The Opera: that I can never remember how to spell or pronounce (Classical Acting)

I was lucky enough to see the Saturday night performance of this show. I have been told that was the best night, in fact, to see it. So I feel quite lucky. I walked in just as the lights dimmed and the music of the overture began. As the orchestra began to fill the auditorium, my breath was taken away. The sweeping sounds of various instruments all playing together in harmonies almost too complex to catch was remarkable. I get so used to being a part of shows with small orchestrations that to experience something so sweeping and beautiful was surreal. Quite honestly the orchestrations were my favorite part of this opera; what a neat experience to be a part of.

When I regained control of my breathing I took in the stage and about lost it once more. We have such talented designers at SUU. The marble pillars were painted with such care and detail that I had to remind myself that they were set pieces. Then the show began and the lighting painted these beautiful tapestries of light and color across the stage. My eyes enjoyed almost three hours of stimulation and indulgence; dancing from the lighting to the set changes to the costumes.

And those costumes were stunning. The jewel tones balanced with the lighting and the colors of the set pieces perfectly. It was such a cohesive design. Until Claire Robinson stepped out in the second act wearing a bright, canary yellow gown. Now, I understand that her character was meant to stand out. I understand that I am not a design major and that I was not the one that designed this show. But that color did not belong on that stage in that color scheme. The gown was gorgeous, there is no argument about that. However every time she came on stage in that dress I was thrown out of the show and all I could think about was how terrible it looked against everything else. Which truly was too bad because Claire has an incredible voice. She is stunningly talented and yet she was costumed in such a poor color.

Aside from the yellow dress, my biggest issue with this show was that I could only hear and understand about half of it. So much so that when it ended I didn’t have a clue as to how the conflict was resolved. I felt like I didn’t understand any of the characters or their purposes or character arcs. I felt completely robbed. The biggest exceptions were Keaton Johns and Robert Wilson. I could hear and understand everything they said and sang. I was reminded again just how important diction and projection truly are. It is vitally important to slow down and enunciate everything we say when we are on stage. Otherwise the audience won’t catch the story we are trying to tell.