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Whitman operasoffer enthusiasm,vigor of youthBy MARIANNA JONESOf the Union BulletinDon’t miss it if you can help it. Whitman College opera as presented Thursday night at Harper Joy Theatre is a bundle of fun that will keep you laughing from start to finish.And, even though the young operatic stars may lack the vocal maturity of the seasoned singer, their vigor, enthusiasm and spontaneity (whether natural or acquired) seem perfectly natural in the setting of the three comic operas they perform. With few exceptions each actor commands the stage with poise and confidence — a tribute not only to his own dramatic abilities, but to the excellent direction of Nancy Simon of the college drama department and Jose Rambaldi, musical director and conductor.The program is a kind of operatic potpourri, bringing together three distinct styles of presentation, yet preserving the unifying comedic theme. In each the levity of the plot is matched by the nimbleness and light touch of the music.The evening opens with Antonio Salieri’s “Little Harlequinade” — a comedy of character in which two rival suitors seek to marry the lovely Columbine. In short order, Columbine, who wants to marry neither, shows them up for the buffoons they are.In the conduct of the intermezzo,however, something goes awry. Dean Strong and Mike Alger, who play the suitors, literally roll over themselves in the spirit of their roles and come up with their best feet forward both vocally and dramatically. Unfortunately, Kristen Skrinde as Columbine, while sprightly and adept in all her gestures, fails to summon the extra sparkle that might have truly revealed her cleverness.In Bohuslav Martinu’s “Comedy on the Bridge,” written by the Czechoslovakian composer in 1937, situation creates the comedy. The opera’s five principal characters become trapped on a bridge when two sentries representing opposing armies accept their passes to enter but won’t allow them to leave without an exit pass, which noen of them have.As the plot unfolds, Josephine, a sweet but simple maid, is joined on the bridge by the village brewer, who entreats her to a romantic encounter just as her betrothed arrives. The brewer’s wife appears and, on discovering the situation, threatens to take her husband to court for his alleged unfaithfulness. When a schoolmaster comes on the scene, the quartet seeks his help with its romantic problems, but he is consumed with a problem of his own — trying to find the answer to a riddle.This vignette is particularly enlivened by the singing and acting talents of Janet Scott as Josephine and Brad Hunt as the brewer. While lacking the vocal attributes of Miss Scott and Hunt, Tad Sowers and Julie Schmidtke give delightful performances as the youthful lover and the brewer’s wife. And Kent Brisby and Alger turn themselves out with humorous dexterity as the soldiersentries.* fkThe fact that all the vocalists acquitted themselves well mav lie somewhat remarkable consideringthe intricacies of Martinu’s score.The music requires the singers to wade through almost every passagereuiewwith a series of odd accidentals (sharps or flats) interjected in unexpected places.In Gaetano Donizetti’s “II Cam-panello di Notte (The Night Bell), the audience discovers just how far a rejected suitor will go to keep his beloved from spending her wedding night with the elderly apothecary she has married. Pratfalls, breaking china and a series of over-blown impersonations indulged in by the suitor help the comedy along, but no more than the subtle facial expressions revealed by the principal characters as they react to each other. Brisby, who plays the elderly bridegroom, is a master at this.This opera, with its choruses and colorful vocal passages, comes the closest of the three to opera as it is most frequently recognized in its expanded versions. It represents an intermediary development of Italian opera in the early 19th Century in its use of operatic solos which are shorter than the traditional aria, yet retain the coloratura and bravura styles of the aria.In this respect, “II Campanello” proves one of the delights of the evening, thanks to Julie Thomassen, who, in the role of the bride, gives free expressive rein to a lovely soprano voice with surprising maturity.While soprano Lisa Corrigan doesn’t exhibit the colorative qualities of Miss Thomassen, she has an excellent voice, robustly used to reflect accurately the character of the bride’s mother, Madama Rosa.Te/ior Blaine Newland in the role of the ever-confident ex-suitor as yet lacks some of the vocal polish of his female co-stars, but that didn’t detract from an overall fine performance in which his voice occasionally ranged into the castrato (artificial female voice). Newland also proved to have a flair for dramatic improvisations in various impersonations of a Frenchman, an opera singer with a quaver and an elderly gentleman.The pit orchestra dealt well with the complications of operatic accompaniment, but occasionally became overbearing in the climaxes of “II Campanello” to the detriment of the vocalists.The operas will be presented again tonight, Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m. at Harper Joy Theatre.
Newspaper Details
Walla Walla Union Bulletin
Walla Walla, Washington, US
Fri, Jan 27, 1978
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
David B.
USA 26 Aug 2022
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