Bluebeard's Castle & Gianni Schicchi

Postcard review by Caroline Russell-King

Shows – Bluebeard’s Castle and Gianni Schicchi

Playwright/s/Composer/s – Composer, Béla Bartók; Libretto, Béla Balázs for Bluebeard’s Castle | Composer, Giacomo Puccini; Libretto by Giovacchino Forzano for Gianni Schicchi

Production Company/Theatre space – Calgary Opera, Jubilee Auditorium.

Length – 2 one act operas (2 hours, 30 minutes, including one intermission.)

Genre – Bluebeard’s Castle - opera, Gianni Schicchi - comic opera

Premise – A woman leaves her fiancée for a notorious murderer and thief and after swiftly falling in love with him demands the keys to 7 of the locked doors in his castle that reveal the scope of his crimes.  Gianni Schicchi impersonates a dying man to change the will of the deceased patriarch to save a family from losing their inheritance.  

Why this play? Why now? – The slow and gruesome drama is paired with the funny comic opera and each balance the other.

Curiosities – I wondered what Bluebeard’s Castle would look like swimming in blood in a modern European art house with a high concept staging – would that make it more engaging?  Are we conservative stagers in our conservative province?

Notable Moment – Prior to starting the operas the orchestra played “O Canada” and we stood and sang along with the surtitles with great enthusiasm. The line “we stand on guard for thee” was particularly poignant.

Notable writing – Bluebeard’s Castle is the more challenging of the pieces. It relies on the suspense of what’s behind the doors -- Grand Guignol meets Monty Hall. Gianni Schicchi is well constructed comedy with a romantic subplot. The music for both is still impressive.

Notable performances – Giuseppe Altomare sings beautifully but acts with one note in Bluebeard. In Gianni Schicchi he is completely different in the titular role. In the battle of the sopranos Kristen LeBlanc wins over Sara Gartland but only by sixteenth note and mostly because O mio babbino caro is so familiar. The faux mourners, including Phillip Addis and Marianne Cornetti are thoroughly enjoyable. Congratulations to the McPhee Artist Development Program for producing Arieh Max Sacke, Colin Mackey, and Nicholas Murphy. All seem destined for bright careers.

Notable design/Production – Scott Reid returns to his brilliant self by providing simple yet grand sets for both operas. Where he shines (pardon the pun) was his lighting design. Bluebeard’s Castle was especially elevated by his talents.

Notable direction – Conductor Jonathan Brandani is much beloved and admired - rightly so. The first staging by Alain Gauthier was awkward. Bluebeard meanders slowly about the stage as his love flits around him occasionally draping herself over him then scurrying to unlock more morbid metaphorical rooms. It hardly seemed like the same director for the second show. Gianni Schicchi was staged as the comic farce it is supposed to be. The cast were all in step figuratively and literally.

One reason to see this show – Bluebeard’s Castle is a bit chewy, but Gianni Schicchi is a laugh out loud delight.