Gianni Schicchi

I went to the final dress rehearsal for Florida Opera Theater‘s production of Gianni Schicchi at the home of Kathy and Steve Miller in Winter Park. The rehearsal had been moved to 8PM but when I arrived, the circular drive was already full of parked cars. Light glowed warmly from inside the mansion. The sunken living room offered a perfect set for the opera.

The actors, in costume, stood around Robin Stamper on the piano in the beginning, going over the songs. This is a very accessible opera since all the lyrics are in English. Stage director, Eric Pinder, then had the cast rehearse their final bows. Eric was very gracious about letting me sit in and sketch the rehearsal. He informed me that I had once sketched him at one of Mark Baratelli‘s early food truck gatherings.

Gene Tate sat on the bed as the cast got ready to do a full run through. He then got under the covers. I didn’t realize that he had perhaps the easiest role in Giacomo Puccini‘s comic opera, playing Buoso Donati, who has just died. Relatives of Buoso sit around the bed lamenting his death and more importantly yearning to find out the contents of his will. They savagely search everywhere for the document, throwing papers everywhere. When it is found, they are mortified to discover that everything had been left to a monastery. They then truly cry and lament their loss.

Gianni Schicci is asked to help find some loop hole and he advises them to pretend that Buoso is still alive long enough to get a new will drafted. The dead man is treated like a puppet as Gianni throws his voice, trying to convince a visiting doctor that he is alive. Gianni himself gets under the sheets to dictate the new will in which he takes everything in order to unite his daughter with her true love, Rinuccio, played by Austin Hallock. The aria,  Oh my dear papa, sung by Lauretta, Gianni’s daughter, played by Shannon Jennings, is one of Puccini’s most well known, and one of the most popular arias in opera. Opera is still alive in Orlando.

When: December 8th, 7:30 p.m., December 9th, 2 p.m.

Venue: Bishop Moore High School, 3109 Edgewater Drive, Orlando FL

Phone: (407) 718-4365

Web Site: http://www.floperatheatre.org
Tags: opera
Price: $30

All performances will be followed by a reception.

The Medium – Dress Rehearsal

I returned to the spacious mansion in Winter Park to see the dress rehearsal for Gian Carlo Menotti’s, “The Medium.” Robin Stamper, the pianist asked actress Susan Neves how she felt. “I feel comfortable.” she said. “I’ll do the best I can at this point in time and if there is a mistake, I’ll be able to fix it for Saturday’s performance.” Frank McClain, the director, on the other hand was nervous. There were thousands of infinite details that had to fall into place to make the performances perfect. This was to be the first run through with all the lighting and props.

Frank let me know that six people had bid on and won the chance to see the dress rehearsal at a fundraiser. When the door bell rang, Frank shouted out, “Places everyone!” The six winners entered and Frank spoke with them for a while. Kathy Miller was a warm inviting hostess offering wine and cheese. None of the women had seen an opera before. Frank let them know that they were in for a treat. Frank warned the small audience that there was one gun shot in the show and no one could be hurt. I knew as I started the sketch that I wanted to catch Shannon Jennings singing “Old Black Swan.” Her performance was mesmerizing. When the seance began, I couldn’t resist sketching that as well. Unfortunately Brent Reilly Turner as Mr. Gobineau is mysteriously missing from the sketch. I had already painted the black piano which made it impossible to sketch his face. The only solution was to leave his chair empty.

In the final act, Susan as Baba grabbed the gun from a dresser drawer when she was startled awake by David Grindrod as Toby. She waved the gun around as if aiming at ghosts. Several audience members flinched. The gun fired with tragic consequences. When the actors each came out to bow after the show, Susan Neves got the loudest applause. Of course with such a small audience, the applause felt polite rather than thunderous. I absolutely loved the production. Something about the intimate setting gave it added punch.

