Review: ROMEO ET JULIETTE at Arizona Opera

In 1890s Paris, Charles Gounod was recognized as one of the luminaries of musical composition ~ perhaps not as great as but nevertheless a peer of Chopin, Liszt and Berlioz. His most notable works were thematically religious and romantic. In several instances, his operas involve ill-fated love. In Faust, the doctor/philosopher’s deal with the devil consummates with the death of his beloved Marguerite. In Mireille, the focus is on the star-crossed romance between a wealthy farmer’s daughter and a poor basket weaver. In his most enduring of romantic operas, ROMEO ET JULIETTE, Gounod trimmed Shakespeare’s classic and bathed the story in glorious and rhapsodic music.

Arizona Opera has revived Gounod’s ROMEO ET JULIETTE in what is, by all measures, a triumph of staging and performance.

Under the direction of Patricia Racette, the opera effectively balances the tension between the effervescence of young love and the impediments that internecine rivalries impose on their romantic pursuit. (Hatred is the cradle of this doomed love.)

In her stage notes, Racette references the works of Truman Capote (the Black and White Ball) and Federico Fellini (the film maker’s iconic psychological landscapes) as a source of her inspiration for the design of the production. She succeeds magnificently in creating a transcendent production that thrives on her innovative spirit ~ as well as her experience and insights as a renowned soprano.

The mood is set instantaneously with the juxtaposition of two dramatically different effects ~ the rousing overture, vibrating with energy and excitement, followed by the chilling and foreboding chant of the Chorus, attired in black cowls and robes, telling of the rivalry of the Montague and Capulet families (Verone vit jadis deux familles rivales). Their somber tones are accentuated by shimmering projections of flowing drapes and skies unsettled by storms and streaks of lightning.

The stage yields to stark white walls with two black portals that yield in turn to the courtyard of the Capulet palace where the first signs of conflict appear. As party goers frolic (frugging and twisting ~ it’s Verona 1960’s!), Juliette’s cousin Tybalt (Brad Bickhardt) assures Count Pâris (Mauricio Perusquia) that he can count on Juliette’s hand in marriage. This, as Roméo and his friend Mercutio (Yazid Gray) crash the party, whereupon Roméo espies and instantly falls in love with Juliette.

What ensues is the lovers’ familiar tale, but it is the delivery of that story in this production that resonates with emotional power, principally due to the stellar and commanding performance of Caitlin Gotimer as Juliette. (Jacqueline Echols plays the role in the company’s other three performances with Terrence Chin-Loy as Roméo.)

Gotimer is a force of nature on stage, whether ebullient and animated as she celebrates life and possibility ("Je veux vivre dans le rêve qui m’enivre!/”I want to live in this intoxicating dream!”) or intense and reflective as she contemplates feigning death to avoid an unwanted marriage (“Dieu! quel frisson court dans mes veines!”/”Heaven! What a chill doth overrun me!”).

Her soaring vocal range and the depth of her acting establish Juliette as the driving force of the affair. In this regard, there is a power assigned in this production to the role of Juliette that rarely appears in stage or film adaptations: With all her idealism and dreams, Juliette is a woman empowered to dictate her fate. 

Tenor Ganson Salmon is gifted with a rich and full-throated voice, most pronounced in his moving rendition of “Ah! leve-toi soleil,”/“Ah, arise, o sun!” as Roméo hides in Juliette’s garden. However, his Roméo, as desirous of Juliette’s love as he may be, appears more restrained and more tentative in his pursuit of Juliette.

If the chemistry between the two seemed less convincing, any doubt about their shared passion was cast aside when they joined in four duets.  It is then that their voices soar with intensity and beauty and convey the depth of their emotions. To accentuate the point, look to their duet in Act Four, when Juliette forgives Roméo for her cousin Tybalt’s death (“Va! Je t’ai pardonné.”/”Come, I have forgiven you."). Gotimer and Ganson combine for a heartbreaking scene of a bridal night whose end is signaled by the song of a nightingale.

The vocal performances of the supporting cast are marvelous. Each artist brings depth and nuance to their roles, most notably Yazid Gray and Brad Bickhardt as the muscular and determined defenders of the opposing families. Matthew Anchel, possessed of a rich and robust voice, merits a special shoutout for his role as Friar Laurent. Even the ensemble, when portraying the rowdies of the Capulet and Montague families, do their best at emulating the mannerisms of The Sopranos in a faceoff.

Gounod's music brings dimension to the shifting moods of the opera ~ its romanticism and its drama ~ and it is under Stephanie Rhodes Russell’s inspired and masterful direction of the orchestra that the full range and beauty of the composition is fulfilled.

ROMEO ET JULIETTE ~ music by Charles Gounod, libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré ~ moves from its opening weekend in Phoenix to Tucson for performances on Saturday, March 9th at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 10th at 2:00 p.m.

The production is performed in French with English and Spanish supertitles.

Arizona Opera ~ 1636 N Central Ave Phoenix, AZ ~ Phoenix, AZ ~ 602-266-7464; in Tucson: 520-293-4336

Tucson Venue: Temple of Music and Art ~ 330 S. Scott Avenue, Tucson, AZ ~ 520-622-2823

Photo credit to Photos by Tim Trumble Photography

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