Opera Saratoga goes with what works
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Opera Saratoga is a classic example of following the rule “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.” Or, in this case, it might be better expressed by saying “When it works, keep doing it.”
This past couple of seasons has usually features a classic opera, an opera with contemporary significance and a family-friendly work that is dance influenced. This summer’s season, which begins on Sunday and continues through July 16, the classic is Verdi’s “Falstaff,” the familyfriendly dance oriented show is “Zemire et Azor” (“Beauty and the Beast”) and the anti-corporate “The Cradle Will Rock” concludes the season.
This will be the third consecutive season under artistic and general director Lawrence Edelson that this format has been used - with impressive results. Last season attendance increased 35%, with many sold out performances. Advance ticket sales for this year are also ahead of projections. Puppeteers rehearse with the Beast for Opera Saratoga’s production of “Beauty and the Beast.” Edelson readily admits the selection process is “a conscious strategy.” He says he has to recognize the issues of venue size and budget that limit his choices. “There’s no sense doing something and doing it badly. I think one of the reasons we are successful is because of the quality of work we put on stage.”
He uses “Falstaff,” which opens on Sunday as an example, calling it “one of Verdi’s masterpieces” and he declares the character Falstaff “a great virtuoso role.” “Falstaff” is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Merry Wives of Windsor.”
He acknowledges “Falstaff” is no longer one of “warhorse” operas. Edelson believes that is because the title character needs “a bigger than life actor who can find the fun in this comic character.” Indeed, he says he would not produce the opera unless he had “an extraordinarily gifted performer to sing and act the role.” It wasn’t until he learned that bass-baritone Craig Colclough was available he decided to put it on the schedule.
He says that producing a work with a contemporary sensibility is equally as important as having a classic opera on the schedule. We have to look forward as well as back,” he says.
However, to some, it might seem a stretch to consider the 80-year old “The Cradle Will Rock” that was first produced in 1937, as speaking to contemporary audiences. Edelson chuckles at the suggestion that the Marc Blitzstein opera is not relevant to today’s audiences.
He uses the show’s his-
tory to link it to today’s headline. The opening was banned by the government because the pro-union plot was considered too radical. Though banned from performing onstage, the company gathered in the theater mixed among the audience and stood among the seats to perform their roles. No laws were broken and “The Cradle Will Rock” became a legend.
Edelson said he gave serious consideration into performing it this way in Saratoga Springs, but changed his mind. “I think it is more important to honor the music than it is to embrace the circumstances of its first performance,” he says. “Blitzstein wrote a remarkable piece. I want to do it the way he intended it to be performed.” He calls “Blitzstein a giant who changed our musical vocabulary. He says, “He influenced generations of composers and it’s safe to say there would be no ‘Hamilton’ today without Marc Blitzstein. I have no concerns about audiences getting the political implications of the work with traditional theatrical staging.”
The opera in the middle of the schedule, “Zemire et Azor,” is a version of “Beauty and the Beast.” Edelson describes it as “visual magic.” It uses dance, puppets and beautiful costumes to tell the story of a beautiful woman who looks past the physical to fall in love. He describes the experience says, “Gorgeous music, beautiful dance and imaginative puppetry combining to provide an enchanting night of entertainment.”
In order to make the production more accessible for audiences attending “Zemire et Azor,” the dialogue will be delivered in English. The lyrics to the songs will be in French with supertitles available. “This is a wonderfully intimate experience and there are times when supertitles can break that intimacy. I don’t want that to happen with this very special work.”
This appears to be a very special season of opera that shows formulas do work.
Opera Saratoga, performs at the Little Theatre in the Saratoga State Park next to SPAC. Performances are in repertory Sunday to July 16.
“Falstaff” 7:30 p.m. July 1, 6, 2 p.m. July 10,15
“Beauty and the Beast” 7:30 p.m. July 2, 2 p.m. July 8, 14
“The Cradle Will Rock” 7:30 p.m. July 9, 13, 2 p.m. July 11, 16.