Western culture is chocked full of men who've made a deal with the devil, and paid the price for it, from Robert Johnson, who sold his soul at the crossroads, to Johnny in “The Devil Went Down To Georgia.” The most famous of these men must be Faust, who takes the ultimate raw deal for youth, and a chance at true love. The Toledo Opera will bring Charles Gounod's rendition of this classic tale to the Valentine Theater. The performance will feature a chorus (of 37 backup singers this time around), as well as accompaniment from The Toledo Symphony. But The Toledo Opera is still mixing things up for Faust. With a fresh young cast and a modern stage design, as well as an intense drama, the performance will appeal to a wider audience.
Unique direction
This current production was originally created for The Arizona Opera, where it opened to critical acclaim in 2011, thanks in no small part to director Bernard Uzan, who has come to Toledo to direct this performance. Uzan played a hands-on role in every aspect of his Faust. From the costumes and props to the set design and lighting, every element of his original production will be brought to Toledo. Uzan's set has a modern twist: Backdrops adorned with large words like 'love' and 'lust' hang behind the performers, and are illuminated at different times during the performance. Opera houses around the world have been replacing physical sets with screens, which cost less and offer an element of digital creativity. In that sense, this is the most state-of-the-art performance that The Toledo Opera has hosted.
The smoke and mirrors, however, will not overpower the performers in Faust. “The acting in this production is really strong,” says Suzanne Rorick, The Toledo Opera’s Executive Director. “[Uzan] encourages them to really act and to tell the story emotionally more than any other opera I've seen staged in Toledo.” Oftentimes opera sacrifices drama in favor of great musical performances, but Faust will fire on all cylinders. “It's called 'park-and-bark,'” said Assistant Director Robert Mirakian. “When the singer just stands there and delivers their aria and then accept your applause, [Faust] is the exact opposite—it's much closer to theatre.”
A fit for The Valentine
This kind of adventurous take on a classic opera is uniquely suited to The Valentine. The theater houses several facilities necessary for a grand opera, such as a full lighting rig as well as an orchestra pit, and a large stage, but it only holds 900 people. That means the performers, who usually have to fill twice as much space with their voices, can really dig into the textures of the music. “[The performers] have a chance to be loud when they need to be loud,” Rorick says. “But they also have a chance to do piano soft […] in a big house they just have to sing everything loudly, even though the music isn't written that way.” The performers will match the set design's audacity, taking a few risks, and keeping this ageless story fresh in the process.
For all these reasons, Faust is the ideal opera for newbies. Faust is a story that people know and love, hence why it has survived for so long. It's moralistic, dark, and sexy (with a wink and a nod, Mirakian said Mephistopheles will arrive onstage with 'a cadre'), simultaneously entertaining and frightening. We love seeing Faust sew the seeds of his own failure, but we're scared of what we would do if presented his option—whatever you want, but it comes with a cost.
Faust will sign on the dotted line on
Friday, April 25, 7pm.; and Sunday, April 27, 2pm. $30-60. The Valentine Theatre,
410 Adams St. 419-255-7464. toledoopera.org
