The charms of light romantic comedy filled the Benedum Center Saturday night, when Pittsburgh Opera presented the first of four performances of Gaetano Donizetti's "The Elixir of Love."
The excellent cast and orchestra gave a stylish musical performance led by Steven White, while the singers' acting characterizations were smartly focused by stage director James Robinson, who moved the action from Italy to America circa 1910.
Donizetti's opera was conceived as a contemporary story, set in 1830, and premiered in 1832. Some of the satire in Felice Romani's libretto is softened in Robinson's staging. Romani's Nemorino was a country bumpkin trying to woo a woman out of his league -- the educated, wealthy, beautiful and flighty Adina. Robinson's Nemorino has an unimpressive job while Adina's edges are softened, too.
Robinson's staging works very well on its own terms. When Nemorino drives on stage in an ice cream truck labeled "Bruster's" a chuckle of recognition flashed through the audience. Tenor John Nuzzo is an appealing Nemorino. He has a fine, small tenor voice, with nice tone and agility. At one point he offered a perfectly flamboyant mimicry of Adina's laughing vocal flourish. Nuzzo's purely visual dramatic abilities are equally persuasive.
Soprano Elizabeth Futral was brilliant as Adina, combining well-textured characterization with vocal allure that was equally effective in straight-forward emotional qualities and in flights of coloratura expression.
But it was comic bass Kevin Glavin as Dr. Dulcamara who stole the show from the moment he entered on a motorcycle with sidecar. Dulcamara is the con man selling the elixir of love. Glavin embraced Dulcamara's hyper vivid personality with a complete integration of singing and acting. He was in excellent voice Saturday night, pushing it to comic emphasis no less vivid than his facial expressions and body language.
After a wavering start, baritone Palle Knudsen offered a well-sung performance as Belcore. Knudsen filled the bill as the big, handsome Army sergeant who is full of himself and is Adina's other suitor. In this production, Belcore finishes showing off his biceps by sniffing an armpit.
Belcore's fine with Adina switching affections to Nemorino at the end of the opera because there are thousands of women waiting for him, as Donizetti and Romani have him sing.
When the suitors get into a fight, Belcore wearing boxing gloves, it ends improbably with Nemorino connecting with a low blow to the genitals. It rang false for Nemorino's nature, but it got a laugh.
The set and costumes are pure Americana, inspired visually by the paintings of Grant Wood and Norman Rockwell. The extras even include a football team in period helmets, who are all recruited into the Army by Belcore.
The production is enjoyable despite a disconnect between what you see and what you hear. Everyone sings in Italian, despite a prominently displayed recruiting poster with the words "Uncle Sam Wants You."
Translating operas from their original language is a complex issue, even when comic lines are being delivered. Performing this opera as Tony Donzi's "Love Potion" would still leave the music sounding Italian. Part of the problem with translating operas is that different languages have different rhythms and pacing.
Looking at the set and costumes, one expects American music -- Richard Rodgers or Jerome Kern or Aaron Copland. Donizetti's music doesn't sound like that at all -- in both energy and lyricism -- and to the performers' credit, they don't back away from Italian style in this production.
White leads a smartly conceived interpretation of Donizetti's score. Admirable tempi are presented with restrained dynamics that are flattering to the lead singers, while his balances within the orchestra produced transparency. At times, a bit more edge to rhythm would have helped offset soft dynamics.
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