Puppet Masters

Ariodante – Lyric Opera of Chicago

Ariodante, premiering this week at the Lyric, is story of a medieval Scottish prince and his betrothed, Ginevra. The Evil Duke (Are there any non-evil Dukes in opera?) is Ariodante’s rival for Ginevra’s hand. She spurns him, but since women weren’t really allowed opinions at this time, the Duke carries on, tricking Ariodante into believing Ginevra has been unfaithful. Ariodante is heartbroken and Ginevra faces execution for a sin she did not commit. The Duke now plans to intervene to save her, winning the King’s favor and her affections.

I’m reviewing my second opera in as many weeks, and I’m starting to figure out how to watch an opera, if that makes sense. Stories just break down differently in an opera than in a modern play or a musical. In a modern musical, the song progresses the story. Something is different as a result of the song being sung. In an opera, the singers largely sing about their feelings, leaving the narrative to pushed forward in brief snippets of sung dialogue. So the point of the song is not to progress the story, but to be a beautiful piece of music. Fortunately, much of the music in Ariodante is gorgeous.

Brenda Rae as the aggrieved princess Ginevra was great. Her voice is gorgeous and she could really act through the song. Given how much of the show focuses on her feelings and her actions, the show should probably have been called ‘Ginevra.’ I also enjoyed Eric Ferring as Lurcanio, Ariodante’s brother. A combination of his youthful energy and obvious talent made him ideal for the part. Alice Coote who was cast in the title role unfortunately had the flu and her understudy, Julie Miller went on in her place. Modern theater has also taught me to assume there is a narrative point to gender-bent casting, but here, it is a concession to the fact that we no longer have castrati (thankfully) to sing those notes. Miller felt hesitant in a few places, but overall, was very good as well. The standout for me, among the talented cast was Heidi Stober as Dalinda, Ginevra’s maid, manipulated by the Duke into helping him. Her part was the most narratively complex, and supported by an amazing vocal performance is the character I was most interested in.

My main complaint from a narrative standpoint is the title character basically impedes the action at every turn, even making allowances for the simpler, slower developed stories of this type of show. If Ariodante burst into the room when he believes Ginevra is having an affair, he would have detected the ruse immediately. If he had directly confronted Ginevra before running away, that would have swiftly solved the problem, or at least provided an opportunity for more drama when he has to decide whether he believes her. As it stands, Ariodante largely appears to feel sad for extended periods and then disappear while the story is happening.

A definite highlight of the show for me was the replacement of dance numbers with some really incredible puppetry. Puppetry is definitely one of those art forms that when it works is fantastic, and when it’s anything short of fantastic, it’s unbearable. Fortunately here, the puppets, avatars of Ginevra and Ariodante, are gorgeously made, and the sequences some of the most active and funny of the night. If I ever become king of anywhere, I will definitely handle all accusations in my court through sarcastic puppetry.

In the debit column on the staging, the show, separate from what is in the original text, resets the Evil Duke as a Calvinist priest and sexual predator. He sneaks into Ginevra’s room as sniffs her stockings while singing about her. A scene of the Duke semi-graphically assaulting Dalinda is added under another character’s aria. It left me feeling unsettled, but not in a dramatically satisfying way. I will leave the addition of some…fascinating art pieces that are best experienced with no warning to you to draw to your own conclusions. One further addition to the staging of the final song meaningfully changes the ending of the original, but again, I don’t want to spoil anything.

In the end, I largely enjoyed myself. The performances were very good, and the music at many points was gorgeous. The run time of 4 hours including two intermissions is a bit of a turnoff, and informs the advice I’ll end my review on:

This is a good show, but it is not for the uninitiated. If you are trying to twist someone’s arm to try opera for the first time, you probably want to drag them to La Traviata before it closes. That said, the music is beautiful and the cast very talented, and as long as you clear your entire evening, I think this show is worth it.

Recommended

Reviewed by Kevin Curran

Presented March 2 – March 17 by the Lyric Opera of Chicago at the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago.

Tickets are available in person at the box office, by calling 312-827-5600 or by visiting www.lyricopera.org.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found at www.theatreinchicago.com.