Skylark gives overdone 'Marietta' an admirable effort
June 16, 2008
David Hawley
Special to the Pioneer Press
The trick with operetta chestnuts like "Naughty Marietta" is selling the libretto to contemporary audiences. The music of Victor Herbert's 1910 masterpiece endures and is beloved, and a strong leading cast like the one employed by Skylark Opera can make it resonate compellingly.
But how to deal with that creaky, hopelessly leaden book? Wink at it too strongly, and it becomes slap-happy. Fail to wink at it at all, and it feels embalmed -- or, worse, even a bit offensive. An unbalanced effort to find a middle road makes the plot feel like claptrap between songs. That, with some exceptions, is the impact of the Skylark production running in repertory this week with Skylark's local premiere of Ned Rorem's new opera, "Our Town."
"Naughty Marietta" has been adapted relentlessly during its existence. Old movie buffs, for instance, wouldn't recognize Skylark's stage version in the 1935 film adaptation. Skylark uses a bland, generally witless book from the Ohio Light Opera's production of about a decade ago, and the best thing to say about it is that it's brief.
That leaves the performances, which nicely fill the comparatively small E.M. Pearson Theatre at St. Paul's Concordia University and make the whole experience worthwhile.
At the top of the pecking order is Norah Long's effervescent performance in the title role of the strong-willed (meaning "naughty") Italian countess who has slipped in with a group of French maids arriving in New Orleans at the turn of the 19th century on a quest for American husbands. The lithely tomboyish Long brings an energetic insouciance to the role and fills the stage speaking with a ridiculous Italian accent that has just the right amount of outlandishness and singing in a ringing coloratura that is soaring and seemingly effortless.
Her equal in stage presence is Peter Halverson as pirate-in-disguise Etienne. A careful parody of a villain, Halverson over-emphasizes every spoken line in a booming baritone but never pushes too hard. His singing is smooth and flawless.
There are great ensemble moments in this production, including a tambourine-popping "Italian Street Song." The duets by Long and Robb Asklof are charming, and every time Long sings "Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life At Last I've Found You," it is both lovely and so schmaltzy that it brings smiles.
[return to Naughty Marietta press page] ©St. Paul Pioneer Press, All Rights Reserved
David Hawley
Special to the Pioneer Press
The trick with operetta chestnuts like "Naughty Marietta" is selling the libretto to contemporary audiences. The music of Victor Herbert's 1910 masterpiece endures and is beloved, and a strong leading cast like the one employed by Skylark Opera can make it resonate compellingly.
But how to deal with that creaky, hopelessly leaden book? Wink at it too strongly, and it becomes slap-happy. Fail to wink at it at all, and it feels embalmed -- or, worse, even a bit offensive. An unbalanced effort to find a middle road makes the plot feel like claptrap between songs. That, with some exceptions, is the impact of the Skylark production running in repertory this week with Skylark's local premiere of Ned Rorem's new opera, "Our Town."
"Naughty Marietta" has been adapted relentlessly during its existence. Old movie buffs, for instance, wouldn't recognize Skylark's stage version in the 1935 film adaptation. Skylark uses a bland, generally witless book from the Ohio Light Opera's production of about a decade ago, and the best thing to say about it is that it's brief.
That leaves the performances, which nicely fill the comparatively small E.M. Pearson Theatre at St. Paul's Concordia University and make the whole experience worthwhile.
At the top of the pecking order is Norah Long's effervescent performance in the title role of the strong-willed (meaning "naughty") Italian countess who has slipped in with a group of French maids arriving in New Orleans at the turn of the 19th century on a quest for American husbands. The lithely tomboyish Long brings an energetic insouciance to the role and fills the stage speaking with a ridiculous Italian accent that has just the right amount of outlandishness and singing in a ringing coloratura that is soaring and seemingly effortless.
Her equal in stage presence is Peter Halverson as pirate-in-disguise Etienne. A careful parody of a villain, Halverson over-emphasizes every spoken line in a booming baritone but never pushes too hard. His singing is smooth and flawless.
There are great ensemble moments in this production, including a tambourine-popping "Italian Street Song." The duets by Long and Robb Asklof are charming, and every time Long sings "Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life At Last I've Found You," it is both lovely and so schmaltzy that it brings smiles.
[return to Naughty Marietta press page] ©St. Paul Pioneer Press, All Rights Reserved