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Kansas City Civic opera celebrated its 25^th anniversary in style last weekend with a production of Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci and a gala concert.  Performed at Avila University's Goppert Theatre, I Pagliacci was a staged concert version with only a platform as the set, no costumes and minimal staging.  The chorus and small orchestra conducted by Jeremy Mims were located on the stage. Directed by Rick Truman, this pared down production really allowed the audience to focus on the intensity of Leoncavallo's score. 

I Pagliacci is prototypical Italian verismo opera with an unfaithful wife, spurned suitor and jealous husband.  The short two acts and prologue carry the audience relentlessly through passion and jealousy -  and ultimately to murder.  It is high drama and high tragedy with characters that we do not necessarily like, but from whom we can hardly turn our gaze as they careen inevitably out of control.

A troop of traveling players led by Canio and Nedda enter a village, prepared to perform the drama of a faithless wife.  Of course, life and art are paralleled as Tonio reveals in his prologue, they are men of flesh and blood, breathing the air of the world and are led inevitably to a dark, tragic ending.

Adam Wade Duncan deftly conveyed the jealousy, anger and pathos of Canio, the husband of the unfaithful Nedda. His "Vesti la giubba" was an example of precision singing that nonetheless revealed Tonio's deep anguish.

As Nedda, Sarah LaBarr sang a delicate and stirring ballatella "Stridono lassu, liberamente," a passionate aria of longing.  Nedda is not a very sympathetic opera heroine: she is foolish and vain with a streak of cruelty, but she does find herself caught between a husband she does not love and a lover she cannot have.  LaBarr and Joshua Lawler as Nedda's lover Silvio were particularly well-matched in their duets, with Lawler's resonant and carefully handled baritone blending effectively with LaBarr's smooth soprano.

Matthew Black reprised the role of Tonio, the scheming humpback, whose jealousy and obsession with Nedda twists his soul to match his body.  Black's opening Prologue was spectacular, and he moved across the stage with wonderful malevolence.

To evoke the play within the play, the "actors" wore masks, effectively marking the difference between the real characters and their "fictional" counterparts.  Aaron Barksdale-Burns was particularly amusing as the window-hopping lover of "Columbine," Nedda's alter ego.

The orchestra under Mims' hand was well-balanced and precise.  Possibly because the orchestra was behind the performers on the stage, there were occasional missed cues or tempo irregularities that were quickly recovered.  While the principals were fully blocked and memorized, the chorus was not.  They sat or stood to the side of the orchestra.  This is not an unusual circumstance in a concert version performance and was not particularly distracting although there were a few shaky moments from the chorus, and the diction was not always terribly clear.  In general, however, the entire performance was skilled and effective, reminding one that if the music is well-sung and well-played, it can pack a powerful emotional wallop.

The evening ended with a concert of favorite numbers from various Civic Opera productions over the past twenty-five years. Performing were various singers who have participated in Civic Opera productions through the years. Highlights included arias from Edgar, Die Tote Stadt, La Traviata, Showboat and Man of La Mancha.

REVIEW
Civic Opera Theatre of Kansas City
Pagliacci and Friends: A 25-Year Retrospective
Friday, May 21, 2010 (Reviewed)
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Goppert Theatre, Avila College
119^th and Wornall, Kansas City, MO
For more information visit www.kccivicopera.org

Top photo: Sarah LaBarr as Nedda.

By Sarah Young

Classical and Musical Theatre Contributor

Sarah Young is a freelance writer and performer in opera, theatre, choral and musical theatre. She has been seen locally with Wichita Grand Opera, Kansas City Symphony Chorus, Kansas City Civic Opera, Lawrence Community Theatre, Chestnut Fine Arts Center and in other local venues.  She studied voice at the University of Kansas, and has been trained in artist programs at Indiana University, Aspen Opera Theatre and the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria.