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Kansas City's Online Journal of the Performing Arts

The snow storm on Saturday night cast a potent curse on the Lyric Opera's performance of Verdi's Rigoletto. Opening night saw many empty seats and its fair share of discourteous latecomers. The production was, however, worth the extra effort it took to navigate treacherous roads to downtown, and Kansas City was again fortunate to enjoy world-class performances from star singers.  

Set designer Lawrence Schafer adopted dark reds and bulky components to assemble a Renaissance-era context for the action. His design made the opening set visually dramatic, but the Opera still got off to a slow start. The scene looked over populated, which perhaps contributed to a certain disengagement on the part of the chorus. These early moments (the start of a very long Act I) lacked vigor, even though an energetic orchestra did its best to stimulate the action. Ultimately it was Verdi's clever ensemble writing that required more of the chorus and made them a viable presence for the remainder of the evening.

One becomes accustomed to dramatic interruptions when watching nineteenth-century Italian style opera; they are integral to the formulaic scene structure typical of the genre. Fortunately, these disturbances impart additional excitement and almost always a new level of virtuosity from the involved characters. The set change in the middle of Act I was an interruption of a different variety, however; as stage hands moved unwieldy set components to set the next scene, noise and a long wait interrupted Verdi's story.

In addition to what is simply a fantastic story, the libretto of Rigoletto offers a study in contrasts by pitting conflicting attitudes and agendas against one another.  The beautiful stands alongside the repulsive, and the virtuous falls in love with the immoral. Rigoletto is the one character who seems to embody both kinds of traits: he is a physically deformed man, at once embittered and dissatisfied with his lot in life, driven to vengeance by jealousy and frustration. This character is one moment reveling in his imagined power, then is soon driven to hysteria brought on by envy of those enjoying a higher social status than his.  Yet, the purity of his love for daughter Gilda, revealed so poignantly during his Act I monologue, elicits sympathy from the audience and we root for him throughout.

Richard Paul Fink lived and breathed Rigoletto; in Act I, he absolutely outclassed David Pomeroy (playing the Duke of Mantua) with demonstrative gestures and a full, resonant voice that overwhelmed Pomeroy's opening efforts. Fink's Act II "Cortigiani! Vil razza" demonstrated his remarkable depth: in his agitation he seemed invincible, convincingly promising vengeance if the kidnapped Gilda is not returned, and when he then sinks to his knees to beg Marullo for his help, Fink effectively relinquished the prideful persona to give in to a dark, inward moment.

David Pomeroy's opening aria, "Questa o quella," sounded tight and flat, and in general, the dashing quotient was a bit underwhelming at the start. By late in Act I, however, Pomeroy was more legitimate in the role of the Duke, a suave suitor. Overall, he fared better with arias than recitative Saturday night (to be fair, during the first intermission, Evan Luskin announced that Pomeroy was ill and requesting the audience's understanding). Oddly, Pomeroy only sounded better as the evening went on; whatever ailed him seemed to leave his range and agility intact, as he sang the demanding "La donna e mobile" in Act III with style; he might have been avoiding any extra vocal tricks, but he sustained the high notes beautifully.

It is a luxury to have Mary Dunleavy in Kansas City so soon after her March 2009 turn as Violetta in La Traviata. Dunleavy played Gilda, and in Act I fit perfectly a young woman lost in longing for details about her identity. She patiently and respectfully pushed for specifics from her father, Rigoletto (a man who knows exactly who and what he is). Dunleavy and Fink matched up well in their first duet, each lost in their own purpose, and Dunleavy's last number of Act I boasted effortless delivery and her signature sense of perfect intonation. When Gilda confessed to her father in Act II ("Tutte le feste al tempio"), Rigoletto invited her to cry her tears onto his heart, a tender moment that most likely moved many audience members to tears as well. Dunleavy proved throughout the performance that she is one of the most versatile, expressive singers on the opera stage today.

Kevin Short was fantastic as the ruthless assassin Sparafucile, lurking in enough scenes to become an audience favorite. The dialogue he shared with Rigoletto in Act I (as Rigoletto headed home from the ball to check on Gilda) was when dramatic momentum finally found its footing. This simple dialogue, with characters situated against a plain, dark curtain to discuss revenge, brought the mystery and menace of the story into focus. When Short bottomed out on that final note, he revealed both his vocal and dramatic range. Other memorable performances came from peripheral characters: Harold Wilson's Count Monterone (the character who levied the real curse for the evening) was a menacing interruption in Act I. Local favorites Ben Gulley and Robert McNichols brought distinction to their respective roles with their signature voices and a strong stage presence.

Verdi adeptly wrote for each character, carefully maintaining independent personages even in a thick musical texture. Distinctive voices and clever blocking are necessary supplements for a character to preserve his or her presence in Verdi's dense counterpoint. The leads met this challenge throughout; only Catherine Ratliff, playing Maddalena, struggled. In the famous Act III quartet ("Bella figlia dell' amore"), her mezzo came across as cloudy and muffled, and she was barely audible in the trio that followed.

The chorus was stacked with able singers who (after the opening scene, anyway) played alert and expressive characters. The ensemble added a dramatic layer to many scenes, reacting adequately when called on to shun or to threaten Rigoletto. They came to this production well prepared, executing their parts with admirable diction and sharp entrances.


REVIEW:
Lyric Opera of Kansas City
Rigoletto                                             
Saturday, March 20 at 8:00 p.m. (reviewed)
Wednesday, March 24 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, March 26 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, March 28 at 2 p.m.
The Lyric Theater
11^th and Central, Downtown Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-471-7344 or online at www.kcopera.org


Top Photo: Richard Paul Fink as Rigoletto and Mary Dunleavy as Gilda in the Lyric Opera of Kansas City production of Verdi's "Rigoletto". Photo by Douglas Hamer. (c) Lyric Opera of Kansas City 

By Sarah Tyrrell

Opera, Vocal and Classical Contributor

Since 2004, Dr. Sarah Tyrrell has been part of the Musicology faculty at the UMKC Conservatory of Music. In 2003, she completed doctoral work at the University of Kansas and also holds degrees in music history and voice performance from the New England Conservatory of Music and Kansas State University. At UMKC, Sarah teaches undergraduate and graduate classes in music history and world music, as well as graduate seminars on American and Latin American musics. Sarah has presented her research locally and nationally (her research specialty is the art music of Brazil) and actively guest lectures about town on Brazilian popular subjects such as samba and bossa nova. Her articles and reviews have appeared in Musical Quarterly, Latin American Research Review, and Latin American Perspectives.

Sarah is also active in the Kansas City choral music scene: she is the Artistic Director of the Metropolitan Chorale of Kansas City and also sings soprano with the group. This 60-voice ensemble presents four concerts each year and recently completed a performance tour of Brazil.