Well, in some ways it worked very well, and in others maybe not quite so well. Director Jonathon Field wrote a good bit (perhaps all?) of the dialogue and devised the Martian Shuffle choreography for the chorus as well, which was a big hit. The dialogue was very punny in nature, almost as though one had detoured through southern America on the way to Mars. There were also sight gags aplenty.
The first act was brilliant, beginning with the brightly-colored, cartoonish space vehicles chasing each other back and forth across the stage. Once the curtain went up, the comedy continued as a green-faced Osmin (Gregory Stapp) vigorously interacted with the down-home Pedrillo of Tim Culver. These two must have been channeling Abbott and Costello or maybe the sheriff and his deputy from Mayberry. Whichever, they were wonderful singers and actors throughout.
The set by Don McBride was bright and colorful, greatly resembling a basket woven of pastel strips and then turned upside-down. Minarets towered over the set, but they looked more like huge sulfur matches. Maybe they’re supposed to, on Mars. Who knows for sure? Lighting by Jeremy Benjamin added to the sunny setting. Costume designer Naima Hadden let her imagination loose to good advantage, especially in the Martian mode. The costume worn by the Pasha (Greg Violand in a non-singing role) greatly resembled that worn by Wotan in the Chereau/Bayreuth Ring Cycle from the late 70s. Makeup by Rachel Geary added greatly to the green-skinned chorus and the Pasha, giving him interesting looking tattoos on either side of his neck, extending upwards to the jaw area.
Belmonte and Pedrillo looked as though they stepped right out of the Starship Enterprise, while Blondie (local singer Andrea Chenoweth) looked more like Ethel Mertz. On the other hand, Constanze (Anne Dreyer) was Jackie Kennedy reincarnated, complete to the brunet flip hairstyle, pink pillbox hat and pink Chanel-style suit. At least she was able to take off her jacket for the second act.
Generally, the singing was excellent, although tenor Salvatore Champagne as Belmonte had occasional bits of trouble with his English accent while singing. Since most of the dialogue was between Pedrillo and Osmin or Pedrillo and Blondie, it was very easily understood.
Conductor Steven Smith kept the small orchestra moving briskly and tunefully through the delightful Mozartean melodies, always providing a good foundation for the singers, without ever overpowering them.
Because of the usual picnic intermission format, the first act, being so full of action, funny lines and laughter, was delightfully short. This meant that the second half—incorporating the usual acts two and three, and being more static in nature—was much longer. Or maybe it was that more of the staging in this portion was of the stand and face the audience type of singing. It got a bit draggy towards the end. But, borrowing--sort of--from the Bard – all’s well that lands well.
Next up for Lyric Opera Cleveland is Das Barbecü, a look at Wagner’s Ring cycle as seen through Texan eyes on July 12, 15 and 16. The Annual Apprentice Showcase has a new concept this year: a one night (July 26) presentation of a new work—Florida—by Randall Eng. For tickets or other information, call the ticket office at (216) 795-7000, ext. 4 or visit their web-site: http://www.lyricoperacleveland.org.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATadelphia.net
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