by Michael Moran, Special to Berkshire on Stage
[EDITOR’S NOTE: The Williamstown Theatre Festival did not include Berkshire on Stage on their press email list, and we were informed by a “Dear Friends” letter that they were not able to seat our critics because of limited seating at their new venues. Consequently none of us are attending their productions professionally. Our collaborators at In the Spotlight were invited to review, and, since we have a reciprocal relationship with them, we are publishing their review of “Vanessa”. We are happy to support Heartbeat Opera and expand our coverage of opera for our readers.)
Since making a triumphant debut at New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 1958 and winning a Pulitzer Prize, American composer Samuel Barber’s opera “Vanessa,” with libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti, has had few revivals. Now comes the riveting world premiere of a minimalist adaptation by the inventive New York-based Heartbeat Opera which breathes new life into this psychological thriller by focusing on the inner lives of its five main characters.
Set in “a northern country” around 1905, the opera opens as Vanessa, “a lady of great beauty,” Erika, her 20-year-old niece, and the Baroness, Vanessa’s mother and Erika’s grandmother, wait in the drawing room of Vanessa’s country house for a guest to arrive. He turns out to be the twentyish son, Anatol, of Vanessa’s deceased lover, also named Anatol, whom she is expecting after a separation of 20-years. The coup de theatre at his entrance signals Anatol’s transformative effects on the three women and their family doctor as the rest of the opera unfolds.
Bare set design (the only props are four chairs) against a blank white background by director R. B. Schlather, eerie lighting design by Yuki Nakase Link, and stark black/white costume design by Terese Wadden create a haunting sense of claustrophobia in the intimate setting of WTF’s new 164-seat Annex theater. Heartbeat Artistic Director Jacob Ashworth has compressed the four-act original into 100-minutes without intermission. Co-music director Dan Schlosberg has reduced the full orchestration to seven instruments which produce surprisingly vivid sonorities.
Cast members, all with impressive professional resumes, meet the dramatic challenges of Barber’s neo-Romantic score and Menotti’s poetic text with consummate vocal and acting skills. Soprano Inna Dukach’s volatile Vanessa contrasts sharply with mezzo-soprano Ori Marcu’s subtly repressed Erika in their frequent exchanges. Tenor Roy Hage’s makes for a seductively appealing Anatol. Joshua Jeremiah’s warm, clear baritone gives his doctor a comforting presence. Mary Phillips’ rich, dark mezzo-soprano invests her stern Baroness with a commanding air.
Musical highlights include: Marcu’s poignant rendition of “Must the Winter Come So Soon;” Dukach’s tense, frenetic “Do Not Utter a Word;” and a mesmerizing quintet, “To Leave, To Break,” by the full ensemble. Schlosberg leads his virtuosic band with a mix of tight control and sensitivity.
This “Vanessa” for the 21st century, the first opera ever presented by WTF, is a milestone production for Heartbeat Opera and Williamstown.
For complete information about the cast and creative team of this production, click HERE.
Heartbeat Opera has some lovely rehearsal photos, taken by Arden Dickson, HERE.
Samuel Barber’s “Vanessa”, co-produced by Heartbeat Opera and the Williamstown Theatre Festival, runs July 17-August 3 at The Annex, 245 State Road (Rt. 2) in North Adams.