Gloriana

Opera Theatre of St. Louis

According to Colin Graham, the director for Opera Theatre's triumphant production of Benjamin Britten's Gloriana, this dramatic tale of the relationship between Elizabeth the First and Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, received a decidedly mixed reception at its premiere in 1953. The glitterati in the good seats - the Diplomatic Corps - were indifferent and the musical press, which already hated Britten anyway, was hostile. Up in the gallery, however, the opera lovers were wildly enthusiastic, giving the production a half-hour standing ovation.

History has shown that the folks in the cheap seats had it right. Gloriana is clearly one of the masterpieces of late 20th century musical theatre. Britten's music proceeds from strength to strength, with one brilliant set piece followed by another at least as powerful and all of it in an idiom that seamlessly combines elements of the 16th and 20th centuries. The same can be said for William Plomer's smart and poetic libretto, which manages to sound both Elizabethan and contemporary at the same time. An epic in the very best sense of the term, Gloriana brings Elizabethan England to brilliant life on the stage, with all of its contradictions, chaos, Machiavellian politics and linguistic inventiveness intact.

The cast for Gloriana is, I believe, the largest the Opera Theatre has ever put on stage. It's certainly one of the best, with strong performances from everyone from the leads down to the smallest "one scene wonders". St. Louis native Christine Brewer leads the pack as Elizabeth, bringing the complex character to convincing life. Plomer's Virgin Queen is torn by conflicting loyalties, uncertain of whom to trust in a constantly shifting political landscape and ultimately as utterly alone as only a monarch can be. Brewer's performance is a gem, illuminating every facet of Elizabeth's contradictory personality.

While not nearly as three-dimensional as Elizabeth, the supporting characters are well drawn, and performed with great conviction. Tenor Brandon Javonovich is a splendid Essex. He brings out all of the man's pride, ambition and melancholy self-absorption and does so with strong and clear voice. His Act II "lute song", for example, is an impressive display of his vocal virtuosity. Soprano Mary Wilson is a model of overreaching pride as Penelope Rich, sister of Essex and lover of Lord Mountjoy (baritone James Westman, in yet another fine performance). Baritone Steven Condy and bass Robert Pomakov bring just the right amount of gravitas to the roles of Sir Robert Cecil and Sir Walter Raleigh, respectively. Pomakov also nicely delineates Raleigh's dry wit in one of the opera's few moments of comic relief. I was impressed as well by Kellie van Horn's moving portrayal Frances, the long-suffering wife of Essex.

Plomer and Britten have included a number of striking cameos in their theatrical jewel box and here, too, strong performances are the rule. Soprano Erin Morley has a touching scene as Elizabeth's Lady-in-Waiting, helping the aging queen recover from a traumatic encounter with Essex. Dancers Anthony Paul Krutzkamp and Janessa Touchet show some impressive moves as, respectively, Time and Concord in the Act II Masque sequence and Cervilio Miguel Amador does a flashy solo as a Morris Dancer, teasing the ladies at a court ball and, incidentally, providing cover for an important costume change for Elizabeth. Finally, bass Morris D. Robinson is an imposing Blind Ballad Singer in the London street scene sequence, updating the crowd and the audience on the rise and fall of the fortunes of Essex and his rebellious supporters with a series of elliptical riddles.

Speaking of which: by obscuring and abstracting the follies and ambitions of Essex, the character of the Ballad Singer also forces us to see Essex as but one example of a not uncommon political type. The scion of wealth and power with more confidence than competence, Essex is persuaded by his ego, sense of entitlement, and inner circle of fawning sycophants to march his fellow citizens off to war, only to discover that both his foes and victory are far more elusive than he had assumed. If this sounds like any current head of state, chalk it up to a) the universal power of Art, b) the truth of George Santayana's comment about those who cannot learn from history, or c) both of the above.

But I digress.

The Ballad Singer's "riddle song" is, in fact, only one of many examples of the dramatic richness of Gloriana. Others include elaborate dance sequences which are neatly integrated into the action of the opera; on-stage musicians and off-stage singers; complex polyphonic choral sequences both with and without the orchestra; and the careful application of spoken dialog at key dramatic moments. The opera's final moments are especially impressive. Rather than the usual noisy finale, Britten and Plomer show us Elizabeth alone and slowly dying, stage center, while an offstage a cappella ensemble sings the words of praise that we have heard in earlier, happier scenes. As Elizabeth breathes her last, the voices drop out, one by one, until the final few notes are sung, ever so softly, by what sounds like a single bass. It is as profound a musical evocation of death as you are ever likely to hear and its impact is overwhelming.

Director Colin Graham and choreographer Victoria Morgan keep this titanic musical theatre machine in beautiful, fluid motion and producing some striking stage pictures in the process. Neil Patel's Shakespearean unit set makes the many scene changes fast and effortless. It also looks stunning, with gilded columns and a giant sunburst surrounding the red and white Tudor Rose on both the stage floor and, in three-dimensional form, flown in from above. David C. Woolard's lavish costumes complete the picture.

Down in the pit conductor Steuart Bedford leads what sounds like a larger than usual orchestra in a fine reading of Britten's complicated and challenging score. I detected no opening night glitches and would probably have ignored them if I had. I was so caught up in the drama of the piece that, after a certain point, my critical hat fell off and I joined the rest of the gallery in happy enthusiasm.

The bottom line is that the Opera Theatre production of Britten's Gloriana is simply glorious and a "must see" for anyone who loves musical theatre in general and opera in particular. It runs through June 25th in rotating repertory with the rest of the OTSL season; call 314-961-0644 for tickets. The cost and complexity of staging Gloriana make it a rarity and you'll be sorry if you miss the chance to see this star at its most refulgent.

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