'Lucretia' impeccably presented

By Marc Shulgold, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Originally published 03:00 p.m., June 8, 2008
Updated 10:53 p.m., June 8, 2008

Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia is not grand opera. Quite the opposite, in fact. The raked stage in Central City Opera's stunning production is populated by only eight singers, with but a few more than that occupying the pit.

It's a chamber opera, and thus ideally suited for the intimate opera house. But don't let its size fool you.

Here is a small, uncomplicated story that presents enormous implications. Under Paul Curran's intense direction, this staging unfolds chillingly around a larger-than-life dramatic core that held Friday's opening-night crowd in its spell, from jarring first chord to eerily quiet last.

As its title suggests, this 1946 work is hardly kid's stuff. The tale of Ancient Rome is transported by Curran to roughly the time period in which it was written, with no loss of focus or validity. Truth be told, the lack of sandals and togas increases the drama's potency.

Everything works in this staging, with every element impeccably presented.

That said, Lucretia is not for every taste. It makes heavy demands on an audience. There's not much going on (except for the rape, of course), no side plots, no amusing diversions, no set arias or duets, no catchy tunes, none of the trappings that can make opera grand.

There is a ritualistic sublayer here, as well. Sharing the stage with the three male characters and their female counterparts are two additional figures, identified as Male and Female Chorus. They serve as narrators and observers, unseen by those onstage, but central to the action. Reading from books, as if creating this story in their imaginations, they explore the emotional struggles and pangs of guilt within each gender. They function, then, as our subconscious and our conscience.

Kevin Knight's effective unit set is dominated by a two-wall room that is transformed from a male to female domain in seamless fashion. Downstage is a small pond bordered by smooth rocks, a representation of the outside world and a crucial element in this staging.

Curran brings impressive clarity to the characters, embracing Ronald Duncan's poetic libretto as an insightful road map to the heart of the story. As one would expect, the three men are stiff-backed and single-minded, while the women are more vulnerable and weak - that is, until the aggressive Tarquinius invades Lucretia's bedroom. The confrontation and subsequent attack (handled honestly but with discretion) become more than a battle of the sexes. It is a portrait of a man's basest instincts and a woman's deepest fears.

The cast is ideal, with not a weakness anywhere. Phyllis Pancella's Lucretia is a three-dimensional woman of purity, devotion, strength and, tragically, idealism - sung with a richly colored mezzo that seemed to grow in scope and focus as the opera proceeded.

The young baritone Brian Mulligan made an impressive debut in the tricky role of the "bad guy," Tarquinius, rising to the challenges of the rape scene and justly earning a round of jocular hisses during curtain calls.

Supporting male roles were brilliantly handled by Arthur Woodley (as the resolute and loving husband, Collatinus) and by Joshua Hopkins (as Junius, who sets the tragedy in motion). Equally impressive were Lucretia's loving servants, Bianca (Maria Zifchak) and Lucia (Sarah Jane McMahon). The sight of them reveling in a beautiful spring morning, unaware of the crumpled, humiliated Lucretia nearby, won't soon be forgotten.

Special praise is reserved for the two remarkable chorus singers: up-and-coming tenor Vale Rideout and soprano Melina Pyron, who was so stunning in last summer's Saint of Bleecker Street in Central City. Vocally and dramatically, their contributions cannot be properly measured.

In the pit, Damian Iorio led a superb chamber ensemble through the atmospheric twists and turns of Britten's marvelous instrumental score. From the crash-bang opening, through Janet Harriman's tension-filled harp noodlings to Scott Higgins' timpani heartbeats, Iorio and his players breathed as one with the tragedy onstage.

The Rape of Lucretia

* Grade: A

* When and where: Performances continue through June 20 in the Central City Opera House.

* Information: 303-292-6500

Marc Shulgold is music and dance writer. shulgoldm@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5296.