An updated, uneven 'Orpheus' from Opera Vivente
Desperate housewives, bored husbands, the temptation of illicit affairs, repercussions of public opinion — some things never change. These ingredients fuel Orpheus in the Underworld, the 1858 operetta that put composer Jacques Offenbach on the international map, and they get an energized workout in a gleefully naughty production from Opera Vivente that opened to a full house Friday night at Emmanuel Episcopal Church.
Not surprisingly, director John Bowen, who has written a new English translation of the libretto (with a sprinkling of off-color words), has seized on the timelessness of Offenbach’s comic targets (high-toned, upper-middle class moraltiy, for one) and updated the action to our own crazy world. The result comes off as an extended Mad TV sketch, with about the same modest batting average for memorable gags. The opening-night audience, I hasten to add, seemed to enjoy it a lot more than I did.
The original threads of the plot, a takeoff on the legend of Orpheus rescuing his spouse from Hades, remain more or less in place, but with various reconfiguring. Here, Jupiter is more of a slick TV evangelist than head god. And Mercury is a hip-hop artist (not too big of a stretch, really, since his aria in the original French opens with the line 'Eh-hop, eh-hop'). Two banks of TV screens in assorted sizes flank the set, designed by Thom Bumblauskas.
Before the plot gets underway, there’s a flurry of TV commercial parodies, including some girls gone wild, with jiggling body parts appropriately blacked out. Other reminders of contemporary tastes and manners abound in the energetic staging, right up to the inevitable frenzied dance steps for the score's most famous number -- the original can-can music.
I might have had an easier time with the production had the cast provided more satisfaction. No shortage of energy or commitment, but not much vocal distinction. Christopher Herbert's Pluto came closest to the mark with his smooth baritone and colorful styling. But even singers I've admired in past Opera Vivente ventures -- Ryan de Ryke (Jupiter, saddled with an exaggerated Texan accent), Jennifer Blades (Public Opinion) and Erica Cochran (Eurydice) -- proved disappointing this time, sculpting Offenbach's melodic lines with limited sensitivity or spark. Several soloists, including Zachary Stains (Orpheus), as well as the chorus, seemed seriously taxed by the assignment. And no one demonstrated much interest in matters of articulation -- only about half of the sung words could be deciphered. The small orchestra, led by JoAnn Kulesza, had its shortcomings, too, but offered occasional flashes of character.
In the end, it seemed like a case of everyone trying too hard to be amusing. With all that hearty partying onstage, Offenbach's clever little operetta nearly disappeared.
Remaining performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Saturday at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 811 Cathedral St. Tickets are $30 to $50. Call 410-547-7997 or go to operavivente.org.
(Photo courtesy of Opera Vivente)
