I’ve watched a dozen different “Romeos” and “Juliets” die since I was, probably 9 years old. Last night at the Orpheum theatre in Opera Omaha’s production of The Capulets and the Montagues by Vincenzo Bellini, I saw them come to life. Hearing this story told in Bellini’s uniquely theatrical, melodic language, was a gift.
Yuki Izumihara’s set design placed the action of the story in a crypt like space. The industrial colors and textures put the grave story outside time and space, accenting the enduring Shakespearian morality tale and its message that hate destroys us all. Shauna Davis and Sam Shapiro added a kinesthetic depth to the production by interpolating the action of the story around the singers. Their visual storytelling breathed with the music and provided a stimulating way to ponder the passions of the characters in a new manner. A third dancer was billed differently, as Lighting Designer, Pablo Santiago. While Santiago never took the stage, and of course didn’t literally dance, the poignant, active, and constant interplay between light and shadow was riveting. Singers’ faces rose and fell in and out of darkness like the sun and the moon, while their shadows scaled the illustrative, glowing panels surrounding them. The orchestra was predictably outstanding befitting the reputation of the world class ensemble conducted by Christopher Allen. Director James Darrah’s vision of the story was compelling. It was consuming to get to know these dynamic characters in the variant world Bellini and his librettist, Felice Romani, adapted from Shakespeare’s most famous play. Jesus Garcia charmed as Tebaldo, a character written to be far sexier and more nuanced in the Opera, than was his vengeful counterpart from the original source material. Andrew Manea, similarly warmed the stage with his deep and evocative voice. But most enthralling were the lovers around whom this infamous tale of star-crossed tragedy revolves. Andriana Chuchman’s Giulietta was exhilarating. Her razor’s edge accuracy flowed through a rich soprano sonority so enveloping one could wear it home. Cecilia Hall’s Romeo was equal parts dramatic allure and vocal feast. The color of Hall’s voice steals listeners away from the world they left outside the theatre. Both women displayed human characters of matchless physical and spiritual beauty. The best operas are so well organized that a patron can ignore the supertitles, and let the music and performance entrap them, such that the story and the drama are crystal clear without the necessity of any translation or support. Opera Omaha’s The Capulets and the Montagues is one of those shows. You can’t take your eyes of off it and it will linger in your imagination.
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My StoryI grew up in church music and musical theatre. From my collegiate career and beyond I've traveled through opera, the symphony, the theatre and worship as a student, a performer, an entrepreneur, and a journalistic correspondent. I'm thrilled to have an opportunity to share with you some of the incredible and fascinating endeavors I continue to undertake in music and the arts. I don't need you to see the world the way I do, but I'll do everything I can to help you enjoy it as much as I have. |