The Opera Theatre of St. Louis production of Othello

Within only a few seconds, the pounding, wind-swept chords and offstage thunder that open Verdi's Othello set the stage for what will follow: a story of how violent passion destroys a hero even as the violent storm described by the chorus fails to destroy his warship. The hero is Othello, of course, and in both Shakespeare and Verdi it's violent emotion, abetted by self-doubt, that brings the Lion of Venice down from the heights of triumph to the depths of self-hatred, murder, and suicide

Tragedy is only effective, however, if the hero falls from a great height. And, despite its many virtues, this is where the Opera Theater of St. Louis production of Othello - well - "falls down". In the title role, tenor Robert Brubaker is wonderfully effective in the intimate moments, which is why his Act IV scenes with Desdemona work so well. He shows us Othello's weaknesses, doubts, and tenderness beautifully. But when he tries to show us Othello the hero he is unconvincing and wooden. His body language is awkward and, at least on opening night, his voice sounded a bit strained during some of the more dramatic moments in the score. As a result his fall from greatness seemed to me more like a misstep, and his end more pathetic than tragic.

Worse yet, Brubaker is only an inch or so taller than Desdemona and is dwarfed by baritone Louis Otey's Iago. Add to this the fact that Otey appears to be a better actor with a more commanding stage presence, and you have an oddly out-of-balance Othello in which Iago is clearly the dominant figure throughout. It makes the famous scene in Act III - in which an overwrought Othello lies prostrate on the floor while Iago contemptuously places a foot on his chest - seem more like an act of bullying than a tragic fall.

That said, however, the rest of this Othello is so strong that it generally succeeds anyway. Cary John Franklin has produced another stunning performance from the chorus, which is a major dramatic force in the opera. There's fine work from the other principals in the cast, especially Marie Plette as a vulnerable and touching Desdemona and Dorothy Byrne as a sympathetic Emilia. And conductor Stephen Lord gets a big, generally accurate sound out of the somewhat reduced forces in the pit.

So, my misgivings aside, the Opera Theater production of Othello still gets a "go see it" recommendation from me. It looks spectacular, sounds terrific, and, once you get over the fact that Othello's fall won't be as great as it should, it's even dramatically satisfying.

Othello continues in rotating repertory through June 26^th at the Loretto-Hilton Center in Webster Groves. Call 961-0644 for ticket information.