By Spicer W. Carr
Possibly the most adapted piece from the Shakespearian canon, Romeo and Juliet has seen itself reiterated on the stage in countless plays, musicals, ballets, and operas. What is even more astounding is that each adaptation seems to gain its own standing in the pantheon of classics and proves its own salt in the world of the arts. French composer Charles Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette finds itself in a similar position as it is both based on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers and proves to be a monumental work in its own right, for both singers and audience. And Utah Valley University’s Department of Music (directed by Dr. Isaac Hurtado) did indeed rise to the occasion in scale with their recent production of the classic, mounting the difficult work through both a visually and aurally beautiful production.
To start, hats must be taken off to the production and design team who stole the show with the visually stimulating and simply gorgeous world they created. Operas, for all their beauty and majesty, can be a bit long at times for a modern audience. And with this length, the mind can tend to wander a bit. Great care must be taken when putting on an opera to account for this length by giving the audience a visual stimulus of some kind to focus on, lest they tune out entirely. The simply gorgeous period costumes, designed by Jennessa Law, almost accomplish that on their own with their lush, rich fabrics and historically accurate features. The bulk of the wardrobe was loaned from the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, though many intricate pieces were designed for the production itself. The opening masked ball scene featured many exquisite masks hand-crafted by. Law herself, showcasing her taste for the sophisticated while also giving us clues as to the nature of the characters doning them. Juliet (Claire Glaitti/Sarah Frazier) enters in with a radiant Sun-Goddess mask, adorned with beams of light and stars shooting out from the sides. Her father, Lord Capulet (Tyler Oliphant), featured a Sphinx on his face, which showcased his wisdom and power. Even some of the minor characters, like Gregorio (Mike Blackburn/Jason Robison) wore Commedia dell’arte masks (to be specific, the mask of Zanni) to showcase their comic role in the plot. Perhaps the most splendid costumes from the whole evening were worn by Glaitti, Oliphant, and Spencer Baldwin/Bretton Floyd as Le Duc. Their noble regalia was simply a sight to behold, showcasing such ornate decorations that one could spend the whole scene trying to trace them out.
Scenic and lighting design also helped to stimulate the mind by marrying sophistication with simplicity. Though some scenes, like the opening ball and the infamous balcony scene, featured large, complicated unit set pieces, Set and Lighting Designer Jaron Kent Hermansen opted instead to set a majority of the opera with a different tone. Since most scenes took place in more intimate settings, like the chambers of Friar Lawrence (Jordan Sabey), Juliet’s bedroom, or the Capulets’ tomb, Hermansen decided to highlight these familiar and personal spaces by using simple props and minimal set pieces to indicate the place of the action. A podium, bed, or a handful of baskets was enough information to inform the audience, which then allowed the focus to settle on the singers and their performance.
This focus was utilized to its fullest existent by breathtaking performances delivered by Glaitti, Esteban Senzig/Jonah Hoskins (Romeo), and Leavitt (Tybalt). Glaitti’s portrayal of Juliet was foremost marked by her sparkling soprano voice, and the effortless flowing through the difficult sections of coloratura in Gounod’s score. Indeed, Glaitti is a singer whose career should be watched by all in the music scene, whose young voice makes up for what it lacks in years with sheer talent and passion. Her young energy portrayal of Juliet matches perfectly with Gounod’s musical setting of the character, which features a good deal of trills, scales, and passionate cadenzas. Her stage partner, Senzig, also wows with the sheer size of his dramatic tenor voice. Very rarely does one find such volume in a young voice, but Senzig amazes us time and time again and proves that such power can be found in a 25-year-old. But perhaps the greatest coup of the evening is found in Leavitt’s performance of Tybalt, as he not only shows the power and volume of his own voice but demonstrates the coloristic choices and dramatic interpretation that can be produced in song. Some other noted performances throughout the night include Carlie Beckert/Jana Kay Conrad (Gertrude), Ashley Shamey/Jessica Bastean-Ficklin as the pants role of Stephano, Benjamin Perry as the comic yet tragic Mercutio, and Oliphant in his humanistic approach to the Capulet patriarch.
Music for the evening was lead under the baton of maestro Nicoli Giusti, a seasoned veteran of the opera world, having been formerly employed by the Teatro alla Scala and leading orchestras across the globe in Europe, Asia, and America. His careful direction helped guide the singers through some particularly difficult rhythmic sections, and helped guide the chorus back in effortlessly when they fell off the beat. Reduced orchestrations were prepared by Johannes Bowman (a UVU music student) and Marcel Bowman, allowing for the ensemble to shrink down from a full-sized symphony to an intimate chamber orchestra. This orchestra was manned by a vanguard of professional musicians in the community, offering a unique experience for UVU students as they worked with the top players in the community. Music preparation was made possible by Rebecca Pachceo, Dylan Glenn, and Maris Bosworth.
Another nice touch to the evening was the addition of dancers in the prologue. Members of the Utah Metropolitan Ballet helped create a sort of ‘dumb show’ outlining the events that take place in the opera. The dancing was simple yet elegant, not distracting to the music or text but rather adding to it. Choreography was provided by Utah Metropolitan Ballet’s owner, Jackie Colledge.
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Though you may not consider yourself an opera buff, you soon will find yourself in love with the art form after such an evening. Dr. Hurtado’s seamless production blends all elements of theatre together to truly represent the best of what opera can accomplish. You may not have considered seeing an opera, but after an evening at UVU’s Roméo et Juliette, you soon will find that sentiment changed.
UVU School of the Arts presents Roméo et Juliette by Charles Gounod
Loveland Performing Arts Center, Heritage School, Riverwoods, Provo, UT 84604
January 18-22, 2018 7:30 PM
Tickets: $10-14
Contact: 801-863-7529
UVU School of the Arts Facebook Page
Roméo et Juliette Facebook Event
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