By Mary Brassard
The Utah Opera is bringing us another amazing show: Die Fledermaus. There is something extra special about this one. It’s the final show in Utah Opera’s 40th season! That’s right, the Utah Opera is older than I am, and carries its age beautifully. I had the exciting opportunity to attend a media round table before their opening of the show next week. I got to meet some of the actors, as well as the music director and director.
Johann Strauss Jr’s Die Fledermaus (that is pronounced de-flad-er-mouse) ends Utah Opera’s 40th anniversary season on a celebratory note, with lavish costumes, a masked Viennese ball, a cast of outrageous characters, and a “Champagne Song” finale. Leading the cast, chorus, and musicians of the Utah Symphony is Gary Thor Wedow, a conductor known for his work around the country, and Kyle Lang makes his directorial debut with Utah Opera.
The upcoming offering is a high energy comedy. It’s what is called an operetta, which means there are scenes with dialogue, as well as the operatic music and aria’s you expect. Die Fledermaus is a German Opera. However, it has been translated, and is performed in English both the dialogue and the songs. There will be supertitles (subtitles on a screen above the stage) during the songs, but not during the spoken scenes.
I got to meet actors Troy cook and Abigail Levis. They are playing two hilarious men in a tricky revenge plot (that’s right, two men, although Levis is a woman). As they were posing for photos, just their facial expressions were so hilarious and full of mischief, I was so entertained just watching them silently manipulate their faces, I could have watched them for an hour. Neither actor lives in Utah (Levis in LA, and Cook just outside Philadelphia) but Cook particularly loves the hiking that Utah offers. Both expressed a love for Die Fledermaus, and how much they love to perform comedy. I asked them both flat out, what they thought about the difference in performing a drama versus a comedy. Levis quickly responded that comedy is harder, and Cook remarked that comedy had to be played with the whole room, you can’t be inside yourself, and that you have to play it even more serious than a drama, in order for the farcical elements to be believable. I so enjoyed chatting with both actors, and can’t wait to see them light up the stage.
Wedow and Lang were also delightful to talk to. I asked Wedow to describe to me what the musical director does versus the staging director. He passionately described how the musical director works with the voices in the song and the more technical musical elements and the staging director puts them on the stage and directs the acting and story elements, and movement (which, as a choreographer originally, Lang described movement is very important in everything he puts on stage). He described very fervently how they are a team. One does not supercede the other and they work together to bring about a full and complete show. The musical director will often have comments or requests about the staging in regards to the singing or how long a note is being held out during a physical moment and vice versa as a staging director may ask for a lesser held out note or something more staccato to emphasize emotion, etc.
The lead actors are often brought in from out of state. They are professional actors who audition for and perform in shows all over the country. (Although it is of note that several of these particular lead actors did their residencies with Utah Opera, which is a part of their Opera training/college education). The Utah Opera chorus however is comprised of all local Utah residents. Many have day jobs but perform in the Opera at night all year long. I asked both the musical director and director what they thought of the Utah Opera chorus, and both could not more passionately praise their performers. In fact, they got in a fun little dispute over whether it would be appropriate to say they are definitely the best chorus they’ve ever worked with or maybe it’s more appropriate to just say they’re definitely one of, if not, the best. Some of the chorus has been with the Opera for over 20 years. I feel a sense of pride in our city to have a chorus that is so well spoken of by these opera professionals.
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Lang began as a choreographer. He is now the director of Die Fledermaus, opening at Utah Opera next week. I asked if he’s ever done traditional musicals or straight plays. He said although he’s thought about a crossover he sees no real reason to, as he loves the medium of opera so much and feels so happy in what he’s doing. I loved feeling his fervent love for art form. I love the expression of someone so confident in loving what they do, that they don’t feel the need to move on anytime soon.
And everyone I talked to at the Utah Opera, I very much felt that same sense of love throughout. I felt that the opera is something special and it needs to be brought to everyday audiences, audiences who have maybe never considered tickets to the opera. It is something that needs to be kept alive not only in Salt Lake City Utah, but everywhere. I look forward to learning more about the Utah Opera and the upcoming performance of Die Fledermaus.
Utah Opera presents Johann Strauss Jr’s Die Fledermaus
Capitol Theatre, 50 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101
May 12, 14, 16, 18 7:30 PM, May 20 2:00 PM
Tickets: $15-105
Contact: 801-533-6683
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