Guest reviewer Anthony Grigg enjoys a steamy and intense night at the opera.Composer:
Andre Previn; Librettist:
Philip Littell, based on the play by
Tennessee Williams. Performance: Opera Australia, Victorian Arts Centre, Melbourne, 12 December 2009
A steamy and humid night was had at the opera for the final performance of
Opera Australia’s production of
Andre Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire. With music, performances and a set which all evoked the humidity and sensuality of New Orleans, this rates as one of the best nights of operatic theatre provided by the national company in Melbourne for several years, and its critical and audience reception should encourage the company under its new Artistic Director,
Lyndon Terracini, to be more courageous in programming modern operatic compositions of quality.
The star of this work is Blanche DuBois who appears in all its nine scenes and is on stage for virtually the whole performance.
Yvonne Kenny, who first sang this role in Sydney in 2007, is simply magnificent in bringing this disturbed and desperate woman to life. Not only does she portray Blanche’s desires, fantasies and guilt with great credibility but does so to a musical line which is a complex amalgam of styles inspired by twentieth century jazz, blues and classical idioms and fiendishly difficult to sing. Her Act 3 aria “Who wants real? I want magic” in particular was so poignant in its delivery and revelation of the world of imagination and longing in which Blanche had come to live.
In baritone
Teddy Tahu Rhodes we have the Stanley Kowalski in both physique and voice to rival Marlon Brando’s performance in the 1951 movie version. Whereas in the movie version Stanley is not an entirely unlikeable character, in this opera he is fully revealed as a highly manipulative, uncultured and cruel sexual predator who manages to destroy Blanche and her dreams. Teddy injects his character with all the venom of man determined to reject everything that Blanche stands for, but who also unwittingly reveals his character’s weakness through both his possessiveness and emotional dependence on his wife Stella’s love and loyalty.
As Stella Kowalski,
Antoinette Halloran is the most likeable and gentle of all the characters and her singing throughout the evening was a delight to hear. She is in fine voice and every bit a match for both her domineering husband and emotionally unstable sister, Blanche. Her dreamlike state after a night of clearly fulfilling love and sex with Stanley at the end of Act 1 reveals her passion for him, his power over her and her imperviousness to Blanche’s entreaties to leave him.
The character of Mitch is a friend of Stanley and becomes the love interest of Blanche. Sung by tenor
Stuart Skelton, also in fine and sensitive voice, we are witness to Mitch’s awkwardness, his growing amorous infatuation and then revelation of his desperate love for her and her manipulation of his desires. In their long scene in Act 2 he unburdens his heart to her and she in return reveals her self-imposed guilt about the suicide of her young homosexual husband many years earlier. Here we have the emotional heart of the opera and the key to understanding Blanche. But any possible marriage between the two is eventually brought down by Stanley’s manipulation and jealousy in this intensely psychological and physical drama.
In a clever production directed by
Bruce Beresford and supported by set designer
John Stoddart, lighting designer
Nigel Levings and vision designer
Michael Gruchy, we are treated to a revolving stage which moves the scenes rapidly between three key performance spaces, requiring at times split second timing from the singers and stage management alike. Gruchy’s visual projections successfully and effectively add to an understanding of Blanche with images of the lost family mansion of Belle Reve, her brief time with her dead husband and the increasing fragmentation of her mental state.
Under the clear musical direction and baton of
Tom Woods, Orchestra Victoria performs this rhythmically and harmonically complex score with its usual accurate and impeccable style, supporting the singers where the music allows this and never failing to allow them to be heard when the musical and vocal lines are seemingly at odds with each other.
And while the libretto has had to be reduced from the 17,000 words of
Tennessee Williams’ original play to 7,500, the essence of the drama is retained and is so true to the original that I am confident the playwright would be proud of this new version of his work if he were still alive to witness this stunning production.
The Fool and the Opera presenter-on-leave Dan Vo consorts with the enemy in search of national opera secrets...
Other highlights include catching up with the gorgeous Antoinette Halloran, touching Teddy Tahu Rhode's bicep, and being entertained by Kanen Breen and Jacqui Dark who competed with each other to tell the funniest opera story told by method of pantomime.
Oh, if only I'd snuck in a wire too - there'd be program content for an entire year. Until next we meet, have a good one, and when you do finally bump into the socially-awkward opera spy, remember - please talk loudly towards my chest!
A Real Life Duo, Melbourne’s Mr Music and two handsome men.
Posts
