German was very
successful in keeping the gags alive for the non-German speaking public. While
I am generally a purist when it comes to tampering with the original language
of an opera, in this specific case I found NY Opera Exchange’s to be a welcome
compromise between respect for the source material and approachability. Also,
the original itself already had recitatif bits in English, Italian, French and
Russian, representing the cosmopolitan hodge-podge of languages spoken in
Vienna at the end of the XIX century. So, expanding a bit the English parts did
not sound too awkward.
The
plot boils down to a complicated prank to the detriment of an entitled (and a
bit dense) nobleman orchestrated by a vindictive friend of his (the eponymous “bat”
of the title). A broad and disparate cast of characters is somehow involved in
the scheme, including the nobleman’s flirty wife, her ex-lover (an Italian
tenor), a maid cum actress, an extravagant party-throwing Russian prince, a
prison guard and a lousy lawyer. The director’s notes state that the action was
set in Venice (instead of Vienna) and the piece got a commedia dell’arte
spin. Quite honestly I did not get that much of an Italian flavor from the
production but little matters as I found it highly effective in conveying
the effervescent spirit of the operetta.
Rosalinde
(the flirty wife) is by far the character with the most stage time and the most
challenging and extensive singing. Soprano Margaret Newcomb was
outstanding and the strongest singer on stage, both in her solo arias and in
the numerous duets, trios and other ensemble pieces. Her acting was on point
too, with a snobbish and elegant flair representing Rosalinde as a two-faced
yet charming woman one cannot entirely dislike. Her husband, Gabriel von Einstein,
was played by tenor Kevin Delaney, who had outstanding acting skills and
great comic timing but unfortunately the strength of his singing did not match
his other talents, particularly in ensemble pieces when he tended to get
drowned by the orchestra and the other performers. I found Rosalinde’s old
flame, Alfred, to be one of the funniest characters, delivering bits of
blockbuster arias (Una furtiva lagrima, Che gelida manina, Libiamo nei lieti
calici) in a parody of Italian opera that really elicited a few belly
laughs. This Italian tenor was hilariously portrayed by Lindell O. Carter,
who was 100% in character even in the recitatifs feigning a thick Italian accent.
Coloratura
soprano Rebecca Shorstein, in the role of Adele (the ambitious maid),
delivered some excellent and challenging singing although her acting was often
a tad too forceful, unnecessarily pushing the envelope into the slapstick side of
things. If only she toned it down a notch, she would have been perfect.
Mezzo-soprano Chelsea Laggan as Prince Orlofsky was the best
well-rounded performer, together with Ms. Newcomb. Hers is a pants role in which
she plays an ennuied and slightly despotic aristocrat who participates in the
prank with detached bemusement, all the while laying some heavy flirtation on
Adele. Ms. Laggan’s voice is velvety and her singing fluid and nuanced,
definitely a young artist to keep an eye on. Bass-baritone Costas Tsourakis played
Dr. Falke (the mastermind behind the joke) with commanding stage presence and a
deep, rich tone. Of lighter voice weight compared to Mr. Tsourakis,
bass-baritone Andrew Luzania was the prison guard Frank, who displayed
some pretty hilarious acting (particularly when he pretends to be a French aristocrat),
not to mention during his waltzes (with real like partners as well as with a
broom), and he also delivered generally solid singing.
The
NY Opera Exchange orchestra is a serious sized one (45 musicians), even more so
for an independent opera company. It was energetically led by conductor David
Leibowitz and, with the exception of a slightly disjointed overture that I’d
attribute to opening night jitters, delivered an impressive display of musical
firepower, bubbly and waltzy, the way it should be. Delicious! Costumes and
sets were also serious business and noteworthy for the level of polish,
inventiveness and cohesion, particularly for a company of this size.
All
in all, I was very impressed by the work of NY Opera Exchange that put together a
seriously entertaining operetta and left us wanting for more. Next in their
season is Lucia di Lammermoor and we’ll be curious to see how this young
company copes with our most beloved Donizetti.
- Lei & Lui
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