Opera/musical production both charming and beguiling
Library’s history told through song, humour
Tucked away in the centre of Inglewood is a small, but attractive theatre called the Festival Hall. Having opened roughly two years ago, this theatre, still littleknown to many Calgarians, is the home of the Calgary Folk Music Festival. It is also an inexpensive venue for community-based arts groups that need an affordable performing space.
It is here that the Cowtown Opera, Calgary’s upstart, irreverent opera company, is performing the initial run of a new opera/ musical composed by CPO violist Arthur Bachmann on the story of Annie Davidson, the 80-year-old widow who was the energy behind the founding of the Calgary Public Library more than a century ago.
On the surface, it is hard to imagine a plot line farther from the blood and thunder of the big romantic and modern operas. We have the story of a plucky Calgary woman who, before women could vote, convinced philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to provide the seed money for the enterprise and (more difficult) to convince the men of Calgary to support her.
The libretto for the new work, which is really an operetta/musical more than a conventional opera, is the invention of Aaron Coates and Wendy Froberg. They have created a story that charms and beguiles. Drawing upon easily recognized images and stereotypes of settlement days, the story unfolds through the mental images of two young children who are told Davidson’s story.
The general tone is rather like an Albertan version of Anne of Green Gables or Heritage Park as opera. Strong in comedy and sentiment, the opera tells — in songs, dialogue, and occasional ensembles — how Davidson overcame the biases and limited ideas of her time and willed into being the William Castell Library, a building that still stands.
With clever dialogue and songs texts, the opera includes some remarkably successful music by Bachmann. The musical style, is something of a conflation of European film music and Steven Spielberg or Jerry Bock.
There are tunes of sentiment, pep and gentle humour, blending into a remarkably unified whole.
The singers are local, drawn from a group from Calgary Opera’s Developing Artists Program and others who, by vocal gift, amplitude and training, can be called opera singers. Mezzo-soprano Sara Staples sang the title role with conviction and a clear, well-projecting sound. Playing young narrator Louise, who by imaginative extension is also Annie Davidson, she was on stage most of the time and clearly the central character. Through her energy and humour, she projected a convincing portrait of Davidson, not just her strength of character but also her persistence and underlying good humour.
She was surrounded by a capable supporting cast other members of the Calgary Ladies’ Reading Club (Andrea Berg, Melissa Jackson, and Maryna Williamson) and other members of Calgary’s community, including Hank and Eleanor Percy (Robert Clark and Taylor Matheson) and Big Bill (James O’Farrell).
Jon Conlon, who plays both Rev. Clark and Andrew Carnegie, was, like the others, effective vocally and projected the character of his roles convincingly. The cast was rounded out by the two children through whose eyes we perceive the show: Greer Hunt and Aubrey Baux. Both sang and acted very well and were a significant addition to the opera.
Carlow Foggin conducted the chamber orchestra with clarity and a sense of style, making the rhythmic transitions from number to number in a secure, musical manner. The pickup orchestra was likewise fully up to snuff.
There are a number of further performances, and anyone who enjoys musicals or folk-style operas will find much to please in the fine production.