L'Etoile
Cincinnati Opera
June, 2006
- Composer:
- Emmanuel Chabrier
- Libretto:
- Letterier and Vanloo
- Conductor:
- Jean Marie Zeitouni
- Original Stage Director:
- Mark Lamos
- Local Stage Director:
- Alain Gauthier
- King Ouf I
- Jean-Paul Fouchecourt
- Siroco
- Kevin Glavin
- Princess Laoula
- Nathalie Paulin
- Lazuli
- Jennifer Rivera
I had not been looking forward to another obscure late nineteenth century comedy this year. Last year (2005), I sat through The Daughter of the Regiment. It was boring. In the end, I was somewhat envious of the husband of the couple beside us. I could see them negotiating briefly: she protested meekly, but seemed to agree that this one was not worth the effort. They left at intermission. Because I have some interest in music history, I was not sorry to have seen it, but only because it gave me some understanding of the tradition preceding Gilbert and Sullivan. However, my academic curiosity was not so great that I wanted more of the same.
To my complete surprise, L'Etoile was delightful.
I liked the beginning of the overture, though it went on a little long. I was still expecting an evening of tedium, but at least the music was not predictable and banal.
However, I was shocked out of my stupor by the surreal set and a chorus that actually did a little (very little by Broadway standards, but enough to entertain) dancing. In the beginning, they sing warily, knowing that the king is looking for someone to execute for the finale of his birthday celebration. Then, out comes a weird round thing (a carriage? no matter), from which pops the king in an absurd disguise, and I was engaged. The king asks a member of the chorus what he thinks of the government: the reply is that the government is wonderful, long live the king, etc. The musical setting was lively and descriptive, and it was delivered with élan. I laughed. I was hooked.
I usually don't have anything to say about how the opera was staged, but here, there was something to it. The staging was surreal throughout. It was very plain, clean and bright, with an occasional prop that was always abstract or exaggerated, and usually round. The huge clock in the third act was a fantastical construction sitting out alone on the stage; it did not drip like Dali, but it showed his inspiration. The costumes were stylized, bright, and effectively jolly. The chorus was usually in black, reminding me of Maigrite. The whole effect was very modern, very French.
The libretto, though it far pre-dated surrealism, seemed perfectly comfortable with this treatment. Among other things, it satirizes operatic conventions and class prejudice. Like many of these comedies, the plot is ridiculous, but the tone is sharper, and I found many of the gags to be actually funny. In the final act, the main character averts catastrophe through a surprising decree from the king. This reminded me of the end of the Three Penny Opera. In fact, the whole tone of the opera is sardonic, closer to Brecht and Weil than to Gilbert and Sullivan.
The music, by Chabrier, is light and clean. This is probably one of the reasons the opera never became popular. Opera fans seem to like scores laden down with opportunities for virtuosic show, and, though there are a few arias, the evening is dominated by simple portrayals of the sentiment of the moment. Most importantly, from my point of view, the music is lively. The singers are given opportunities to portray characters, to make jokes, and to have fun. And they did.
I usually remember details that disappointed me in a performance. In this, there is a scene where two men get drunk on Chartreuse. The musical accompaniment is very spare: blatt (trombone) dah dah dah dah dah (clarinet), blatt dah dah dah dah dah, a simple six eight. The second time this comes around, the actors (yes, the singers were acting) played to the drunkenness, but the clarinetist was as stiff as a board. The simplicity of the score clearly provides an opportunity for a wobbly rhythm and a flabby tone, but this opportunity was at odds with the clarinetist's clean classical training, and he did not take advantage of it. Despite this, the scene was fun.
My impression leaving the theatre was not awe at how wonderful the singers were, but at how much fun they had. Perhaps it was not the most profound art, but it was lively entertainment. I enjoyed it. I hope to see it again some day.
© 2006 J.P. Lund