Review: 'Morning Star' tuneful but trying

"O Morning Star," sung by Irving and Fanny in Cincinnati Opera's "Morning Star," captured the hopes and dreams of the opera's characters with an aura of nostalgic charm.

There were other memorable tunes in "Morning Star," the new opera by Ricky Ian Gordon to a libretto by William M. Hoffman, which was given its world premiere by Cincinnati Opera on Tuesday night. A fine cast of singing actors populated the Felderman living room, and Gordon's inventive musical score accompanied them through their epic, immigrant family journey.

But, at the end of the three-hour evening, it was unfortunate that the sum of its parts failed to add up to a cohesive or coherent whole.

"Morning Star," through July 19 in Corbett Theater at the School for Creative and Performing Arts, is Cincinnati Opera's first world premiere of a main-stage opera in more than 50 years.

The two-act opera, based on the 1940 play by Sylvia Regan, follows the Felderman family, Russian Jewish immigrants in New York's Lower East Side, from 1910 through World War I and the Depression era of the early '30s. It is set against the backdrop of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911.

"Morning Star," the opera, actually began life in the late 1990s, when Gordon was composer-in-residence at Lyric Opera of Chicago. It was initially planned as a collaboration of Lyric Opera of Chicago and The Goodman Theatre. After the project was dropped, it was resurrected in 2012 by Opera Fusion: New Works, a project of Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music to develop new opera.

In its current form, it is part musical theater and part opera. Ron Daniels (who contributed needed dramaturgical advice to the creators) provided some imaginative staging. But dramatically, the work bogged down during a very lengthy Act I. Initially, the characterizations of the sisters were hard to follow. And there was little to make us care about them. Things moved better in Act II.

Gordon, a gifted songwriter and composer of several noted operas, including his recent "27" for Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, drew from a melting pot of musical styles. His score echoed songs of the Yiddish theater, early jazz, ragtime, boogie-woogie and, in scenes from the '30s, recalled Kurt Weill's musical idioms for the stage. The Kaddish, the traditional Jewish prayer for the dead, was woven into the prologue and epilogue.

Hoffman's libretto was at times poetic or sentimental, other times groaningly clichéd. The constant rhyming became tedious – babies rhymed with rabies, latkes with "hot kiss." The story was told in a combination of spoken dialogue, and angular, high-flying arioso – which grew repetitious. Songs often swelled into choruses for the full cast.

The period melodrama revolved around matriarch Becky Felderman, sung by Twyla Robinson. We were introduced to her as she studied for her citizenship at the kitchen table, while Aaron Greenspan (Morgan Smith) lounged on the sofa. Smith's firm baritone and natural stage presence were assets in the role of Becky's boarder-turned-suitor. Gordon's song for him, "Marry Me, Becky," had the kind of instant appeal that is destined for life beyond the opera stage.

Robinson's performance was less convincing. Her signature moment as Becky arrived in her touching hymn, "The Family Abides." If only her character's strength had remained central throughout.

The three daughters, Fanny (Jennifer Zetlan), Esther (earnestly sung by Elizabeth Zharoff) and Sadie (Elizabeth Pojanowski) flirted, dreamed, got pregnant, married and bickered. After dying in the fire, Esther returned as her ghost.

Zetlan, as Fanny, put her silvery soprano to work in "If I'm not allowed to sing" when her dreams of a career on the stage were dashed by marriage. With his expressive tenor, Andrew Bidlack was a perfect match as her aspiring songwriter-husband, Irving Tashman.

Pojanowski impressed as Sadie, the daughter who is driven – first by spurned love, and later by blind ambition. In the role of Harry, the school teacher who first marries Esther and subsequently her sister, Andrew Lovato gave an impassioned performance when he'd finally had enough.

I'm not sure what the two stereotypical African-American characters added to the tale, except that it was a joy to hear the exceptional voices of Larry Hylton (Prince, a fish peddler) and Jeanine De Bique (Pearl).

In other roles, Adria Caffaro performed admirably as Mary, the Irish immigrant friend who jumps to her death with Esther. Spencer Viator was fine as Hymie, Becky's ghostly son who was killed in the war, and Owen Gunderman was an irresistible young Hymie. Kenneth Shaw (Rabbi) sang richly in the Kaddish.

The production's scenic design by Riccardo Hernandez was spare, with period furniture and costumes. A triangular backdrop served well for projections of historic photos of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, the tragic fire and the women's labor movement. (The projections were designed by Wendall K. Harrington.)

One of the bright lights was the small orchestra, members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, led by Christopher Allen. Newly appointed as Cincinnati Opera's resident conductor, the conductor propelled the score with well-judged tempos and attention to detail.

"Morning Star" continues through July 19 in Corbett Theater, SCPA, Over-the-Rhine. Tickets: 513-241-2742, www.cincinnatiopera.org.