Take a 17th century opera and modernize it with anachronisms and topical references. It’s standard practice for directors and designers today.
Publicity for Bodhi Tree Concerts’ production of “Dido & Aeneas” at Bread & Salt Friday evening promised to retell “the story anew through a 21st century lens.” Director Vanessa Dinning incorporated umbrellas and steamship life preservers, but the real update happened to the music.
Music director Brendan Nguyen presided over a string quartet and synthesizer, all capably rendering Henry Purcell’s score as best they could. The translation from string orchestra to quartet retained all the lines of the original, but with reduced impact. Keyboardist Justin Hansen competently handled the continuo part, but I missed the musical buzz of lutes, theorbos and a live harpsichord.
The bait and switch happened in Act II as the witches arrived. The live musicians rested while a dissonant rock version of Purcell issued from speakers.
Clint McCallum, an alumnus of the University of California San Diego Music Department, was credited as “re-orchestrator,” but the addition of drums and reharmonizations went beyond that.
I don’t have a problem with a rock version of “Dido.” What didn’t work was the bouncing back and forth between 17th century Purcell and 20th century rock. And let’s face it, rock music equals evil is a tired trope.
Balances seemed off in the recorded music. Was McCallum present to hear how his mix played back in that space and over those particular speakers?
The combination of acoustic voices with electronic music was awkward. Ideally, there should have been a live rock band and the singers miked. That would have made a huge impact.
How did the singers fare? Soprano Victoria Mature had a dark timbre to her voice, but her stage presence lacked luster. In Dido’s final aria, she hit all the notes, but I missed the pathos. Aeneas was zestfully sung by Evan White, powerful in both voice and acting. In the Act II grove scene, Mature and White thrust their closed umbrellas like John Steed and Emma Peel. It was sometimes difficult to make out their lyrics.
Katherine Polit was a sweet Belinda, her voice bright and firm throughout. Timmy Simpson’s lyric tenor was put to good use in the Sailor’s aria, “Come away.”
Walter DuMelle was the standout of the evening as the Sorceress (a role sometimes sung by men), his rich, resonant, rumbling voice well-matched to the rock accompaniment. He also doubled as the voice of the Spirit, a part usually given to a soprano or countertenor. He sang this in chest voice, popping up into an eerie falsetto at the end.
The Spirit mouthed her aria to Aeneas while DuMelle sang. She was portrayed by high schooler Marina Hall, proving herself a nimble dancer when part of the ensemble.
The distillation of the chorus to just four voices at times was a liability. Often Purcell’s counterpoint was obscured, and with the singers staged in different parts of the room, coordination with the musicians was problematic. The final chorus that ends “Dido” (after Dido ends herself) was washed out with too much reverb, obliterating their valediction’s diction.
Michael Mizerany’s utilitarian choreography took advantage of the skills of young dancers and made effective use of the chorus.
Jerry DeLane’s wooden cube frame of a set, Marcene Drysdale’s Roman-era or neutral modern costumes, and Jennifer Edwards’ lighting were all pluses to this production. But add everything up, and unfortunately, the sum isn’t quite enough.
Hertzog is a freelance writer.
