Both a love story and a comedy in opera form, Jules Massenet’s Cendrillon was the University of Tennessee Opera Theatre’s subject last weekend in their spring production at the Bijou Theatre. In the masterful hands of stage director James Marvel, the production provided a double cast of singers with an engaging, visually striking platform on which to present Massenet’s music, a libretto in French, and the intriguing range of characters. Of course, leading the way is a complex Cinderella herself, followed by the broadly cartoonish characters of the demanding step-mother and her haughty daughters. Then, there is the role of Cinderella’s poor father, Pandolfe, made comically miserable by his re-marriage to Madame del la Halitére. The Le Prince Charmant (Prince Charming) role here is a breeches role for a dramatic soprano with a strong lower register. A marvelous contrast is the role of the fairy “god-mother” La Fée, who offers a light soprano with coloratura delights.
As was their usual casting scheme, a double cast was split over four performances—with a few exceptions, one cast did the afternoon performances while the other did the evening performances.
In the “afternoon” cast was the excellent Molly Garrett as a Cendrillon with a beautifully sympathetic dramatic depth. Her Prince Charming was Jenna Moynihan, who nicely balanced the role’s melancholy with its subtle strength. The afternoon La Fée was Elena Klein, who infused a delightful air of mystery into the role. Balancing the cartoonish characters with attractive vocal performances were Vivian Hirst as Madame de la Halitére and Teyah Young and Jessica Parker as the haughty step-daughters Noémie and Dorothée, respectively.
Cendrillon’s father, Pandolfe, was Jacob Altrock in the afternoon cast while the courtly roles featured the same singer in both casts: the King (Solomon Sharp), Le Doyen (Jacob Rinke), Le Surintendant (Vallie Comstock), Le Premiere Ministre (Braden Bruce). Le Fée’s fairy spirits were Hannah Cipriana, Kilmeney Sproles, and Meghana Krish.
In the “evening cast,” Cendrillon was sung by Meghan Cluskey with a charming clarity and style. Hannah Cipriana sang a beautifully embellished La Fée, meshing perfectly with Cluskey in accepting the doled-out magic amenities. The evening Prince Charming was Meghana Krish, who made her character’s melancholy and sadness a key detail. In the role of Madame de la Halitére was Staley Clark demonstrating the impressive range of dramatic operatic characters she can construct. Faith Nevarez and Emma Wilson made a comic feast out of Noémie and Dorothée, respectively. JJ Robinson was a fabulous Pandolfe, fighting submission to his hen-pecking wife with a lot of comic energy. The spirits were Elena Klein, Kilmeney Sproles, and Jenna Moynihan.
As has also been the case for budget reasons, the rich staging environment came from projections onto hanging panels. Such staging depends on, and is only limited by, one’s imagination, whimsy, and resources—designer DJ Pike deserves kudos for his immersive images that wrapped the singers in the supporting environments. And, Sara Oldford’s lighting not only supported the comedy and tragedy, but made the layered-look work with the projections.
Kudos also go to the impressive and essential contribution of the UT Opera Theatre Orchestra under conductor Kevin Class. It is no exaggeration to state that the opera orchestra performance has shown tremendous achievements over the last five years or so, both in individual playing and in the ensemble performance that supports the vocal and dramatic efforts of the singers.
The tenor who played the Prince on Friday night was fabulous…. I forget his name… yet, bravo