My Chicago Adventure{?}
Well folks, the whirlwind{?} trip to Chicago is over, and I'm back in Saint Louis.
For the first three hours in Chicago, I did a lot of wandering, had something to eat, and did a bit of window shopping (almost got myself a German-import scarf, but changed my mind...in hindsight, that was a good decision{?}). Once I'd purged a good deal of wanderlust out of my system, it was time for the opera. Here's my review:
Die Frau ohne Schatten was, to put it bluntly, a STRAUSSGASM. Paul Curran's production was epic, immense and steeped in the grand style of a Ring Cycle. Distinctions and transitions between the fantasy world of Keikobad and that of the Mortals were facilitated by an expansive turntable, and the collision of these worlds and other mighty forces were well served by the Lyric's trap-door laden stage. (Seriously, there must have been 8 trap door effects!) The general palette for Keikobad-Land was a blue/purple void with flourescent lighting and a flying horse. The mortal world was decidedly earthy, represented especially by the Dyer's several green, yellow, red and orange pots. Curran masterfully engages the audience member to enjoy the wonderful complexity and depth of Strauss and Hoffmansthal's collaborative work.
Hoffmansthal's character of the Empress progresses from youthful selfishness to adult maturity. Thus Strauss crafted the role to require both a light, youthful coloratura and a dramatic soprano. Voigt handled this duality with aplomb, and was quite strong in her climactic showdown with Keikobad and subsequent rejection of the Nurse--sung with malevolent fervor by Jill Grove.
As the Dyer, Franz Hawlata had a few shaky moments with the role's higher tessitura, but overall was so endearing and touching as a man who loves his wife without qualificaiton. His "mir anvertraut" was sublime. Robert Dean Smith was quite impressive flying on a horse and deftly powered through what has to be Strauss' most Wagner-esque orchestration.
Christine Brewer made her Lyric Debut, and I certainly hope they hire her more often....because that means I get to hear her exquisite Strauss interpretation more often. The Dyer's Wife is a vocal challenge, but different from the Empress in that Acts 1 and 2 require a very declamatory dramatic soprano, but a far more lyric, gleaming soprano for Act 3. Ms. Brewer traversed the role well, and brought out the Dyer's Wife's vulnerability in the midst of many battles with her husband.
After the opera, I stage-doored, which I don't normally do anymore....but I still had time before my bus arrived{?}. I spent about 20 minutes at the Lyric Stage Door and saw all of the leads come through the stage door. Franz Hawlata said "well, you showed us that" when one bystander said that the cast performed so well. Deborah Voigt and Jill Grove came out about the same time. I congratulated them both, but they seemed (understandably) less willing to chat than to just get the hell out and have a drink! (It was closing night after all.) Christine Brewer was the last singer out the door, and she said "You guys waited all that time for me?" She was visibly gracious to us all, and I got to chat with her briefly about the performance...and she even gave me a hug! Such a nice way to end{?} my Chicago Adventure{?}
If you want an explanation as to the occasional {?} notations in this entry, here's why:
Ok, so my whirlwind trip to Chicago was great until midnight...when it became an adventure!!! Through a 50/50 fault of Megabus (the bus drivers need to show the correct f***ing destination on their LED display) and Myself (I probably should have stayed near the crowd getting on the mythical STL bus so I'd hear the driver call out the destination.), I missed my late-nite bus...and ended up getting a room at a holiday inn for the nite. In the morning, I woke up to investigate ways to somehow make my way home on what The TODAY Show called the biggest travel day of the year. Amtrak was booked. Megabus was booked. One-Way Car Rentals were sold out, with the exception of one vendor that would let me rent a one-way car for over $200. What was the ultimate (and cheapest available) option I turned to?
*drumroll*
*cymbal-crash*
THANK YOU SOUTHWEST AIRLINES FOR BEING CHEAPER THAN A CAR RENTAL!!!!
Seriously, I could have been stuck in Chicago for the holidays. The transportation options were that bad. I shall never endeavor a 1-day trip to Chicago--Die Frau ohne Schatten or no Die Frau ohne Schatten.