Washington Nationwide Opera's Songbird: Knocked My Socks Off!

First, let’s modify expectations.  Sure, Songbird was introduced by Washington Nationwide Opera, however it isn’t an opera.  With out figuring out its historical past, I doubt you’ll consider it at the same time as an operetta, although it’s primarily based on an operetta by an opera composer, the hyperlink that drew it into WNO’s fold.  It’s an in-your-face, excessive power Broadway musical by the use of Bourbon Avenue, a comic book grownup fairy story produced in vaudevillian model.  What it largely is, is excessive leisure, spectacular within the high quality, consideration to element, and professionalism shining from each facet – composition, music, singing, performing, choreography, set design, staging, costumes, and lighting.  It’s as if this group of gifted performers and artistic workers bought collectively and stated, “let’s knock their socks off”, and judged for what it’s, they succeeded.  WNO has been reaping the rewards; performances have been bought out or near it.

Songbird was a baby of COVID.  For the 2021 season, the Glimmerglass Competition, then beneath the course of Francesca Zambello, WNO’s Creative Director, determined to carry performances however modify them to satisfy with COVID restrictions – open air, fewer extra spaced-out gamers, and quick in size, no intermissions to keep away from crowds at loos.  Keep in mind these days; nonetheless bought your masks?  Therefore, the 75-minute Songbird was born, primarily based on the storyline and melodies from Jacques Offenbach’s operetta, La Périchole (1868), a piece profitable on the time and typically carried out at present, notably in Europe; the Met Opera final carried out it in 1971, however extra steadily performs Offenbach’s opera, The Tales of Hoffman.  The locale was moved from Offenbach’s imagined Lima, Peru to New Orleans to permit for Kelley Rourke to put in writing the libretto for this lowered model in English but in addition embody French as one may encounter in New Orleans.  She gave the road singer La Périchole the moniker of Songbird; this songbird not solely sings fantastically however has some struggle in her.  Ms. Rourke is the Creative Advisor for Washington Nationwide Opera’s American Opera Initiative and resident dramaturg for The Glimmerglass Competition.  Her libretto for Songbird is masterful.

The setting for Songbird is a Nineteen Twenties speakeasy in the course of the prohibition period, giving the villain, the mayor, extra energy over the workers and patrons there.  The mayor wearing a disguise to spy on how issues are going, and fooling nobody, lurks about as a younger romantic couple, Songbird and Piquillo, enter to sing for his or her supper, however the suggestions are scarce.  Piquillo leaves to search out meals and an exhausted Songbird sits all the way down to sleep.  Mayor Don Andrès strikes in to seduce Songbird with meals and cash, with a little bit libation to ease the trail.  She momentarily consents to go along with him for meals, although by no means desiring to sacrifice her advantage or her relationship with Piquillo.  An implausible collection of occasions follows – a letter from Songbird to Piquillo expressing regrets, a sham marriage between the 2, one disguised and each tipsy and never recognizing one another on the time, a jail time period and escape, and an actual marriage for a cheerful ending.  It’s largely performed for laughs and goes down quick.

Director Eric Sean Fogel stored the tempo transferring and the actions have been well-choreographed, together with the dancing, fairly a feat working with a single set as a website of all of the motion, particularly contemplating there was loads of motion.  The transfer of Songbird from the grass of Glimmerglass to the Eisenhower Theater stage led to a substantial amount of embellishment of the set, an genuine trying New Orleans speakeasy, in Mardi Gras colours; kudos to Set & Props Designer James F. Rotondo III.  The set was bathed in atmospheric lighting all through because of Lighting Designer Robert Wierzel.  For this efficiency model, the singers wore mikes inconspicuously, and the sound was managed nicely by Sound Designer Mark Rivet.  The orchestra was positioned in an elevated cove behind the set.  The pleasant costumes of Costume Designers Marsha LeBoeuf and Timm Burrow have been additionally Mardi Gras-esque, together with the flapper costume for Songbird. 

If I have been to supply any vital criticism of Songbird, it will be that it goes two-thirds of the work in pleasant however unrelenting trend, form of like beginning your dinner at Commander’s Palace with dessert and so they serve you Bananas Foster after which they convey out Creole Bread Pudding instantly adopted by Praline Parfait.  I used to be wanting some good heat soup, nevertheless it wasn’t till Piquillo is alone in jail affected by the lack of Songbird that we’ve an opportunity to chill out and take up the drama and romance gone awry, earlier than transferring to warp velocity once more.