Frank gave the cast his notes. Regarding makeup, he felt Susan looked too beautiful in the final act. Susan didn’t fully agree with the premise that Baba was a heavy drinker. In one scene she forgot to bring her bottle of liquor with her. She was supposed to take a heavy swig from the bottle. She added, “You didn’t read clause 451A in my contract which states, ‘I must be the most beautiful one 0f all‘”. Frank and the cast laughed. Bobbie Demme San-Filippo doing make up agreed to add darker rings under Susan’s eyes. There were many more subtle staging notes but, as an audience member seeing the show for the first time, the production seemed flawless. After two years of darkness, opera is back in Orlando!

The show will be staged at the Orlando Repertory Theater on December 3rd at 7:30pm and December 4th at 2:30pm. You can get tickets at floperatheater.org or call 407 718-4365.

The Medium Rehearsal

The Florida Opera Theater has come up with the brilliant idea of staging “The Medium” in a gorgeous Orlando mansion. This exclusive production was by invitation only. I drove around an upscale part of Winter Park in the evening searching for house numbers. My GPS on my cell phone showed where the mansion was but I drove up and down the street many times as I hunted. I finally went down a tiny unmarked one lane road that cut in towards a lake. At the end of the road was a large iron gateway and the number I was seeking was on a mail box. The long driveway lead to a circular turn around where the actors cars were parked. I opened a courtyard entry gate and walked toward the immense mansion. Warm light spilled out of the cut glass of the front door. Water cascaded down a series of steps of a fountain that ran the length of the walkway. I rang the doorbell and tested the knob. It was open. The entryway opened up into a vast vaulted ceiling where a large chandelier hung. The opera was being staged in this grand space. A second floor balcony looked down on the set. Folding chairs were set up around the edges of the room.

Director, Frank McCain, welcomed me. The last production I had seen him in was, “War of the Worlds“. Susan Neves as “Baba” and Shannon Jennings as Monica were standing near the grand piano played by Robin Stamper. Scenes were rehearsed out of order, but for once, I knew the storyline since I had done my research when I did the illustration for the program. In one scene, Baba wanted to force Toby, played by David Grindrod, to leave. Monica defended him saying he needed them. She was instructed to grab Baba’s arm in the argument. In the heat of the moment, she grabbed the wrong hand and Baba shouted in pain. This wasn’t in the opera, Susan was in real pain. A previous accident had resulted in a broken clavicle and now her twisted arm had pinched a nerve. Shannon apologized and hugged her. Luckily it was a minor incident. The show must go on. In an other scene Susan had to take a swig of alcohol and she choked because she had just been singing and it went down the wrong pipe. It wasn’t really alcohol.

Frank pulled a starter’s pistol from out of a drawer on set. He let everyone know it wasn’t real and that they wouldn’t fire the caps until the next evening’s rehearsal. He told Susan she should never point it towards the audience. It looked very real. In such an intimate setting, I could imagine people diving for the floor if she did. In a later scene she pointed the gun towards the puppet theater where Toby was hiding. She threatened to shoot and when she did, she said, “Pichoo, Pichooo!” In a dramatic moment of shock and horror, she dropped the gun to the floor. It burst into a dozen pieces. “Oh God! I’m so sorry!” she shouted. Once again real life drama seeped into the rehearsal. Frank and Bobbie Demme San-Filippo, the props master, struggled to put the gun back together.

Shannon was enchanting as she performed “Monica’s Waltz“. I knew I needed to return to sketch her as she sang “Black Swan” which was absolutely haunting and would make a great sketch. Susan Neves roll as Baba was very physical and exhausting. After a full run through she was spent. She searched for a cookie for a quick sugar rush. Samantha Barnes sang off stage as the voice of the dead. She found the best spot to sing was from was an upstairs bathroom which gave her vocals a haunted echo. Being so close to the cast as they sang and performed was exhilarating. This idea of bringing opera to intimate settings was pure genius. This promises to be a show that will make the hair stand straight up on your arms.