That said, Audrey was a riveting stage presence and anchored the show. But I wonder if a young, unabashed outright belter might not bring even more zing to the mix. The other interpreter I saw did the same. Babcock certainly sings with polish and assurance. The range of Maria seems to lie mostly in chest voice, and Ms. Her list of credits in the program documents that she has had national success in major traditional singing roles. The lovely Audrey Babcock immersed herself in the part, proving to be dramatically compelling. Having seen this piece in two different incarnations, I have come to the belief that it does not really take a trained opera singer to succeed in the title role. He not only coaxed beautifully authentic ensemble playing from his accomplished ensemble, but also allowed the skilled bandoneon, piano, and guitar soloists all the room they needed to perfume the instrumentation with a heady individuality. ![]() Conductor Bruce Stasyna led an assured reading, full of color and undulating fire. The overwhelming element that makes all of this disjointed story-telling not just comprehensible but ingratiating is the masterful score. Ingrid Helton’s inspired costumes ran the gamut from homely peasant wear to fantastical tribal wear, making full use of an orgy of color and patterns Lighting designer Jason Bieber has effectively lit the proceedings with brooding, sultry illumination that achieves the dual effect of being by turns gaily colorful and soberly suffocating. Liliana Duque Piñeiro has crafted multi-purpose scenery, replete with gritty texturing, that can be turned, moved and unfolded like a morbid oversized retabla. de los Santos is ably supported by his accomplished design team. (L-R) Baritone Bernardo Bermuda, bass Walter DuMelle, and tenor Rodolfo Ruiz-Velasco (male ensemble) His total belief in the scattering of images and intertwining of subplots allowed us to suspend our disbelief, making satisfying order out of the chaotic jumble of religious artifacts, rituals, skulls, masks and metaphors. If the libretto sounds more knotty than naughty, director-choreographer John de los Santos has embraced the macabre imagery and dramatic non-sequiturs and devised a richly varied, vividly theatrical, high energy staging that swept us along in willing abandon. ![]() Eventually, she returns to the haunt the sordid streets of Buenos Aires as a spirit (Shadow Maria) and give birth to a new young Maria (which may be her own self). Maria, now pregnant after death, descends into a murky Purgatory where she is challenged by spectral visitors who torment her soul. The titular character of Maria is a streetwalker, born to public squalor (as the script says) “one day when God was drunk … with a curse in her voice.” She embraces the alluring beat and sinuous melody of the tango, however her “fatal passion” prompts the ire of other street denizens who kill her. This dramatically intense production fairly exploded off the intimate stage of the Lyceum Theatre, and its slight thrust proved a congenial playing space for this highly personal character study.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |