Front Row Reviewers

Mar 13, 2022 | Reviews

At Salt Lake City’s Capitol Theatre, Utah Opera’s Tosca Elevates Star-Crossed Lovers to a Perfect Art Form

Front Row Reviewers

Front Row Reviewers

By Kathryn Olsen

A night at Utah Opera is always a recipe for an intensely emotional experience and the current production of Tosca at the Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City is certainly no exception. This 1900 opera by Giacomo Puccini and librettists Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa is a beloved classic of opera repertoire and 2022 marks the company’s seventh production since 1978. Its most famous arias are on my favorite opera compilations and I’ve heard many stories about its complicated staging, so I was thrilled to find myself in the audience for opening night.

As the opera opens in the Church of Sant’Andrea del Valle, escaped prisoner Cesare Angelotti (Scott Conner) takes sanctuary in the chapel and seeks out his painter friend Mario Cavaradossi (Dimitri Pittas). He is on the run from the police and their chief, the notorious Baron Scarpia (Stephen Powell). Mario takes time from his busy creative schedule to help Angelotti escape to Mario’s villa. Meanwhile, Floria Tosca (Katie Van Kooten), a renowned singer, arrives at the church to pray and lay flowers on the altar. She teases a declaration of love out of Mario and plots a romantic rendezvous with him. All plans are put on hold when Scarpia arrives in search of the prisoner. He becomes infatuated with Tosca and, knowing of Mario’s friendship with Angelotti and love of Tosca, decides to force Tosca into relations with him to save Mario from prosecution and probable death. The drama that ensues appropriately references the sadism of Iago in William Shakespeare‘s Othello and things turn out badly for all involved.

Van Kooten in the titular role spends very little of her time on stage in a state of well-being and the spectrum of her despair is rightfully the reason that this is a famous tragedy. She is a jealous type at the beginning, but the object of very sincere affection and a loving character in her relationship with Mario. She then spends two acts in a state of torture that is as real as what her lover is suffering at the hands of the police. Van Kooten performs a musically demanding role with incredible precision and fire, so that her prayer towards the end of Act 2, “Vissi d’Arte.” is made all the more poignant when it is a moment frozen in time.

Pittas’ Mario passion is no less, though it is focused largely on a different subject. His tragedy plays out as he is fiercely loyal to both his criminal friend and his political cause and he is brashly and marvelously prone to declaring his allegiance in ways that put his life in peril. Pittas’ intimate chemistry with Van Kooten is as striking as Van Kooten’s moments of quiet reflection. His musicality even makes his tormented screams poetic in their expression.

As for Scarpia, Powell lives up to the description that all of Rome once trembled before him. This is an artist who has played the title character in Sweeney Todd and is soon to play Iago in Giuseppe Verdi‘s Otello and neither role seems out of reach for the sadist who attempts to coerce sexual favors from Tosca by increasing the intensity of his officers’ brutality. His entire performance raises audiences’ hackles in the tradition of all great villains.

Of course, more supporting roles are cast very well. Act 1 is enhanced by two more background characters. Conner is the catalyst for the story as the escaped Angelotti and is the vivacious foil for the tyrannical police, taking things in stride as well as mischievous humor. Christopher Clayton appears as the well-meaning sacristan with a corresponding diligence and humility. Scarpia’s ruthlessness in Act 2 is enabled by his agents, played by Daniel O’Hearn and Evan Hammond to a degree that they are as despicable as they are commanding on stage.

One of the most delightful inclusions is that of the children’s choir. The altar boys at the church are played with unbridled enthusiasm by the Choristers of the Madeline Choir School. One of these Choristers creates a lovely contrast as the Shepherd Boy, singing of love and hope in the hours before Mario is to face the possibility of execution. Their contribution is guided by Children’s Chorus Director Melanie Malinka and cannot be overlooked.

The chorus is vocally strong as always, but shines most in creating the world in which the characters move. They are those excitedly participating in worship during the climax of Act 1 and singing off-stage with Tosca at a gala in the beginning of Act 2. They are also those just following orders and doing their duty as the patrolling soldiers at the prison in Castel Sant’Angelo in Act 3.

One of the most moving parts of the evening was something that was not anticipated by Puccini, but that he would have undoubtedly found appropriate. CEO and President of Utah Symphony and Utah Opera Steven Brosnik took the stage before a single note was sung or played to say that this opera is about the common man fighting against tyranny and they would be performing the Ukrainian national anthem in support of those affected by the Russian invasion. The entire cast performed the anthem while the supertitles provided the translation and voices from the audience joined in this show of solidarity.

Director Omer Ben Seadia and Assistant Director Eboni Adams are to applauded for the spectacular production that fuses high drama with stunning visuals. The scenery provided by Seattle Opera is so authentic to Rome itself that I was able to show a fellow audience member photos I had taken of the real-life counterparts, but the Set Design by Ercole Sormani is instrumental in maintaining the tension of the staging and Stage Manager Stephanie L. Canada skillfully executes the vision. The Lighting Designer Joe Beumer creates an appropriate ambience throughout, but the passage of time marked by the colors of the rising sun over Rome in Act 3 is the greatest example of his work. Costume Designer Susan Memmott Allred and Wigs/Makeup Designer Kae Casalino create striking combinations that speak to the character of each role as well as their intentions to great effect. As this opera is well-known for its stunning moments of violence, Fight Choreographer Christopher DuVal is invaluable in his contributions.

With its mature themes, off-stage torture, and on-stage violence, this is not a production that is recommended for children.

Tosca and Mario can only be found at the Castel until March 20, so give Scarpia the slip and get your tickets now. Audiences cannot help but be moved by the story of love and justice being the things in life truly worth fighting for.

Utah Opera Presents Tosca; By Giacomo Puccini, Libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa.
Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre, 50 W 200 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84101.
Mar 12-20, 2022, 7:00 or 7:30 PM (See website for individual performance times.)
Tickets: $10-106
www.usuo.org
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