Florida by Randall Eng and Donna DiNovelli has been under construction for nearly fifteen years, although DiNovelli as librettist has been working on the idea for longer than that. During the pre-opera talk, the composer admitted that they’d wavered between their child being an opera or a musical theatre piece. I was glad I’d heard that, when, afterwards I didn’t know what it was, either. My companion, who is more a theater person thought it very operatic in nature. On the other hand, I was brought up on opera and classical music, and thought it more suited to musical theater.
I liked the music very much, jazzy and witty as it was, (somewhat reminiscent of Kurt Weill) but truly, after 33 individual songs, they began to sound very similar in nature. Very listenable and enjoyable, but nothing really stayed with me. It was all very well played by the 17 piece orchestra seated at the rear of the stage behind a scrim, and effervescently conducted by Mary Chun. The singers were all excellent at singing and acting, with Carol Dusdieker earning top marks for channeling Marilyn Monroe in her portrayal of the 16 year old title character, Florida Fandango.
If one knew just the story-line going in, the expectation would be of a grim, somber type tale. Not so! The piece unfolded in 33 vignettes of varying but short lengths, almost all of them ending with a witty punchline, drawing laughter from the audience. Florida is accused and tried for matricide, supposedly having seduced her boyfriend Marc (Philippe Pierce) into doing the actual killing. But then after she was acquitted, they all thought she'd seduced the jury as well, or at the very least, the jury foreman. Of course, the intense scrutiny of the media contributed greatly to all the commotion that followed.
There was a humorous look at the autopsy process, prying neighbors (the Redwoods) and celebrity caused by all the media attention. Jonathon Field paid the project the ultimate compliment by treating it seriously, while still finding the whimsy within. He directed the project with care and dignity, providing it with a truly professional appearance and demeanor. Costumes were mostly black, but occasionally, the cast used white masks, and Florida wore a bright red bolero.
Chairs and tables in varying configurations were pretty much the entire set, but with a marvelous assist in the lighting department from Jeremy Benjamin.
Others in the cast were Kimberly Lauritsen (One Dead Mother in the first act and a judge in the second), Andrew Papas (Redwood Son), Jessica Riley (Redwood Child), Kasey Stewart (Female Redwood) and Jonathan Stuckey (Male Redwood).
Cleveland was allowed this showcase, due to a cooperative venture with the New York City Opera's "VOX: Showcasing American Composers" Program, which is highly to be commended! We desperately need to see more of such works-in-progress, in order to find opera for this century to complement what has gone before.
We can but hope that the new Opera Cleveland will figure largely in future collaborations with VOX. Every opera company everywhere should indulge in something similar to this, even with a bare-bones budget, by providing workshop opportunities for new composers and lyricists. I believe it could also open the doors to a new audience and maybe even (gasp) future subscribers and donors!
Whether I understood it or liked it is entirely beside the point. I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to see it, and I daresay others in the audience felt the same way. And that's what's important!
This was the final performance under the auspices of Lyric Opera Cleveland, ending 33 years of sprightly and interesting productions. They are now officially part of the new Opera Cleveland, along with the former Cleveland Opera. For information about schedules and tickets for the coming season, call (216) 575-0903.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATadelphia.net (:divend:)