Puccini's La Rondine at Opera Theatre of St. Louis

La Rondine's troubled history is still obvious, even in this final version. Giueseppe Adami's libretto is the major culprit: it's an uneasy mix of romantic mush, verismo, and half-hearted attempts at comedy. The story is basically "Traviata lite": Magda, a "kept woman", leaves her rich, middle-aged lover Rambaldo and her lush life in Paris to take up with Ruggero, a young hunk from the sticks, with tragic results. Unfortunately in this version of the story, the young hunk is far too painfully naive and smugly righteous to be sympathetic, and the rich lover far too sympathetic and long-suffering, which makes the courtesan's decision to leave seem more immature and petulant than tragic.

Fortunately Puccini's music and a strong cast and production turn this sow's ear of a script into a silk (or at least velveteen) purse. The score doesn't strike me as one of the composer's most memorable, but it has all the elements that lovers of his music have come to expect: lavish, slightly chromatic melodies, theatrically canny choral numbers that reach near-orgasmic intensity, and even a touch of orientalism. If you're a fan of Puccini's music, that's is an adequate reason to see La Rondine all by itself.

Happily, the Opera Theatre cast, while a bit uneven, is never anything less than competent, and often brilliant. Soprano Susan Patterson, making her OTSL debut as Magda, has a spectacular, powerful voice, and I found her acting believable enough until the highly melodramatic final scene, in which she tended to give us more emoting than emotion. She's a strikingly handsome woman, though, which is essential if we're going to believe that men routinely throw themselves at her feet. Tenor Stephen Mark Brown looks and sounds just as good as Ruggero, making his duets with Patterson quite effective.

Tenor Richard Drews is a bit less effective as the poet Prunier, mostly when he's in his somewhat weak upper register. He does some nice comic turns, however, so I was willing to forgive some minor vocal flaws. Soprano Suzanne Balaes helps make those comic turns work as Lisette, Prunier's stage-struck lover and Magda's maid. And baritone Gerald Dolter cuts a sympathetic figure as Rambaldo.

John Conklin has once again provided a striking and effective set design, this time with lots of art deco motifs and forced perspective. The Opera Theatre orchestra does it's usual reliable job under conductor Emmanuel Villaume.

Puccini's La Rondine continues through June 25th, in rotating repertory with three other operas, at the Loretto-Hilton center on the Webster University campus. If the Italian master's music is your cup of cappucino, you won't want to miss it. If not, you can probably find a better use for your time and money. Call 314-961-0644 for ticket information.