The one who made the intelligent suggestion to make use of a New Orleans jazz band as a substitute of a French chamber orchestra was Conductor James Lowe who additionally was liable for the musical association and orchestration.  The 11-performer group included solely two strings, one a bass and the opposite a banjo, and it featured a sousaphone, a sort of tuba that Mardi Gras marchers can put on over their shoulders.  A performer specifically added was jazz pianist Jo Ann Daugherty.  At one level, clarinetist David Jones stepped out of the group to match vocal riffs by the mayor earlier than slinking again into the band.  The band performed on and performed nicely, nice enjoyable and really harking back to New Orleans; I’d go to that membership. 

left: Songbird (Isabel Leonard) holding the letter she has composed for her real love. proper: Mayor Don Andrès (Edward Nelson) dons one other costume. Photographs by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington Nationwide Opera.

The star of the present was, in fact the fabulous Isabel Leonard, an opera famous person and frequent customer to WNO.  She was terrific, an ideal songbird, in each singing and performing and even threw in a little bit faucet dancing.  Her character Songbird was the guts and ethical spine of the story; when she instructed the sleazy mayor he wasn’t going to get what he needed, the viewers broke into applause.  I used to be not shocked to see Ms. Leonard in a Broadway model musical.  She performed Carmen in WNO’s 2022 manufacturing however earlier than that, she carried out at WNO’s welcome again from COVID celebration in 2021, bringing down the home singing Jeanne Tesori’s “the woman in 14G”.  Her associate on stage enjoying Piquillo was Ramin Karimloo, a preferred London West Finish and Broadway star, together with main roles within the Humorous Woman revival and Les Misérables (for which he obtained a Tony Award nomination).  He covers each low tenor and excessive baritone roles.  His Broadway spit and polish was apparent in his performing and his enticing, nuanced vocals, an enormous optimistic addition to the solid.  The opposite lead performer was baritone Edward Nelson who was nearly shockingly good in each singing and performing because the womanizing mayor.  I had forgotten he appeared in WNO’s Candide a couple of years again, however his credit are largely hard-core opera baritone roles. I suppose we are able to name him a crossover artist…now I’d prefer to see him as Don Giovanni. 

The rest of the solid was primarily the extremely gifted Cafritz Younger Artists and mezzo-soprano Taylor-Alexis Dupont who performed the performer Celeste; all contributed handsomely.  The three muses have been performed by Teresa Perrotta, Kresley Figueroa, and Cecilia McKinley.  Jonathan Pierce Rhodes performed the position of Priest and Justin Burgess the position of an area powerful man who made enjoyable of Piquillo’s predicament.  Standouts have been Justin Burgess as Don Pedro the supervisor of the speakeasy and Sahel Salam, his associate in chicanery.  I assumed Mr. Salam confirmed a spark prepared for a TV sitcom.

I completely loved Songbird as excessive leisure.  It was enjoyable simply to see this solid and artistic crew at work.  Not that it wanted it, however on this step to the facet of opera, Isabel Leonard moved her star even greater within the pantheon.  In his program feedback, WNO’s Normal Director said, “As you already know, we are attempting to develop the horizons of how we produce opera, whether or not it’s in content material, casting, interpretation, or precise manufacturing”.  Songbird has made me sit up and take discover.  We’re already promised a brand new ending in WNO’s Turandot developing subsequent.  What new wrinkles is perhaps coming within the 2024-2025 season?

The Fan Expertise:  Performances of Songbird within the Eisenhower Theater have been scheduled for March 9, 11, 15, 17, 20, and 23.  The libretto is principally in English with French combined in, and lyrics are proven on the overhead display screen; run time was about 75 minutes with no intermission.

WNO’s Turandot will run Might 11, 13, 17, 19, 22, 24 and star Ewa Plonka as Turandot and Jonathan Burton as Calaf and can be directed with a brand new ending by Francesca Zambello.  The 2024-2025 season has been introduced at this hyperlink.

Parking within the Kennedy Heart is usually plentiful at round $25 per day, with a small low cost for Kennedy Heart members when reserved forward of the day.  The Metro to Foggy Backside and the free purple Kennedy Heart buses, from there to the Kennedy Heart operating each quarter-hour, are a superb choice.  There is a bonus in getting there a bit early.  KC steadily has a number of performances on its completely different phases overlapping that may create site visitors jams.

There are snack stands in the principle foyer, and on the Terrace stage, the KC Café provides meals cafeteria model at average costs; positive eating is offered on the Terrace stage within the Roof Terrace Restaurant.  Meals and drinks besides water will not be allowed contained in the opera home, however you should buy reusable capped containers along with your drinks which you could take inside.