A Minimalist 'Romeo and Juliet', Rich in Charm and Style
/By Elsa Tranter
9/26/2019
Photo credit: Cory Weaver / San Francisco Opera
Pene Pati as Romeo and Nadine Sierra as Juliet
The romantic’s romantic opera, Charles Gounod’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, has returned to San Francisco Opera for the first time in over 30 years. It’s good to have it back. There’s been some extra excitement surrounding it this fall as one of the stars, Bryan Hymel (who gave such magnificent performances in Les Troyens a few years back) cancelled for personal reasons at almost the last minute. Fortunately, New Zealand tenor Pene Pati (the cover Romeo) was scheduled to sing the last of seven performances (with his wife Amina Edris) and so was prepared to step into the full run of the opera. His co-star is American soprano Nadine Sierra; both singers did much of their training in San Francisco (though not quite at the same time) and there was a wonderful chemistry between them, from beginning to end.
This production is directed by Jean-Louis Grinda, making his American debut. This version was first shown in Genoa in 2012, with Andrea Bocelli starring as Romeo. Grinda has chosen a somewhat minimalist approach to the opera to suggest the lavishness of renaissance Verona, while leaving something to our imagination; the sets (by Eric Chevalier) feature a lot of horizontal stripes and clean-cut angles, with the occasional use of simple fabric (mostly white) in representing Juliet’s bedroom and the final scene in the tomb. The sets worked reasonably well, though it took a little adjusting of one’s expectations; the costumes, red tones for the Capulets, greens and blues for the Montagues, were also simplified versions of Renaissance dress (the costume designer was Carola Volles).
The orchestra was under the baton of a youthful French-Canadian conductor, Yves Abel. He seemed totally sympathetic to all the cast and his energy was palpable throughout the performance and the orchestra responded in the usual exemplary fashion. The San Francisco Opera chorus, under the direction of Ian Robertson, was, as always, superb in voice and movement, filling the stage and the auditorium with wonderful sound.
But on to the stars of the show. Nadine Sierra charmed us from the moment she came on stage— giggly, girlish, lithe and lovely. Her voice is strong and pure and she sang with great assurance and ease; her smile is stunning and effervescent. Her reaction to seeing Romeo at the ball was electric and we knew we were in for a magical ride. Sierra's acting throughout was in keeping with her teen-age persona, while growing in maturity as the evening wore on. In Act IV there is a notoriously difficult Potion Aria (sometimes referred to as the Poison Aria); it is often cut from the opera because of its challenges. Ms. Sierra’s rendition took our breath away.
Pene Pati was equally comfortable as a youthful and somewhat cavalier Romeo who also feels the instant electricity upon meeting Juliet. Despite a somewhat bigger than life physicality, he was dapper and charming and totally believable. Pati's tenor voice is strong and clear and it carries well through loud and soft passages. Their duets were beautifully matched and they really connected in a visceral way.
The supporting roles were all well sung and acted. Baritone Lucas Meachem was Mercutio (a role he has previously performed with the Metropolitan Opera) and sang with power and persuasion. Tenor Daniel Montenegro was a convincing Tybalt. The fight scene, which leads to the death of them both, was energetic and convincingly sung and acted. Bariton Hadleigh Adams (another New Zealander) was effective as the unwanted suitor Paris; Bass James Creswell was a suitably somber yet kindly Friar Lawrence; baritone Timothy Mix did well as Count Capulet and bass-baritone (and Bay Area regular) Philip Skinner was fine as the Duke of Verona. A special nod to my friend Rick Casse who was a dignified Montague (a non-singing role).
The female supporting roles were well sung by two American mezzo-sopranos, both making their company debuts. Stephanie Lauricella, was the page Stephano, in a bright trouser role with one excellent aria; and Eve Gigliotti was the nurse Gertrude, hovered and sang convincingly around Juliet.
The evening (of September 24) sparkled throughout and there seemed a remarkable sense of ensemble performance—perhaps the anxiety about the last-minute cast change brought everyone together more than usual—and it was a night to remember. Even the curtain calls were more sparkly than is typical—Romeo and Juliet bounded onto the stage holding hands and seemed unable to separate even then.
It would be wonderful to see how the October 1 performance compares, when real-life wife Amina Edris plays opposite her husband Pene Pati! It seems like it could hardly be better, but who knows.
Besides that performance, at 7:30, there is a Sunday matinee, September 29, at 2:00pm.
Elsa Tranter is a Bostonian who has lived in Berkeley for over 40 years and has been an opera goer for most of those years. She worked as a graduate student adviser at UC Berkeley and still attends Cal Performances regularly. Her favorite composer is Wagner and her favorite opera is Tristan und Isolde.