MOT's uneven 'Merry Widow' never finds consistent groove
It's always interesting to hear a gifted singer taking a new role out for a spin. Certainly the most newsworthy aspect of Michigan Opera Theatre's production of Franz Lehar's "The Merry Widow," which opened Saturday, is witnessing the celebrated dramatic soprano Deborah Voigt making her debut as Hanna Glawari.
Hanna, a wealthy widow of a certain age and all the rage of Belle Époque Paris, has a lot riding on her love life. With her tiny Balkan nation facing bankruptcy, she's being pressed by Pontevedrian officials to marry a son of her homeland to prevent her millions from leaving the country. Meanwhile, she's also trying to negotiate her own heartstrings and romantic destiny.
The role requires that Voigt recalibrate her voice and persona from the gravitas of the Wagner and Strauss heroines that made her a star to the lighter touch and effervescence required of Lehar's buoyant waltzes and wistful lyricism. It was not always a smooth transition on Saturday. Voigt appeared tentative, dancing a little awkwardly, tripping occasionally over the chatty spoken dialogue and only rarely unleashing the full gale-force power of her voice, perhaps for fear of overwhelming the music's delicate balance of charm, humor and humanity.
But there were also moments when Voigt's brilliance was undeniable and her Hanna pulsated with possibilities. At the start of the second act, she caressed "Vilja, o Vilja" a love song of deep longing and folksong contours, with relaxed strength, supple phrasing, sumptuous texture and a natural sweetness that lingered in the air long after the music ended.
In a way, the unsettled qualities of Voigt's performance were mirrored by the production as a whole, which only rarely found its equilibrium. It's not easy to put your finger on what exactly went wrong. Conductor Gerald Streichen drew plenty of rewarding, elegant playing from the MOT Orchestra, and the Utah Opera production design featuring Michael Yeargan's Art Nouveau sets and Susan Memmott's costumes — think swirling lines, lovely lavenders and a storybook vibe — looked fabulous. Jeffrey Rebudal's athletic choreography also had its moments.
As Hanna's doppelganger and ultimate match Count Danilo, tenor Roger Honeywell sang with warm expression and excellent diction if not much guts, and he was a convincing playboy. Amanda Squitieri and Aaron Blake were perfectly fine as Valencienne and Camille, and Richard Suart's bumbling Baron Mirko Zeta hammed it up.
Yet there just weren't that many laughs. Sheldon Harnick's English translation sounded dated, and the verbal sparring didn't pop. Stage director Kelly Robinson never quite struck a consistent groove. The Broadway-inspired kick lines added much needed pizazz, but only Jason Graae as Njegus, who seemed to be channeling Steve Martin's version of Inspector Clouseau, delivered the comic goods. The moral? An operetta written a century ago and rooted in a foreign popular culture ain't easy to pull off. And, as Hanna says repeatedly, that's the long and short of that.
Contact Mark Stryker: 313-222-6459 mstryker@freepress.com
Lehar's 'The Merry Widow'
Two stars (out of four stars)
Repeat performances at 7:30 p.m. Wed. and Fri., and 2:30 p.m. Sun.
Detroit Opera House, 1526 Broadway, Detroit. 313-237-7464. www.michiganopera.org. $25-$125.