I sojourned to Santa Barbara today, Dear Readers, to catch a performance of Mr. Charles Gounod's Faust. Opera Santa Barbara promotes itself as a professional opera company, but most of the cast must have graduated from conservatory last week, as they all looked to be in their twenties. Maybe, just maybe, some of the choristers may have been older than thirty.
The performance was held at the Lobero Theatre, a historic venue in the Spanish Mediterranean style that was refurbished not too long ago. It's wonderful seeing and hearing opera in a 630-seat theatre. Unfortunately, though, the pit is tiny and several musicians were actually seated on the same level as the audience and had to peer down into the pit to see the conductor.
The stage is rather small, too, and a two-level unit set took up a good deal of stage space. As a result, the blocking was rather limited, there was only a hint of choreography in the first act and the Walpurgis Night scene was omitted entirely. (Which is a shame, because not only do I enjoy the music to the ballet, every time I've seen it performed it offered at least a little--and sometimes a lot of--titillation.)
There was a lot about this production about which the less said the better. For example, I thought it rather odd that the entire regiment returns from battle wounded and/or lame and/or blind, yet Valentin makes his entrance immediately following the soldiers' chorus looking like he just showered after a refreshing game of tennis.
Vocally, Faust was only OK, Valentin slightly more so. Marguerite had some nice moments and Siebel sang his/her music quite well.
What made the trip more than worthwhile was the Mephistophele of a young man by the name of Joshua Winograde. Not only did he sing the role with great finesse and relish, his stage presence was superb. His gestures, posture and facial expressions were all just right. He played up the humor in the role without overdoing it and was terrifying, too, especially in his scene with Marguerite in the church near the end of the opera. I am always surprised when I hear a rich basso voice emanate from a singer as young as Mr. Winograde; his is quite beautiful. He is very tall and extremely thin. His costume consisted of black leather boots, black spandex pants, a red satin shirt and--worn only during the scene in which he enters--a black three-quarter coat. He sported an outrageously thick Mohawk haircut and club-style make-up. Picture Boy George as the Devil. According to the program, Mr. Winograde's upcoming performances include a Mozart Requiem in Phoenix, a Barber of Seville in Pensacola and a Falstaff in Houston. Catch him if you can.
