Holy Smoke: It's Carmen!

PORTopera opened its new production of Bizet's time-honored Carmen in a modest, but effective production, the emphasis appropriately placed where it should be; on music, and drama. I always cringe a a little when a company chooses the Guiraud version instead of Bizet's original, feeling it robs a good deal of the bite and spice the dialogue can add. That being said, most of the music making was strong. Maestro Stephen Lord started things off with a briskly paced overture setting the tone for all that followed. There were a few moments of loss of coordination between stage and pit, most notably the middle of the Smugglers quintet, which found its way back on track and finished with sizzle. Lord is a singers' conductor who strikes the right balance between singers and band, never overpowering, but letting the big orchestral moments pop. In this regard, he's also an audiences' conductor, and that's always a good thing.

Judy Gailen's unit set of a large, curved stucco wall served for all four acts with slight variances (dangerous steps, an enormous table for Carmen to dance and seduce Don Jose on at Lillas Pastia, etc.) for each.

Dona D. Vaughn led a generally excellent cast, starting with the leading lady, Israeli mezzo soprano, Maya Lahyani. With striking good looks, physique and a physical force Lahyani's a natural Carmen, comfortable with her body and unafraid to use it to seduce, or as a weapon. The voice is rich, with an old-fashioned lushness that projected throughout the house beautifully. Wonderful in her early arias and the first two acts' lighter moments, Lahyani truly came into her own in the card scene, reaching into the story's darker side and taking us along Carmen's grizzly ride to Doomsville.

Adam Diegel took a bit of warming up, but earned the first real ovation of the night with the Flower aria, the sweetness of his voice blooming beautifully for the finish. He was at his best in Jose's deadly showdown with his ex where things got good and ugly. He's an agile singer and moved like a dancer, though at other times stiff, which is not, I suppose, against character. One got a small sense of this character's dangerous, but not all (Carmen isn't his first kill). He and Lahyani were appropriately passionate, right up until, well, you know.

Conversely, I was not quite convinced by Edward Parks' turn as Escamillo, With a rich, beautiful mid range, upper notes widened a bit, while the lowest notes (particularly in the Toreador aria) nearly disappeared. His third act appearance reminded me more of Ross Martin's Artemus Gordon from The Wild, Wild West, than a dangerous bullfighter. In the final act he became the victim of an unfortunate costuming decision.

Amanda Woodbury took on, Micaëla, the only decent person in sordid story, and did so marvelously, nowhere more so than in her Act Three aria that, when beautifully sung (as it frequently is, since its Micaëla's only big moment) steals the show. It happened again last night.

Comprimario roles were, to a one, as good as it gets, and the choruses, both children and adult, were magnificent. Once again, When it comes to crowd scenes, Ms. Vaughn once again shows her had as one of the best in the business. Her endless, silhouetted parade of gypsies climbing the mountain pass, then down steep, dangerous steps was stage magic. Vaughn did away with the parade at the bull ring, while the choristers made me believe (vividly) they were seeing it, so much so that I occasionally looked across the balcony expecting to see an army of banderilleros, picadors and matadors. Nice touch.

Getting older, and a touch jaded, I sometimes resist attending operas I've seen countless times, but when I give in, I'm reminded why I fell in love with them in the first place, and so it was this evening. I wasn't alone, the audience, young and old, loved it, and a friend, attending his first opera, can't wait to start going to more. Carmen can do that.

(Photo Credit: John Ewing for mainetoday.com)

Bao Bao is pure "Wow Wow!"

Well, I finally made it to Cara Stadler's new Portland restaurant, Bao Bao. About all I could say immediately afterwards was "wow, wow!"

Since it's opening about a month ago, the place has been packed every time I've walked by, but tonight, getting out of work early, I noticed a couple of spaces open at the bar and took a break from my own cooking.

It's impossible to describe the transformation of the former West End Deli, which I've visited more times than I can count over the past 13-15 years. Other than the entrance the space is entirely unrecognizable and now one of the coolest spaces in Portland. The enormous, wall filling dragon sculpture is only one of many dramatic touches in the dining area, with a stunning carved ceiling, large, starkly elegant chandeliers outsized artwork and a knockout of a bar, lowered like an orchestra pit on the bartenders' side all had me turning my head in every direction like a first time tourist (which, technically, I was).

The menu is small - one knows this going in, four apps, a half dozen or so dumplings, greens in oyster sauce and beef noodle soup. The cocktail menu is slightly exotic (with nice twists on old classics), with a decent beer and wine selection. At the bartender's recommendation I ordered the Beet Yozu Martini. Juices of beets, yuzu and lemon, mixed with Thai basil and Tanqueray in cool low glass with a sour sugar rim . . . far from my typical drink but providing the first of several "wows" of the evening.
To start I choose the spicy pig ear appetizer, a large portion of sliced ears, tossed with Napa cabbage marinated in spicy, sour Shanxi-province vinegar that initially tasted pickle-ly, with a mild heat that intensified with each ensuing bite. I wasn't expecting the dish to be served cold, and expect its "odd food" status will make this one of the less popular menu items.

Next up, my single order of dumplings (which come boiled, steamed or pan fried, I chose the last). Six beauties stuffed with a sausage ball of lamb, black bean, peanuts, and chilis, served with a homemade tomato relish/ketchup. I will likely order these every time I return. I was sorry I didn't order the Hake dumplings which looked amazing . . . but I need something to look forward to next time.

The staff was young, attractive with a slight hipster-edge that dominates the food scene right now, my bartender warm, friendly and helpful even while working up a storm.

By the time I left, around six, the place was already packed, with hopeful diners waiting outside to be sided. To have this gem only a couple of blocks from home could be dangerous.

No pics of the interior yet, but google them to see some stunners.

