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Abduction from the Seraglio
By Michael Van Duzer
With its patently ludicrous plot, Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio will never hold the place of honor in the operatic pantheon of his later masterpieces, but it contains more than enough Mozartean artistry to warrant serious attention. Successful modern productions lean heavily on performers and a director who can breathe life into the cartoon characters and coat the creaking plot elements in a veneer that makes them appear fresh and funny. The results with Opera Pacific’s new production were decidedly mixed.
On the plus side, Jane Glover conducted the orchestra with a winning combination of technical finesse and verve, while the singers were intelligent and well-cast. The decision to update the opera’s Eighteenth Century Turkish harem setting to a private car on the Orient Express seemed initially promising but wound up looking more like a liability. Perhaps the original staging by James Robinson embraced the concept with greater confidence, but the current direction by Sharyn Pirtle seemed tentative--more strangulated than liberated by the Roaring Twenties trappings. Frantic stage business and extended slapstick routines were dutifully executed by the performers without adding anything but length to the production. Opening night also found Jeffrey Lentz as Pedrillo suffering with vocal problems that forced him to act the role onstage while his cover, Chad Berlingheri, gamely sang the role from the orchestra pit, adding an extra layer of unreality to the evening.
Jan Grissom (so memorable in the company’s Tales of Hoffman) conquered the fiendishly difficult vocal demands of Konstanze’s defiant Marten Aller Arten, then easily found the more emotive side of the character. Unfortunately, most of her visual dramatic impact was derailed by Anna Oliver’s insensitive costumes which presented her as a frumpy matron instead of a lovely kidnapped girl. Anna Christy, as her servant Blonde, matched her mistress in vocal ability and was luckier in the costume department. Her dialog scenes sparkled even if her Cockney accent had the veracity of Bette Davis’ in Of Human Bondage. Kurt Link’s Osmin was an amiable enough villain for the piece, and he handled his vocal chores with aplomb. Silky-voiced tenor Shawn Mathey sang Belmonte with grace and technical expertise while Jeffrey Lentz did his best under the circumstances. The production is sung in English using Andrew Porter’s translation, and the entire cast must be commended for their precise diction. Subtitles are provided but largely unnecessary.
Orange County Performing Arts Center January 21 through January 26, 2003
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