The Review Is In

Opera in the Heights finds the magic touch: New maestro and a rising star liftIl Trovatore

Michelle Johnson as Leonora and Dominick Rodriguez as Manrico in Opera in theHeights' production of Il Trovatore

Photo by Davis Tucker
From Opera in the Heights' production of Il Trovatore, Andrew Cummings as Contedi Luna and Michelle Johnson as Leonora

Photo by Alyson Toups

There might have been only two anvils, but at least they were authentic and hammered with unrelenting gusto. One of the most beloved scenes in all Italian opera, the rousing “anvil chorus” from Verdi’s Il Trovatore, was given a confident and exhilarating performance by Opera in the Heights.

The words, “so, to work now,” seem to be not only the motto of the current Coro di zingari (in Italian, “the gypsy chorus”) on Heights Boulevard, but for everyone involved this season with the “growing professional opera company,” as it is described at the group’s website.

Last season’s production of Verdi’s Don Carlo was my introduction to Opera in the Heights, and while I wasn’t quite taken with that staging, there was something about the conductor that sparked my curiosity. I made a mental note to watch for his name again, and was thrilled in September when CultureMap’s Joel Luks interviewed Enrique Carreón-Robledo in recognition of his appointment as OITH’s new artistic director. It’s turned out to be more than just good news.

Verdi’s lengthy score was stored mostly in Carreón-Robledo’s head. He turned the pages of the full score before him mostly without looking at them, because he’d committed it all to memory

At the time, maestro told Luks he was attracted to the company’s potential, adding that he thought patrons were interested in seeing emerging artists on the stage.

Yes, we are, and the opening performance of Il Trovatore Thursday night is striking evidence that this goal is easily being accomplished. It’s also safe to say that the ensemble’s obvious potential stands to be realized even further under Carreón-Robledo’s leadership and inspiring artistic zeal.

Opera in the Heights has more performances on Il Trovatore Saturday night and March 23, 24 and 25.

Dancingly expressive is one way to describe Carreón-Robledo’s engaged realization of a warhorse like Il Trovatore. I noticed early in the first act that Verdi’s lengthy score was stored mostly in Carreón-Robledo’s head. That is, he turned the pages of the full score before him mostly without looking at them, because he’d committed it all to memory. He mouthed the Italian arias of each and every character, his gaze intent on the singer of the moment, while he conducted.

He’s not a square little “box-in-the-air” type of conductor. When Carreón-Robledo wanted one of those typically schmaltzy Verdi phrases to stretch and bend so that listeners could hang on to it for just a bit longer, he’d raise his baton until he was standing tip-toe. There is something of the crazy Zen calligrapher in his approach, which is appealing, yet theatrical without ever becoming overwrought.

As for those emerging singers Carreón-Robledo wishes to feature, the maestro found his rising star with none other than the elegant Michelle Johnson as Leonora.

Performing grand opera in a small venue like Lambert Hall, with only a 22-member orchestra, raises distinct challenges for a conductor. The ensemble isn’t constantly trying to project. In fact, it often seems the opposite. How to avoid being continually too loud is the challenge.

And the balance between singer and orchestra in this setting is quite the reverse of a place like the Metropolitan Opera, for instance, where almost any singer could be in danger of being drowned out by the players. I’ve heard it happen to the best of them. At Lambert Hall, however, it’s more often the singers who drown out the orchestra. That happened on occasion Thursday night, with certain artists more than others, but not to the degree it had in last year’s Don Carlo.

As for those emerging singers Carreón-Robledo wishes to feature, the maestro found his rising star with none other than the elegant Michelle Johnson as Leonora. She was consistently wonderful throughout, but the high point came in the fourth act.

From the first notes of the weird short, hopping overture that opens the scene, to her recitative and then stunning interpretation of “D'amor sull'ali rosee” (“on the rosy wings of love”), one felt in the presence of a great conductor and a deeply musical singer. Johnson showed a range here that I’d never quite considered in the context of the aria.

