LA Opera Revives Its Enchanting ‘Romeo and Juliet’ with a Winning Cast
/By Truman C. Wang
11/4/2024
Photo credit: Cory Weaver
Amina edris as juliet,, duke kim as romeo
Previously seen in Los Angeles in 2005 and 2011, Ian Judge’s twenty-year-old production of Roméo et Juliette remains popular and it is a good one. Using several movable sets of steel scaffolding, clever lighting and a few simple drop-down tree branches and chandeliers, the scenery changes quickly and smoothly: a dark desolate street, an opulent, brilliantly-lit ballroom, a wedding chapel and an enchanting balcony set with starry skies. Tim Goodchild’s gorgeous period costumes further add to the visual appeal. Kitty McNamee, the choreographer in previous stagings, made a good showing in her directorial debut here. The dramatic scenes are believable and deeply moving, but I was most impressed with McNamee’s flair for comedy in the unexpected places: old nurse Gertrude’s little happy dance with the Capulets, Friar Laurence covering his eyes at Romeo’s fickleness, Juliet playfully nudging Romeo during their secret wedding like a couple of excited teenagers that they are. The bedroom scene was tender, romantic and artfully directed (supervised by intimacy director Sarah E. Widzer), but drew giggles from some in the audience; I suspect these were the same people who would giggle at Caravaggio’s half-nude Bacchus. There is also a long and elaborate fight scene (directed byAndrew Kenneth Moss) that ends with a shocking gun blast.
Like Carmen, Gounod’s score for Roméo comes in many versions, from its initial Théâtre-Lyrique premiere in 1867 to later revisions for the Opéra-Comique (1873) and l’Opéra (1889). The version as performed at the L.A. Opera observes all the traditional cuts – the ballet, the dialog between Friar John and Friar Laurence on how the express letter to Roméo went astray. The abridged wedding scene contains just enough divertissement music for the purpose of scene change from Juliet’s bedroom to the chapel. (I have never heard the divertissement music in its entirety in the theater.)
The large international cast are stylish in their French singing and idiomatic in conveying the text despite not one singer being French. The Egyptian-New Zealand soprano Amina Edris, the Juliet, is a light coloratura soprano. She has youth, charm, and also the determination that the role needs. She moved gracefully, eloquently, winningly both as an actress and as a singer. Her voice ran fluently through the intricacies of the famous role. Her trill was plausible, her coloratura accurate. The sound was clear and pure, and it filled the cavernous 3,156-seat Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Korean tenor Duke Kim, by tones and by phrasing, gave a vivid portrayal of the ardent young Roméo – spontaneous, convincing, with power to sadden and thrill. In their scenes together, Kim and Edris showed electrifying chemistry and acted like believable teenagers, despite having only one week of rehearsal time.
Chinese bass Wei Wu is a sympathetic Friar Laurence. Bass-baritone Craig Colclough, an L.A. Opera veteran, is a velvet-voiced Count Capulet. Justin Austin’s agile baritone was heard to good effects in Mercutio’s Queen Mab song. Margaret Gawrysiak’s Gertrude (Juliet’s old nurse) and Laura Krumm’s Stephano (Romeo’s page) were both delightful in providing much needed comedic relief. Other comprimario roles were ably sung and acted by members of L.A. Opera's Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program: Brazilian bass-baritone Vinícius Costa (Duke of Verona), Chinese tenor Yuntong Han (Tybalt), Nathan Bowles (Benvolio), and baritone Ryan Wolfe (Paris).
The conductor is UK-based Venezuelan conductor Domingo Hindoyan, making his Los Angeles debut. He seemed to have fallen under what Bernard Shaw – reviewing an 1889 Roméo with Jean de Reszke and Melba – called “the spell of the heavenly melody, of the exquisite orchestral web of sound colors, of the unfailing dignity and delicacy of accent and rhythm.” He re-created the same magical spell for his listeners through nuanced playing of the orchestra, and tone colors blending as one with the voices. The LA Opera Chorus impressed with the precision and power of their singing.
Other Roméo dates are November 2, 10, 14, 17. The final two performances on 20, 23 will be conducted by the Columbian-American conductor Lina González-Granados, LA Opera's Resident Conductor. Tickets can be purchased online at LAOpera.org, by phone at 213.972.8001
Truman C. Wang is Editor-in-Chief of Classical Voice, whose articles have appeared in the Pasadena Star-News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, other Southern California publications, as well as the Hawaiian Chinese Daily. He studied Integrative Biology and Music at U.C. Berkeley.