Florentine Opera’s ‘Romeo et Juliette’ a must-see event
The Florentine Opera production of French, Romantic-era composer Charles Gounod’s “Romeo et Juliette,” which opens Friday in Marcus Center’s Uihlein Hall, is an absolute must-see event.
Based on the timeless Shakespeare play and full of deeply expressive music, the production delivers an engrossing telling of the timeless, heartbreaking tale of two doomed young lovers.
A great part of the strength of this production (reviewed in its final dress rehearsal) is that the singer/actors portraying “Romeo et Juliette” are, in terms of opera performers, quite young. They are not the ages of the young teenagers of Shakespeare’s play, but they are both young enough (in their 20s) and of slight enough builds to believably inhabit the two characters.
But looking the parts is just the tip of the iceberg.
Soprano Emily Pogorelc, a graduate of Whitefish Bay High School who is making a triumphant return to Milwaukee in this production, sings the role of Juliette with clarity, power, facility and musical maturity. She combines spot-on vocal work with an entirely believable young, innocent, and hopelessly in-love character.
Pogorelc is beautifully matched by tenor Duke Kim, in the role of Romeo, who creates an equally believable, desperately smitten character. He too, sings with tremendous clarity, power and facility, as well as a winning
Emily Pogorelc and Duke Kim portray the title characters in Florentine Opera’s “Romeo et Juliette.” warmth and tenderness.
Moving about the stage with a lightfooted ease that helps sell the youth of their characters, the two interact with palpable chemistry.
The production’s fine singing and theatrical depth extend through the rest of the cast and the chorus, as well.
Stage directed by David Lefkowich, the production features Zachary Nelson as Mercutio, Matthew Treviño as
Friar Laurent, Musa Ngqungwana as Count Capulet, Patrick Bessenbacher as Tybalt, David Guzman as the Duke of Verona, Cassandra Zoe Velasco as Stephano, Zachary Crowle as Gregorio, Jude Balthazar as Benvolio, and Pete Wesoloski as Count Paris.
The 24-member chorus is a character itself. The singers deliver vocal power, musical depth, and the ensemble cohesion of a much smaller group, contributing significantly to the production’s dramatic strength.
Flashing, clanking swordplay, created by fight choreographer Christopher Elst, adds some gripping drama to the goings-on.
A beautifully functional set, designed by Peter Dean Beck, is reminiscent of the Globe Theatre of Shakespeare’s day, and detailed Regency-era costumes, designed by Theresa Ham and done in the Shakespearian tradition of cladding the Montagues in red and the Capulets in blue, add a decisive sense of place and time to the production.
Members of the Milwaukee Symphony form a polished, highly supportive pit orchestra for the production, playing under the baton of Francesco Milioto.