Praises sung in Beatrice et Benedict
Opera Kelowna praises were sung in every key and tone about their mainstage production of Beatrice et Benedict.
My first reaction when seeing the stage during last weeks performances at the Kelowna Community Theatre was a vivid “wow,” as I gazed upon the explosion of technicolour in the form of lighting and balloons. It was simple but very impactful with a white floor and back wall that formed the canvas for lighting director Rusty Gahr to create what I can only describe as a technicolour dreamscape of solid colour washes of orange, lilac, and red, impacting the vibe of the story.
Director Brian Deedrick placed the opera in ’50s retro-style Italy, giving an essence of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel costumes, created by Keren Huyter and her team.
Scenery designer Ryan Grenier gave the stage clusters of balloons that were cleverly hung on tree branches, creating a forest of colourful excitement. Balloons always represent a celebration, and this was a clever way to set up the storyline of a 24-hour period of the wedding party.
This opera takes William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing as the starting point and focuses on the love/hate relationship of two wedding guests, Benedick (Asitha Tennekoon) and Beatrice (Stephanie Tritchew). Both are witty and intellectual and are not shy in telling their friends how cynical they are of love and marriage.
The wedding couple Claudio (Clarence Frazer) and his bride-to-be Hero (Eden Tremayne) create a little game by egging on their friends to play a trick on Benedict and Beatrice by convincing them individually that the repeated slanging matches were the result of underlying sexual tensions and romantic affection, which takes the story into much innuendo and spirited wonder.
Okanagan Symphony Orchestra conductor Rosemary Thomson, who is also the artistic director for Opera Kelowna, led the eight-strong orchestra through the musical journey, which was sung in French with dialogue spoken in English.
I was pleased to have this clever way to help the plebeians, like myself, understand the story and not have to focus on the translation screens projected on either side of the stage.
I am not qualified to comment on the technical side of opera singing, but as a consumer of the arts, a reminder is always needed of how lucky we are to have opera, orchestra, theatre, and live music, thriving inside the city’s artistic tapestry.
Vocally, the whole cast sounded beautiful and I was mesmerized by the vocal quality and precision of an operatic voice. The dedication that it takes deserves all its accolades. I especially found Lynn McMurtry’s voice a pleasure to hear; her character Ursule is Hero’s lady-in-waiting and she not only created some very funny scenes, but vocally I wanted more of her voice.
The opera is taking over the month of September to feature a series of concerts with internationally recognized tenor Colin Ainsworth and renowned collaborative pianist Laura Loewen, who have crafted a program entitled “Ring of Words,” featuring the music of Vaughan-Williams, Finzi, and Hahn.
On Sept. 15, the recital will be at 50th Parallel Estate Winery, 17101 Terrace View Rd., Lake Country, beginning at 7:30 p.m. then again on Sept. 22 at Phantom Creek Estates, 4315 Black Sage Rd., Oliver at 5 p.m. Venables Theatre, 6100 Gala St., Oliver, on Sept. 25 at 2 p.m. and lastly on Sept. 28 at Poplar Grove Winery, 425 Middle Bench Rd N, Penticton, at 5 p.m.
All performances will be around 1.5 hours and tickets can be purchased through links on the website at: operakelowna.com/production/singing-the-97a-recital-series/