“Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents’ strife.”
—Prologue to Romeo and Juliet – William Shakespeare
When Knoxville Opera last performed Charles Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette in 2012, music director Brian Salesky recognized that reminding the audience of the majesty of the original Shakespearean language added immeasurably to the atmosphere of the opera—atmosphere that cannot easily be duplicated in an adapted work in another language and genre. To accomplish that, actors appeared by the Tennessee Theatre’s proscenium wall and prefaced a few of the scenes with brief excerpts of the actual Shakespearean text—like the prologue above—with Gounod music to underscore.
Roméo et Juliette returned to Knoxville audiences this weekend with the atmospheric Shakespearean reminder intact—this time with actors Calvin MacLean, Brady Moldrup, and Callie Bacon—but updated with a marvelously fresh and articulate staging by director Laura Alley. And, speaking of fresh—most of the cast was making their Knoxville Opera debut.
In a regional opera company like Knoxville Opera, casting is always fraught with trade-offs—perhaps even more so with an opera like Roméo et Juliette where the title singers must be able to sell the romance and energetic youthfulness of the star-crossed lovers, but with a vocal and dramatic sophistication that usually comes with extensive experience. In this case, Salesky found a splendid pair of singers, soprano Yulan Piao as Juliet and tenor Mackenzie Whitney as Romeo, both making an impressive Knoxville Opera debut.
Piao brought a beautiful lyrical clarity to her Juliet, a clarity that she easily tinted with moments of crystalline coloratura that added a perfect edge to vocal details. Piao also had the ability to surprise the listener with a command of dynamics when necessary, a vocal depth that belied her youthful physical stature. Dramatically, Piao was simply everything one could ask for in a sympathetic, theatrical portrayal of Juliet.
Thankfully, Whitney was a perfect match for Piao, not only as the quintessentially handsome lover, but also as an equal vocal and dramatic partner in the pair’s love duets. His romantic lyrical tenor was conspicuously smooth, but passionate, filled with warmth in his mid-range and an unprepossessing clarity in the upper. Like Piao, Whitney’s physical movement bubbled with vitality, yet with a stage presence that seemed natural and unforced.
For the sake of keeping performances to under three hours for reasons of budget and audience, Salesky did a substantial amount of editing of the Gounod libretto and score. This meant not only shortening scenes and passages, but also downgrading the importance of many of the secondary characters in the Montague and Capulet family camps. Perhaps even more noticeable than it was in the 2012 production, this editing left the background story quite bare and one-dimensional, with some characters essentially deprived of meaningful definition and some dramatic points left unrevealed.
Certainly noticeable, though, was tenor Wayd Odle as the full-of-hate Capulet, Tybalt. Odle, who has become quite well known in Knoxville for his leading roles with UT Opera Theatre, brought not only a sensational vocal performance, but also a rough-and-tumble dramatic character.
Elevating his truncated role was baritone Brian James Myer as Romeo’s friend, Mercutio. In his KO debut, Myer made it on to the list of baritones we’ll watch for in the future for smooth, velvety tone and attractively turned characters. Notable, too, were Aubrey Odle as Juliet’s nurse, Gertrude, and bass Andrew Wentzel as the immensely pivotal—but shortened—character of Friar Laurence. Mezzo-soprano Cornelia Lotito did a remarkable job with what remained of the pants role of Stephano.
Despite the lessened significance of the background Capulets and Montagues, director Alley created some intriguing dramatic involvement and beautiful tableaux for the excellent Knoxville Opera Chorus under chorus master Don Townsend. Working with Alley for the dramatic sword fights was combat director Charles R. Miller; lighting by John Horner was not only atmospheric and moody, but had some artfully timed cueing that beautifully and precisely matched the pacing of the romantic score.
Inevitably, though, the cutting removed some of Gounod’s heat, strength, violence, and tension. What’s left, of course, is still the charming romance of star-crossed lovers, but one in which the undercurrent of hate in two feuding families has been downplayed. In other words, this was a Roméo et Juliette that was lighter and less riveting and weighty. Nevertheless, the atmosphere of Shakespeare prevailed, as did the bittersweet romance. Maestro Salesky, with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra in the pit, provided a sense of musical storytelling that took the audience along for a perfect Valentines Day evening.
Photos courtesy of Alan Sims, InsideOfKnoxville.com
