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Cyrano Swashbuckles into our Hearts Miami
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
04/23/2011 - & April 26, 29, May 1, 4, 7, 2011
David DiChiera: Cyrano
Marian Pop (Cyrano), Leah Patridge (Roxane), Sébastien Guèze (Christian), Peter Volpe (De Guiche), Aaron St. Clair Nicholson (Le Bret), Courtney McKeown (La Duègne)
Florida Grand Opera Orchestra and Chorus, John Keene (Chorus Master) Mark Flint (Conductor and Orchestrator)
Bernard Uzan (librettist and director), John Pascoe (Scenic Designer, Costume Designer), Donald Edmund Thomas (Lighting Designer)
(© Gaston de Cardenas)
Edmond Rostand’s story and play about Cyrano de Bergerac has spawned several musical adaptations (one, in 1898, was a rare failure for Victor Herbert), not to mention at least ten film or television adaptations, a recent ballet, and two opera versions. One, Cyrano, was composed by Walter Damrosch and premiered at the Metropolitan in 1913. Another, Cyrano de Bergerac, by Franco Alfano in 1936; though this version was written to a French text, when it had its world premiere at the Opéra-Comique in Paris, it was performed in an Italian translation. By 2005 when it finally made its American premiere, it was given in the original French. So, it is fair to ask what could have led David DiChiera to create another. Undoubtedly it is his love for the characters and story, and it is natural to assume that he also thought he had something important to offer that had not been heard before.
Whether or not his new version, Cyrano (which premiered in Detroit in 2007), will become popular is anyone’s guess. Music is simply a matter of taste and who knows what direction that may take. There was a time when operas like Faust and Manon were offered all the time and now it is a rare treat to find them. Others, such as La fanciulla del West and Jenůfa, have now found a more substantial place in the standard repertoire. There is a lot to like here; a few more cuts, particularly in the first act, could turn this into a very effective show.
DiChiera has thankfully chosen to go the route where melody is the main form of musical communication. There is plenty of melody in this opera, but until the second act it is not memorable. Cyrano aims for a late 19th century French style; even rudimentary operaphiles will notice this. There are times when one might hear echoes of Gounod or Massenet, even Puccini, perhaps some Debussy and the lighthearted side of Richard Strauss. It is no discredit, no, more like an honor, for DiChiera to emulate the masters. The music is not very memorable in itself; but certainly moves the story and conveys the emotions. The quintet, late in the second act during the wedding, is quite moving as is Christian’s third act aria where the music gives this dolt the sympathy we must finally feel for him. What is most lacking, are strong arias for the two leads.
Leah Partridge, as Roxane, has a big voice and that is part of the problem here. She rarely sings below forte and often overpowers Marian Pop’s charming Cyrano. She never comes across as demure, often seeming blowsy, thus making Cyrano’s fear of rejection much different than is intended. Marian Pop is a marvelous actor with a beautiful voice that sometimes gets lost when the orchestration gets big. Likewise for the usually reliable Aaron St. Clair Nicholson, who makes little impact, his scenes with Pop largely being inaudible. Peter Volpe’s de Guiche is a villain from another era and we are all the better for it. Volpe takes visible pleasure in using his power as the Cardinal’s nephew and each of his entrances means there will be fun. Sébastien Guèze is a romantic idol from another era. His voice is solid and he makes Christian annoying until we see his own insecurities in the third act, thus becoming quite tragic. Roxane’s obsession for Christian is not unlike Scarlett O’Hara’s for Ashley Wilkes when she could have had a real hunk like Rhett Butler. Big- nosed or not, Cyrano is far sexier than Christian on his best day.
The physical production is neither overbearing nor gaudy. It is refreshing to not hear the audience applaud the scenery every time the curtain rises. John Pascoe’s costumes are lovely and period perfect and his sets do not upstage the opera. It is his restraint in this era of “bigger is better” that deserves the applause. Donald Edmund Thomas’s lighting in the convent scene is particularly effective underscoring the ending’s sadness. Mark D. Flint, who conducts his own orchestrations, would help considerably if he would allow the singers to not get lost in the sound. Partridge has no trouble cutting through the orchestra but Pop’s portrayal would most benefit from not struggling to be heard.
The biggest flaw in Bernard Uzan’s libretto is in tackling too much in the exposition. This is a big story to tell. Leaving out what seems like an important minor character or incident might have made him fear he could sink the entire project. It is quite the opposite; the first act sags and confuses much like Broadway musicals based on classical literature do; Oliver! and Les Misérables come to mind. Ragueneau and the bakery scene are there for color when what is really needed is more development of Cyrano and Roxane. Cyrano’s duet with Le Bret emphasizes his insecurity over his disfigurement, but an internal monologue about the terror over female rejection that prevents him from expressing his very deep and rare love would be more effective. Cyrano’s sensitivity is well-established, so emphasizing only Roxane’s précieuse qualities is not sufficient for us to believe his love for her would be so profound. The scene in which they remember playing together as children shows a Roxane that we don’t see as an adult. Having her act mercifully towards someone even less fortunate than himself might make us really understand how early Cyrano recognized the feminine softness that he so eloquently describes at the end.
Citing standing ovations as evidence of audience appreciation lost any implication of quality more than thirty years ago, but there was sincerity in the audience’s gratitude. This is a boost for those of us who hoped for a return of old-fashioned opera romance. DiChiera’s sincerity and love for opera is obvious; his musical gift has merit and with some significant editing (losing twenty minutes of running time seems appropriate), this Cyrano, unlike the others, might not be a flash in the pan.
Jeff Haller
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