Santa Fe Opera’s piquant, frolicsome version of Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore (The Elixir of Love) is currently regaling audiences with a revival of its popular 2009 staging.
Director Stephen Lawless and his formidable creative team have set the tale in an Italian village that has been liberated by US soldiers just after World War Two.
Ashley Martin-Davis’ set design has the upstage dominated by a huge billboard with scrolling artwork that reflects the shifting mood of the moment. There is a tan wooden warehouse wall stage right and a red barn auto repair shop wall stage left, both with sliding doors. This open playing space provides ample opportunities to be repurposed by the simple addition of chalkboard, wooden folding chairs and such, and allows for the incursion of an Army jeep, a red sports car, and even a motorcycle.
Mr. Martin-Davis has also provided the eclectic parade of costumes from Adina’s 1940’s chic fashion to rustic peasants to military and police uniforms to the work uniforms sported by Nemorino and Giannetta. There is a clever costume goof when Dulcamara enters disguised as a dotty old woman to elude the police who are in hot pursuit of the huckster. Thomas C. Hase’s (mostly) merry and bright lighting design underscored the pacing of the comic moments and darkened the mood now and then for the more seriously presented stretches.
Mr. Lawless had so much comic invention invested in this interpretation that there was enough schtick for two shows. Or conversely, I found it a bit too much forced into one. For all the fresh business that won some genuine laughs there was an equal amount of secondary misfired distractions that didn’t. There is a fine line between spontaneous inspired lunacy and planned calculated lunacy, and much of the staging fell into the latter camp. Everything was meticulously executed, carefully managed, thoughtfully planned, and professionally rendered, but too often seemed a tad canned.
That said, the blocking was fluid and meaningful, the use of the space was varied and interesting, and the advantage of having levels allowed for constant visual engagement, especially the use of the elevated “balcony” in front of the billboard. Lawless had a field day utilizing the large chorus of Apprentices, trained to a fare-thee-well by Susanne Sheston.
As the self-obsessed landowner Adina, Yaritza Vélliz’s performance was preceded by a heady anticipation owing to her recent international successes. Her rich, creamy soprano, admirable agility, and sterling musicality did not disappoint. I found her substantial, weighty soprano to be very congenial to Puccini or Verdi, more so than the girlish Adina. Her tone was more suited to the Isotta (Isolde) of whom she sings, and her stage business more a determined vamp, than the perky ingenue tease-with-the-heart-of-gold that merits Nemorino’s love.
Joshua Hoskins’ honeyed, well-schooled tenor is a wonderful fit for the vocal demands of the hapless Nemorino, imagined here to be an auto mechanic rehabbing a red sports car. Mr. Hoskins sings so persuasively and is so button cute and physically appealing that it pretty much makes hash of Adina’s feigned preference for Belcore. While Hoskins dispatches Una furtiva lagrima with meaningful aplomb, it is his Adina credimi that was the heart-stopping high point of the evening.
All things being equal, I have found it more enjoyable if there is something a little quirky about Nemorino (Think: Pavarotti’s girth, Barbéra’s mop of curls) but there is no question that Joshua has successfully used his combined gifts and conquered our hearts, and with it, Adina. However, although the pair goes through a lot of the right motions, the lack of genuine chemistry between the lovers was noticeable.
Luke Sutliff was a bumptious, big-voiced Belcore, his buzzy, virile baritone ringing out in the house with ease and assurance. His self-absorbed mien as a lean, swaggering U.S. Army officer was more nuanced than is often encountered and it does make it more believable that Adina might consider marrying him. Belcore can sometimes wear out his welcome in so many ways, so it is to Mr. Sutliff’s great credit that he left us wanting more of his enjoyable artistry.
Alfredo Daza was a wholly acceptable Dulcamara, less bumbling than most, and his secure bass met every comparatively modest demand of this classic buffo role. If his delivery lacked the final ‘wink-wink’ twinkle of total impish immersion, Mr. Daza did all that was required and proved a competent partner in the artistic proceedings. Apprentice Cadie J. Bryan had more stage time than usual as Giannetta, and the petite soprano commanded attention and admiration for her stage presence and musical excellence. Ms. Bryan’s Act II aria was a delight, her shining, confident soprano easily seizing the moment and ravishing the ear.
In the pit, the widely admired conductor Roberto Kalb did everything that was required, if not much more. The very fine orchestra played with a responsive sheen and polish, but not a huge amount of Donizettian verve and sparkle. There were a few flashes of brilliant solo instrumental work, but Maestro Kalb seemed to favor slightly slower tempi than might have enlivened the evening.
There is a good deal to enjoy in this rambunctious L’elisir d’amore that is musically satisfying and dramatically/comedically engaging. But while this version seeks to be a heady, nose-tickling glass of champagne, it winds up a tasty enough glass of Bordeaux table wine.
Chemistry
James Sohre
L’elisir d’amore (The Elixir of Love)
Music by Gaetano Donizetti
Libretto by Felice Romani
Cast and production staff:
Giannetta: Cadie J. Bryan; Nemorino: Joshua Hoskins; Adina: Yaritza Vélliz; Belcore: Luke Sutliff; Dulcamara: Alfredo Daza.
Conductor: Roberto Kalb; Director: Stephen Lawless; Set and Costume Design: Ashley Martin-Davis; Lighting Design: Thomas C. Hase; Chorus Master: Susanne Sheston.
Top image: Cadie J. Bryan (Giannetta), the Santa Fe Opera Chorus.
All photos by Curtis Brown for the Santa Fe Opera.