ParisienneOpBos - Page: 1 of 1

THE STORY:
When two rogues, Raoul de Gardefeu and Bobinet Chicard, are scorned by the object of their affection, the flirtatious Metella, they decide to seduce a rich woman to prove their virility. The Baron and Baroness of Gondremark, who arrive by train from Sweden, prove to be easy, somewhat naļve marks for the two who immediately set out to deceive and separate the Baron from his younger, beautiful wife. But before this occurs they first meet up with another rogue identified only as the Brazilian who is, himself, hot on the trail of Gabrielle the Glovemaker. To convince the Baron that they are men who know and can show him the tawdry side of Paris he seeks, they enlist the aide of a butler and maids – employees of Bobinet’s aunt, the Duchess, to pose as socialites in an effort to distract the Baron enough such that Gardefeu can spend some quality time with the Baron’s wife. Add to this a group of tourists who look like they just came off the set of a Ricola Cough Drops commercial, and you have the makings of an amusing tale of deceit, lust, misguided affections and ultimately, forgiveness and redemption. Metella gets her man Gardefeu; the Baroness wins back her husband, and everyone else – well, seems to have enjoyed the romp. It is opera-bouffe: a satire, a guise, a little high-stepping and a lot of fun.

WHERE I VIEWED IT:
Emerson’s Cutler Majestic was named in 2004 by OperaOnline.us as the most luxurious and elegant place to view opera in the northeast. Nothing has changed. Situated in the heart of Boston’s theater district. It is surrounded by ample parking spaces and garages, and is located close to restaurants and hotels for those visiting the city. Pick an opera playing at the Majestic and come to Boston just for that. You won’t be disappointed.

THE PERFORMANCE:
Carole Charnow, general director of Opera Boston has made her mark in Boston and staked out a claim – and pretty much hinged her career -- on the gamble that she can produce new opera for a lively and sophisticated Bean Town opera audience that will enjoy the freshness of what they see. To accomplish this it is important that she select her works carefully and produce them without serious flaws, for an audience can be very unforgiving of things over which it has little familiarity. Last night, October 15, 2004, the opera audience in Boston was treated to a new, lively, colorful production of Jacques Offenbach’s deliciously naughty and wonderfully amusing “La Vie Pariisienne”, and from the reaction during and after the show, they weren’t at all disappointed. A strong cast, fine ensemble acting and singing, pretty clever choreography, splashy costumes, brilliant use of lighting and colorful sets that, while modest, were elegant and effective, and an orchestra headed by Gil Rose that complimented never overwhelmed, brought this amusing tale to life and entertained in a “can-can” sort of way that, while a stretch as an opera, succeeded marvelously as it was intended as an operetta. Stand out performances abounded and gave us a rich mixture of fine, strong singing, interspersed with some truly impressive ensemble acting – most notably from the cads Frank Kelly, whose Raoul de Gardefeu was animated and who’s voice was remarkably strong throughout the full two plus hours, Aaron Engebreth as Bobinet Chicard, who matched Kelly’s ribald and likeable slime, and whose singing was crisp and even, Charles Blandy as the insatiably obsessed with the glove lady – or any lady – Brazilian, and bass-baritone Robert Honeysucker, as the well-intended Baron seeking a little mischief and nightlife. The male singers were matched by some equally impressive and consistently strong performances by Gale Fuller as the coquettish Metella, Jennifer Aylmer (debut) as the trilling and fluttery Gabrielle the Glovemaker, and Kathryne Jennings (debut) as the Baroness Christina. Fuller, Aylmer and Jennings rendered interpretations of their roles that were truly infectious; their voices were wonderfully rich and full and their facial expressions were hilarious. Supporting this fine cast were equally fine performances of Emily Browder as Pauline, Nikolas Nackley as Alfred and David Cushing as Patrice. And even the ladies and gentlemen of Paris: Angela Gooch, Joel Marshall Perry, Glorivy Arroyo and Daniel Perry deserve special note. This was an ensemble performance and the comprimario roles were delivered with perfection and gutsy oomph! Ooo-la-la! It is a shame this production will have only two runs, because word of mouth would probably justify an additional performance or two. For opera buffs, this light operetta might disappoint, too, for there are lengthy recitatives between arias and duets that, though amusing and very much relevant, are not sung, and might not satisfy. And there were moments where one might have wished for a little more volume from the orchestra (timpani and bass especially seemed weak for a ribald work such as this). Still, the pace and libretto was quick and clever, and the music was lively and easy to follow, and the settings did well to capture the haute-monde life as it likely would have looked in that period called “the glittering Paris of the Second Empire”. Opera Boston deserves a gold star for this production. It delivered and never let us down.

Conductor, Gil Rose
Production Director, Rick Lombardo
Producer, Carole Charnow
Set design, Anita Fuchs
Costume Design, Nancy Leary
Lighting Design, Christopher Ostrom
Assistant Dir, Choreogropher, E. Loren Meeker
Assistant Conductor/Chorus Master, Andrew Clark

Repetiteur, Alison d'Amato
Diction Coach/Surtitles, Allison Voth