Teatro Grattacielo’s Young Artists Series: A Vibrantly Inspired L’elisir d’amore

Anyone concerned about the future of opera should have seen Teatro Grataciello’s production of Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore on June 1st at the Flea Theater. Co-produced with Camerata Bardi Vocal Academy, this production is part of Teatro Grataciello’s Young Artists Series, an initiative that not only offers the opportunity to young singers to perform in professional settings, but also regales audiences with the joy of discovering of new voices. And that discovery extends to the work of even younger creative talents, such as students from The High School of Fashion Industries in New York City who assisted with the designs. It was impossible to resist feeling exuberant in the atmosphere around this production, fully infused with freshness and the promise that the future of opera is indeed bright.

Logan Dooley as Dulcamara explaining the benefits of the elixir of love 

“Bright” is just one of the many luminous descriptives that would apply to this production. Director Stefanos Koroneos, who is also the costume designer, set the story in a vividly colorful, magical alternate universe, a dream world where protagonists can conjure up images and symbols of love and sexuality—manifesting in Chara Spathi’s beautiful projections—on the screen behind them, just by clapping their hands. This endearing feast for the eyes was a Pedro-Almodóvar-meets-Andy-Warhol-meets-Botticelli-meets-mid-20th-century-fashion, plus a touch of Madonna’s “Vogue”, replete with 50s vintage flower dresses. Koroneos’s imaginative direction unveiled the multiple layers of comedy in this opera, from the absurd to the subtle, while also tenderly highlighting its very touching moments, such as Nemorino’s pleas to Adina and to Dulcamara. The blocking worked like a perfectly choreographed dance in which the vocally excellent chorus members, joined by students from the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts High School, moved around the stage like a shifting garden of brilliantly colored flowers, engaging with the story, striking poses, and displaying a delightful fashion show. The magic unfolded within David Santiago’s glamorous set design, sumptuous pieces in vivid colors and gold, with a royal touch: a beautiful regal canopy drape. Essential to the visual spell were also Amara McNeil’s clever, hypnotic lighting design and Stephanie Rivero’s luscious makeup.

Pedro Barrera as Nemorino and Megan Dobbs as Adina

Maestro Jason Tramm conducted the eleven-piece orchestra with poise, sensitivity and thoughtfulness. Dynamic, firm in tempi as well as generous in allowing expressive leeway, attentive to musical accents and subtext, and supportive of the singers, Maestro Tramm made the small orchestra sound rich and textured.

Megan Dobbs as Adina and Logan Dooley as Dulcamara 

As Nemorino, tenor Pedro Barrera proved why he is an exciting young talent. His voice is of exceptional quality in attractive tenorial squillo, warmth, and astounding high notes. He is already well on his way to mastering bel canto legato and fluidity as well as flexibility in dynamics. His sincerity of expression made for a moving Nemorino, a role that suits him thoroughly. His “Una furtiva lagrima” resounded tender and flowing. Some tenors might take too indulgently long on the final cadenza, but in this case one would have wished for Barrera to take just a bit more time so we could revel longer in the beauty of his high register, followed by the sweet pianissimo on “Si può morir” at the end. It would be wonderful if Barrera would play more with pacing at certain points and not rush us through the ralentandi meant to showcase his voice.

Megan Dobbs as Adina, Logan Dooley as Dulcamara, Natasha Scheuble as Giannetta, Henry Hyunsoon Kim as Belcore 

Barrera had a perky, vocally energetic partner in Megan Dobbs as Adina. Her powerful voice and biting delivery made this an Adina to be reckoned with. She was at her most effective in the more mellow or playful moments where her crystalline soprano softened the incisive delivery and allowed us to hear a wider range of colors in her voice. Such instances were in the duets: “Esulti pur la barbara” with Nemorino, and “Come s’en va contento” with Dulcamara, in which her voice acquired a nimbler, sparkling quality. “Prendi per me sei libero” could have used more of that sparkling lightness and less force. In general, one would have wished for more messa di voce, to balance out her impressive volume of sound.

À propos impressive volume, Henry Hyunsoon Kim awed through his powerhouse baritone. From the moment he sang the first notes of “Come Paride vezzoso” it was clear that we were in the presence of a world-class voice, imposing and generous. Making Belcore into a vain, racket-carrying, hair-obsessed tennis star rather than a sergeant actually worked, also thanks to Kim’s stage presence, strutting around in his tennis outfit with his assistant by his side, leaving trails of swooning or upset ladies around him. In his berating of Nemorino, he demonstrated superb minute attention to details of diction, which he could have used more of throughout the rest of the performance. Overall, Kim was a dashing, vocally outstanding Belcore.

Baritone Logan Dooley brought suave charm, radiant, supple tone, and excellent diction to Dulcamara. His “Udite, udite, o rustici” was delightful and exquisitely delivered in an ideal balance between crisp, bouncy declamations and honeyed legato, ending with the excitingly resonant repetition of “Ah! di patria, il dolce affetto.” In his duets with Nemorino and Adina, Dooley displayed apt comedic timing while still maintaining vocal elegance.

Natasha Scheuble embodied Giannetta with flair and aplomb. As a consummate ’60s fashionista and social butterfly, this Giannetta was less of a background friend to Adina as in other productions, and more of a star in her own right. Scheuble’s fresh, scintillating voice, engaging stage presence, and confident ownership of this secondary role plus the visibility afforded her by the stage direction made one see Giannetta as one of the protagonists.

This was a truly gorgeous evening at the opera in every sense, an uplifting voyage through a joyful realm of promising young voices and vibrantly inspired visual compositions.

Top photo: Henry Hyunsoon Kim as Belcore

All photos by Maria-Cristina Necula