Romeo and Juliet Review .2

Friday, February 02, 2007

Nashville Scene review

William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet has probably inspired more spin-offs and rip-offs than any other theatrical work. Over the centuries, this remarkable play has been transformed into a symphony, an orchestral blockbuster, a ballet, countless film and television adaptations and even a wildly successful Broadway musical. The work has made such an indelible impression on pop culture that even the most hardened cultural philistines seem to know the play's general outline. And so this story about the tragedy of hate and redemptive power of love almost always seems to work, regardless of how it's presented.

This weekend, the Nashville Opera is staging the Shakespeare classic in one of its most successful permutations, French composer Charles Gounod's opera Roméo et Juliette. Gounod's adaptation succeeds because he had the good sense not to muck with the basics of Shakespeare's story. True, he made some changes, both minor (transforming the Shakespeare character Balthasar into Stephano, a trouser role for mezzo-soprano—actually a neat little sex-change operation when you think of it) and major (Juliet reviving in the final scene to sing a duet with Romeo). But mostly Gounod resisted the urge to improve on perfection and instead focused his energies on what he did best, composing rapturously beautiful music for the human voice.

Nashville Opera's production, which opened last weekend at TPAC and repeats this Friday and Saturday, succeeds for much the same reason. Artistic director John Hoomes refused to vandalize the piece, updating the blood feud between the Montagues and Capulets into some kind of modern day mafia story in order to rip off The Sopranos. Hoomes gives us the straight story set in 16th century Italy, a production full of sword fights, period costumes and good old-fashioned acting. Nashville Opera expended its energy where it was needed most, finding the best singers.

The company couldn't have found two better leads than tenor Jonathan Boyd (Romeo) and soprano Malinda Haslett (Juliet). These singers are actually married in real life, and judging from the prolonged and steamy kiss they exchanged during the Act 2 balcony scene, it's a good bet the marriage is a happy one. More importantly, the two are fantastic singers, and both flawlessly nailed the most stratospheric high notes of this virtuoso opera. Haslett tossed off her demanding coloratura passagework as if it were child's play, singing with a creamy top voice and a silky bottom. Boyd was even more impressive, since his enormous and transparent voice could move from its chesty bottom to a nasal falsetto without the slightest hint of tension.

There were other fine performances. Philip Cokorinos (Duke of Verona/Friar Lawrence) sang with a rafter-rattling bass; Crystal Jarrell (Stephano) and Olivia Ward (Gertrude) both revealed plumy mezzo-soprano voices; and Lee Gregory (Mercutio) performed with a resonant baritone that readily captured his character's arrogance and swagger. There were also weaknesses. Bass Marc Embree (Capulet) sang with a bit too much wobble for my taste, and, as Tybalt, tenor Eric Johnston's voice seemed small for his part. But these were the vocal exceptions and, given the beauty of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra's accompaniment under Dean Williamson, barely merit mention.

One more thing about this weekend's Romeo and Juliet: it will feature a downloadable director's commentary that the audience can hear on their iPods. My suggestion—listen to this opera unplugged.

8:07 AM