Live and in person at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, a co-production of the Canadian Opera Company and of Malmö Opera, in Toronto, Ont.
Playing Oct. 24, 27, Nov. 2.
By Charles Gounod
Libretto by Jules Barbier and Michael Carré
Conductor, Johannes Debus
Director, Amy Lane
Set and costumes by Emma Ryott
Lighting by Charles Morgan Jones
Choreography by Tim Claydon
Cast: Alex Hetherington
Kyle Ketelsen
Megan Latham
Long Long
Szymon Mechliński
Korin Thomas-Smith
Guanqun Yu
Once again a concept is imposed on an opera that does not support it. Frustrating but terrific music and performance.
NOTE: As I have said when I review an opera, since music and signing aren’t my forte, I’m looking at the opera from the point of view of theatre. I can talk about the drama of the piece, the acting, set and costumes and the concept of the director, etc. The usual stuff for a drama.
The opera was composed by Charles Gounod, with a libretto by Jules Barbier and Michael Carré Sung in French with English surtitles.
The Story. Faust is an old man and considers himself a failure in life after efforts to succeed fail him, and plans to take his life by drinking poison. But he is interrupted by the Devil, Méphistophélès, who makes Faust an offer he can’t refuse.
Méphistophélès will give Faust youth and vigor so he can cavort with women and have a great time, but after that Faust’s soul is the Devil’s, Méphistophélès. Faust agrees. Faust is miraculously transformed into a virile, youthful man in a fitted dark green jacket. He sees the young Marguerite and falls in love with her and she him. Temptations of riches, jewels from the Devil on behalf of Faust appear and Marguerite succumbs. It ends badly for everybody except the Devil who takes Faust’s soul at the end.
The Production. The Faust story is the subject of dramas, musicals, ballets etc. So, it’s familiar. But if I look at the opera from the musical-theatre point of view, it’s interesting.
In musicals, there is a “rule” that within the first five minutes of the start of the musical, the tone, atmosphere and general sense of the story has to be established both in music and in text/lyrics. I wouldn’t apply that idea to the music in an opera. The composer of course knows what he/she/they are doing. But it’s the libretto here that was troubling.
Faust (Long Long) is old, stiff-legged and hunched. He begins by singing that he is a failure. He laments that repeatedly. He sings that he sought answers in nature and in research and in thinking etc. but he’s failed. He sings about drinking poison and ending it all. This goes on for about 15 minutes and I have no idea what he is talking about. A failure at what? He doesn’t say. I thought it a bit drastic that because he failed at whatever, he wanted to drink poison.
But then the dashing, charming, tuxedo-dressed Méphistophélès (Kyle Ketelsen) appears, with top hat and cane to help out. Méphistophélès calls Faust,” Dr.” I don’t think he’s a medical doctor, but perhaps a botanist, with that reference to nature etc. Then it comes clear: Faust wants to be young again to dally with the ladies and live a life of pleasure and perhaps in his studies as whatever Doctor, he was looking for an elixir for youth, to turn back time and make him young again. Méphistophélès says he can do that (before that Faust pleads to God with not much success). So Méphistophélès promises to change Faust into a young, virile man again with a new wardrobe but when Faust is finished living the high life, his soul is Méphistophélès’. Faust agrees. Faust is on his way to falling in love with Marguerite (Guanqun Yu) and she him, until it all ends badly.
Keeping in mind I’m looking at the opera as ‘theatre’, how was the production? I think any clarity that could serve the piece is choked out of it and smothered with the weight of the overbearing, ill-conceived concept of director Amy Lane. You have to read the program to find out what you are seeing up there on that set by Emma Ryott or why. You have to listen to an interview with Amy Lane on line to decipher her thinking.
Amy Lane envisions the opera as a game for Faust so the floor is in the design of a chess board. Really? A game?? With whom? Why a game? With whom is Faust playing, because it’s not Méphistophélès. Méphistophélès holds all the cards (wrong kind of game). And why chess? No reason given. While I was in a great seat in the orchestra, I could not see that floor clearly enough to discern the chess board.
Nor did I get a sense from Amy Lane’s staging that she was moving the pieces—characters– around as in a game of chess. Upstage on the backdrop was something that looked like a chest cavity—I was told in fact it was a pair of lungs with all sorts of veins in it. Ok, I see that. Why? There are six dwarf moveable trees with thick trunks and spindly branches. I’m figuring these are arteries and veins—in keeping the body references. In the middle of the stage is an odd, winding staircase that you realize is a spine. Singers have to climb up and down that staircase and those stairs are steep. Again, we have a designer, Emma Ryott, who doesn’t consider the singer when designing the set on which they have to move. In fact, checking with the Amy Lane’s interview—we are looking at Faust’s body. News to me. It’s not his body that is at stake here, it’s his soul. Sigh.
Amy Lane also references popular culture in her vision—films like the Wizard of Oz, films by Tim Burton. Musicals such as Cabaret or perhaps by Bob Fosse are referenced. For example, Méphistophélès is always accompanied by two scantily clad women in black tights, high heels, and form fitting corset things. I could be looking at the Kit Kat Orchestra from Cabaret or some of the dancers from Sweet Charity. I think the pièce de resistance is a character, supposedly God, in white tie, tails, heels and top hat that is emulating Marlene Dietrich.That had me rolling my good eye.
Comment. I loved the singing and thought the opera was well-acted. But this is a mess of a self-indulgent concept that does not serve the opera. If the design can’t explain itself without having to check the program or accompanying interview of the director, then it’s failed. And don’t tell me the devil made them do it.
The Canadian Opera Company in a co-production with Malmö Opera presents:
Playson Oct. 24, 27 and Nov. 2
Running time: 3 hours (1 intermission)