(Logo served fromOpera San José.)
I am delighted to be appearing in the chorus for "Lucia di
Lammermoor" at Opera San José, from January 16th to
February 1st, 1998. This page provides a little information for
your enjoyment, and hopefully will entice you to come see the
show (and me)!
As one of the warhorses of the repertoire, a lot has been written
about "Lucia". I recommend the summary
"Lucia" web page published by Opera
Glass.
"Lucia di Lammermoor", by Gaetano
Donizetti. See the production
info from Opera San José.
Presented at the Montgomery
Theatre, San Carlos and Market Streets, in downtown San Jose,
California. For more information, call the Box Office at +1-408-437-4450.
Here are links to some of the reviews of this production which
I've found.
[Published on 01/19/98, (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS
, 629 words.) Complete
Article is available from the News
Library, but will cost you money.]
'LUCIA'' CAME to town, but left us dry-eyed.
The plight of a defenseless woman manipulated by a power-driven,
sexist society lies at the heart of the opera-tragedy ''Lucia
di Lammermoor.'' It has to hit you in the heart too, and in your
tear ducts, as Lucia's decline and fall in make-believe Scotland
is traced out. ...
[From the January 22-28, 1998 issue of Metro. Complete
Article is available from the Metro
archives. Copyright
© Metro Publishing Inc. Maintained by Boulevards
New Media.]
By Philip Collins
LOVE CAN MAKE you nuts, but life without it is no picnic, either.
In Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, the title character succumbs
to the pressures of both extremes in so preposterous and revolting
a manner that the opera's renown centers as much upon Lucia's
"mad scene" as it does on the memorable tunes the composer
showers upon us.
Opera San José's production of Donizetti's most popular
tragedy provides aspects of this work's virtues--primarily some
first-rate singing with glowing support from the orchestra--amid
lamentable dramatic conditions of a petrified sort. In terms of
staging and design, this revival of Lucia di Lammermoor is at
best competent and decidedly routine--more like a song recital
with sets than a dramatic event. ...
[From the web site of San
Jose Living. Complete
article is available.]
byKelly Snyder
... Opera San José's physical production ... was not up
to the company's current standards. In particular, the setting
for the great hall of the castle in Act II creates a staging nightmare
by consuming most of the already limited stage space, forcing
the chorus to squeeze together and crowd in from the wings and
leaving precious little space for the principals. The costumes,
coordinated by Sherrol Simard, were undistinguished as a whole
although the wedding celebration scene provided some suggestion
of opulence. Sara Beukers deserves special recognition for the
excellent series of wigs gathered and styled for this Cavalier
period production....
Hampered by an unimaginative set and minimal stage space, stage
director Daniel Helfgot concentrated on the principals and brought
out some convincing performances. But the chorus was left standing
around with little to do for much of the time. In a staging that
forces them downstage most of the time, this quickly became obvious.
....
Check back here to see if any backstage snapshots appear!