BWW Reviews: GOLDEN AGE - A Night of Dangerous and Wonderful Emotions at the Philadelphia Theatre Company

The world premier of Terrence McNally's Golden Age at the Philadelphia Theatre Company is not to be missed. The playwright's personal love of the medium shines through brightly in his newest work. The play takes place on January 24, 1835 backstage at the Italien Opera House in Paris and centers on the composer Vincenzo Bellini at the premier of his I Puritani. This is the third play McNally has written about opera, mixing both historical facts and imagined interactions. While the play lasts almost the length of the opera itself it does not feel tedious but rather allows the audience to truly understand Bellini's emotional state.

Bellini himself is played by Jeffrey Carlson and it is his performance combined with the writing that allow the audience to feel deeply for this musician who is so wrought with self-doubt and jealousy. Marc Kudisch as Antonio Tamburini makes even the most pompous of men loveable - and he gets a good deal of the laughs. Rebecca Brooksher as soprano Giulia Grisi presents a blend of diva and insecure singer  who wants something more than a career. Giovanni Battista Rubini, the "dog face" tenor, as portrayed by Christopher Michael McFarland, is a romantic who is self-conscious about his looks but incredibly proud of his high tenor notes. Francesco Florimo as portrayed by Roe Hartrampf is the kind of underdog character that one cannot help but wish the best for. Dante Mignucci is adorable in his role of the page. Though he enters quite late, it is the emotion displayed by George Morfogen as the great composer Rossini that brings the play to it's moving end. Hoon Lee as Luigi Lablache adds a level of comedic irony to the mix. Finally, Amanda Mason Warren as Maria Malibran displays such a seemingly effortless grace that it is impossible to hate her character for long. Her enunciation, composure, and tone make it impossible to forget her presence. All are brought together through direction by Austin Pendleton.

Richard St. Clair's costumes are so beautiful, colorful and detailed that they make even puritan attire look enviable. Each costume is brilliantly fitted and styled to complement the actors' figure and highlight their best features. Whether in period clothing or opera costume, from the rustle of the fabric to the intricate gold embroidery, no detail is overlooked. Santo Loquasto's set has such a level of elegance created by crystal chandeliers, gilded furniture, and marbled curtains, that it sets a tone upon entering the theater. There is rarely silence on stage due to sound design by Ryan Rumery. The blending of the action backstage with an actual recording of the opera being performed on stage pushes the audience fully into the world of the play. The lighting design by Jason Lyons adds to the grace of the set and the tumultuous events that occur within.

To say this is the story of a composer, his muse, his lover, and his family of singers would be to oversimplify the intricacies of the relationships. It is the music itself that affects each character - it drives their emotional and mental states, their lives, their careers, their passions, their rivalries and their hearts. Just like opera itself, this is a play of, to use McNally's own words, dangerous and wonderful emotions.

Golden Age plays at the Philadelphia Theatre Company through February 14^th. (Official Press Release) It will then move to The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. where it will be presented as part of Terrence McNally's Nights at the Opera - an event showcasing three of the playwright's works including Master Class, The Lisbon Traviata, and Golden Age concurrently in Kennedy Center theaters from March 12 - April 19, 2010.

 

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