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Macbeth
By Michael Van Duzer
Giuseppe Verdi was a lifelong admirer of the works of Shakespeare. He wrote three operas based on Shakespearean plays. Otello and Falstaff, his final operas, are mature works of genius that compare favorably with their source material. Macbeth, his first Shakespearean adaptation, may not have the mastery and finesse of the later works but makes up for it with the energy and gleeful muscle-flexing of a maverick, young composer finding his voice. Opera Pacific, a company that also seems to be finding its voice, gambled on a production of Macbeth and the result is an exciting evening of musical theatre.
Director Colin Graham takes a straightforward approach to the material that clarifies and streamlines the action. Dark but never brooding, the blood-soaked plot plays out at a furious pace that is entirely in step with Verdi's energetic score. Graham's major innovation is to play up the sensuality of Lord and Lady Macbeth. There is never any doubt that this couple still enjoys the physical side of their relationship-providing an added soupçon of power for the formidable Lady.
To portray the tragic pair, Opera Pacific brought in two singers who prove more than up to the challenge of the roles. As the titular character, Richard Paul Fink (a house debut) reveals a gritty, virile baritone who easily illuminates Macbeth's emotional life and makes one long to see him tackle the great baritone roles of Verdi's maturity. Cynthia Lawrence (another debut) plays Lady Macbeth as very much the power behind the man. Her voice is full-bodied and expressive with a slight loss of control in the upper register. But control is hardly a virtue one looks for in Lady Macbeth. Eric Owens is a properly sonorous and sympathetic Banquo, while Andrew Richards cannily makes the most of Macduff's tragedy and heroism.
Conductor and music director, John DeMain led the orchestra in a dramatically urgent performance while the chorus sang with exemplary focus and beauty. Strong musical performances only point up the disappointingly utilitarian set design of Raymond Lopez and Joel Berlin's downright unflattering costumes. The witches, in fact, seemed to be escapees from the recently closed production of "Cats." However, these are niggling complaints when balanced against the musical excitement of the production as a whole.
Opera Pacific, Orange County Performing Arts Center, Costa Mesa, Ca. (800) 34-OPERA or www.operapacific.org. Jan. 16, 18, 19, 20 at 7:30 and 21 at 2:00 p.m. $29-$107. This production is followed by Bizet's Carmen, February 20-25; and Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, April 3-8. The season concludes with Little Women, a new American opera by Mark Adamo, at the Irvine Barclay Theatre, May 12-20.
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