Generally considered a dramatic coloratura showpiece, Johnson’s middle C made me think she might be thrilling mezzo-soprano as well. There are soaring high notes (the D two octaves away, for example) and many great leaps in between. It is fiendishly difficult, and if it’s bad, the aria seems hours long. Johnson’s interpretation felt almost too short, and she gave one of the most precious things a singer can give: a haunting yet vivid sustained pianissimo, delivered with perfect intonation.

It should be noted that Opera in the Heights offers two casts for this production. Johnson is in the “Emerald” cast, and Lara Tillotson, in the “Ruby” cast, has a difficult act to follow.

Sets, costumes and lighting design are still lacking, especially in view of the elevated musicianship at OITH, so let’s hope that increasing attention will be give to this area. If the company is truly a “growing professional,” it can’t continue to be stunted visually. The company needs a creative designer who could streamline productions into something more sophisticated.

Opera in The Heights’ 2012-13 season is the first planned completely by Carreón-Robledo. In celebration of Verdi’s Bicentennial and honoring Shakespeare, it features some rarely-performed operas such as Rossini’s Otello and Bellini’s I Capuleti e I Montecchi.

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Movie Review

An all-star cast delivers clever laughs in new comedy The Invite

Photo courtesy of A24

Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton in The Invite.

Once upon a time, well before scandal embroiled him, Woody Allen made great comedies aimed at adults. That type of film — which is different from the raunchy, R-rated comedies of the 21st century — has fallen out of favor in Hollywood, but as the new film The Invite proves, when done well it can be as funny as anything else out there.

Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde) are an unhappily married couple living in San Francisco. As we meet them, Joe has arrived home to Angela preparing for a visit from their upstairs neighbors, Hawk (Edward Norton) and Piña (Penélope Cruz), who have moved in relatively recently. Their impending arrival starts a new round of arguing between Joe and Angela, something they can barely contain once the other couple comes to their door.

What proceeds is a getting-to-know-you process that is mostly awkward as Joe and Angela continue sniping at each other while Hawk and Piña put in their two cents in a much calmer manner. A sticking point between the two couples — the loud sex Hawk and Piña have on an almost nightly basis — turns the film on its head with an unexpected invitation.

Directed by Wilde and written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, the film is a fast-paced chamber piece that takes place almost entirely in Joe and Angela’s apartment. Wilde, the writers, and the actors speed the story along not with action but through almost non-stop dialogue that often has the characters overlapping each other’s lines. The rapidity of the speech fuels the humor of the situation and establishes the differing personalities of each person.

Sex is very much top of mind for each of the characters for most of the film, but the filmmakers approach the topic in such a way that it never feels salacious. Each of the characters is a rational adult who can talk about sex in a mature manner while also acknowledging their unique feelings on the matter. And it’s the discoveries each of them makes along the way that brings about the most comedy.

But, like any comedy for adults, the film also has a dramatic tilt to it, and Wilde edges the story back-and-forth between the two tones extremely well. Joe and Angela fighting is played for laughs at times, but the sadness of their relationship comes through loud and clear. Hawk and Piña are much more intimate with each other, but the funniness of their openness is juxtaposed with a depth that arises through their conversations.

In the 2020s, Rogen has managed to make the transition from goofy stoner to stoner with real acting chops. In a stacked cast, he is the one who sells every moment the best. That’s not to say that Wilde, Norton, and Cruz don’t measure up, though; each of them inhabits their respective roles magnificently. The four actors play off each other as if they had been working together for years.

While The Invite will likely play better to those who have experience with long term relationships, its insights — and occasional bawdiness — make it a comedy that can be appreciated universally. With four actors at the top of their games and a razor-sharp script made even better by some well-done improv, it proves that you don’t need to go low to get great laughs.

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The Invite is now playing in theaters.

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