O Nuit divine - Portland Opera's Romeo et Juliette

Last night was the opening of PortOpera’s 14th season, this season featuring Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette. Members of the Portland Symphony were in the capable hands of newcomer Israel Gursky who led and shaped an often stunning reading of the score, pushing it along where it sometimes needs it, and filling a score that in some hands can be a bit long and languorous, with a youthful energy this work needs in order to succeed.

First off: special mention must be made for the chorus work in this opera, they’ve got a lot to do and this ensmelbe looked and sounded about as good as one can hope for in this work: stunning. Every singer brought an individuality, a certain look and whether en masse or in smaller ensembles, created a living, breathing, sumptuous sounding (and brilliantly costumed) citizenry of Verona.

Uruguayan tenor Gaston Rivera is new to me and I had no idea quite what to expect. What we got was the finest performance of the night. What stunning tone, elegant phrasing, perfect sounding French. There was also a virile athleticism on display as Romeo scaled walls, hung from Juliette’s balcony, jumped into the fray with Tybalt, and proudly went all "Porky Pig" (slang for "shirt on, naked from waist down"). Rivera made a meal of the little recit before "Ah! lève-toi, soleil!" – which in no way prepared me for a truly beautiful reading of the aria itself. Rivera made an absolutely stunning – breathtaking actually – effect singing mezzo di voce in the reprise with an entirely different color, steadiness of tone and perhaps as close to a voix mixte ending high note that we are likely to hear in the role today. It earned him the first ovation the night and was entirely deserved.

Rivera, in fact, would not disappoint all night and in addition to that voice, his acting was possessed of an earnestness that was touching, and full of subtleties: e.g., when first spying Juliette, he is hidden, barely seen in the shadows beneath a balustrade - his hands rose - flying almost birdlike - until they fell, landing onto his heart and the way he breathed, appeared as though he would ascend onto a cloud. It was one of those magical effects I thought I alone noticed, but which during intermission I heard dozens of people praising. It was THAT kind of a performance.

Jennifer Black’s Juliette began not at the same vocal level as her partner. Accurate musicianship (though no trill in the Waltz) and a tone that reminded me a bit of Mady Mesple – not the "vinegary" aspect, but with a uniquely pressed quality to the vibrato that took a while for me to warm up to (others seemed not to share issue). She moved gracefully, had a beautifully expressive face, and moved with a wonderful sense of controlled spontaneity, yet looked a bit too forced – bolted down, even, in her Juliette gowns. All of that, however, would change following intermission.

In the bedroom scene Black appeared almost an entirely different woman – more graceful, more sensual, voluptuous, and more freely gowned. There is almost no way to better describe this scene than "smoking hot" and while tasteful, there was certainly no lack of sexual energy or chemistry here. This same sensual quality became apparent in her voice which grew to a freer, often ravishing sound. Worst decision of the night: Omitting the Potion Aria. Black clearly was ready for it vocally and emotionally. So was the audience who were now really along for the ride – you could feel it in the house. This move robbed the soprano of making an even more lasting impression as the role of Romeo is so much meatier. Nonetheless, Ms. Black’s two death scenes were impressive.

Visually, Dona D. Vaughn’s staging was a miracle – a study of classical portraits. Her arrangements of the chorus staggeringly beautiful. But nowhere was her skilled hand more evident than in the staging of the death scene. The elegant drape of the simple white drop over the balcony, the placement of the dagger, the angles of the couple’s bodies, the puddle of her death shroud - it was a perfect geometrically composed painting come to life and Black and Rivera drew gasps and sniffles – he during his death crawl, she with her final breath. My god.

But there is more to this opera than the couple and Vaughan infused the action with a boundless energy and sense of velocity. Characters who often come across as static or recede into the "minor role haze" were here given prominence. The best example being Sara Sturdivant’s Nurse. With a rich, plumy sound – and made to look like every Nurse in every production of the play or opera she had the energy of youth, went chasing, kicking and grappling after the youth with a joyous ferocity. Brilliant idea, brilliantly executed.

Tenor John McVeigh lent genuine star quality to the proceedings and probably fills out Tybalt's tights and codpiece better than any singer in history. With an elegant, tragic and angry virility, wedded to that crystal clean voice he was like a talented version of Keanu Reeves - with high notes. Great with a sword as well! This is a favorite singer of mine and having heard him all around the country, what a treat it was to see him playing for the home team!

The Mercutio, Michael Mayes was a welcome newcomer – a handsome, imposing giant of a youth, he moved with the hallmark physicality of this production and played both his comic and tragic elements with enormous heart. I want to see more of this guy.

Lauren McNeese – our formerly dazzling Rosina was perfection as Stephano, dispatching her showpiece aria with skill and humor.

No secret that I’ve been a huge fan of Jeffrey Wells since for many years – have never seen a less than dazzling performance from him and his Capulet was no exception. In addition to that rich, voice which has shone no sign of age in the 20 years I’ve been following him, he remains one of the best damn actors in the world of opera. Period.

Ten Feet tall and looking all of 15 years old – when bass Jordan Bisch, opened his mouth as Frere Laurent everyone around me sat straight up. The robust size, richness and elegant beauty of his voice belied what our eyes were seeing: someone so young, with that much finesse and sense of style. It was a huge performance. Another one to keep your eyes (and ears) on.

Luxury casting extended to the brief role of the Duke, here taken by Malcolm Smith, who offered an authoritative stamp on the role and still shows plenty of vocal cream.

The instant ovation at the end grew steadily – and at Mr. Rivera’s entrance turned into a standing ovation for a truly star making performance. Near hurricane force winds and driving, pelting rain could not dampen the magic made on this night.Bravi, bravissimo to everyone at PortOpera for a "nuit divine!"

G. Paul Padillo
Portland, ME