Opera in Williamsburg (OiW) has crafted a niche operation, falling in line with a growing number of smaller such companies in major cities that provide enriching experiences far from the well-trod steps of opera houses. They perform in churches, school auditoriums, store fronts and intimate theatre settings like the Kimball Theatre.
With OiW, you don’t get fancy sets or costumes, special lighting, pit-based orchestra and none of the physical attributes normally associated with opera. Rather, you get mostly contemporary street clothes instead of costumes, projections instead of scenery, a salon-sized ensemble that shares limited stage space instead of an orchestra, and basic lighting and sound with no frills.
It’s opera of self-imposed limitations that places its budget where it feels it gets the biggest bang: on the singers, the music and stage directors and quality musicians. Working on an overall reduced scale necessitates creativity and validates the OiW concept of founder Naama Zahavi-Ely that opera can take place in intimate spaces.
Take Verdi’s “Rigoletto,” OiW’s recent offering, Friday, for example. I’ve seen rich performances with elaborate sets, special effects and lighting, costumes and heightened music pulsing from the orchestra, all combing to showcase Verdi at his biggest and most musically powerful. And, full scale productions are very gratifying.
However, OiW, wisely using its resources, has shown that the fussy business of large scale opera is not necessary to deliver good opera, starting with the essential ingredient of singers. Once again, a cast of fine vocalists, several of whom are regulars on the Metropolitan Opera stage, was brought together for this tale of sex, revenge and murder. If you look too closely at its characters and motivations, especially in a thinly produced effort, there are weaknesses. What remains strong and paramount, however, is the score and there’s no denying the musically romantic gush of this Verdi opus.
Cast in the titular role of Rigoletto, the court jester, was Kyle Pfortmiller, whose baritone was well equipped for the task and brought to it strength and substance. Tenor Eric Barry, the lecherous Duke, delivered a splendidly shaped tenor that showed nary a sign of distress given his announced chest cold. It was a rock solid performance made stellar in his lyrically sung “La Donna e Mobile.” Meghan Picerno, as Gilda, Rigoletto’s daughter, offered a lovely soprano with coloratura skill, her “Caro Nome” easily proving the point. Picerno, though, needed to be more constant in projecting her sound into the house. Bass-baritone Christopher Job was on target as the assassin Sparafucile. Other fine performances were turned in by mezzo-soprano Michal Doron, as Maddalena, bass Branch Fields, as Monterone, and the rest of supportive cast.
Hands down, the musical aspects of this “Rigoletto” were strong. However, physical movement of singers and extras continues to be a challenge given the limited stage space. No doubt stage director Isabel Milenski did what she could with the restrictions she faced, but stage business, primarily for the secondary roles and assuredly for the extras, was flat and often awkward. Technically, the Kimball has no lighting sophistication. The attempt to create a storm scene by flicking the house lights on and off was obnoxious and distracting. It would have been better to let the music depict the storm as it does quite well.
The seven-musician ensemble on stage performed brilliantly, allowing the drama and excitement of the rich, yet heavily reduced, score to flourish and carry the musical moment. Conductor Jorge Parodi displayed skill and finesse in merging music and singing into a distinguished package that helped “Rigoletto” find rightful success.
