There was a moment of solemnity at Trinity-St Paul’s before Toronto City Opera’s (TCO) opening night performance of Orpheus in the Underworld. The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, the Honourable Edith Dumont, was in attendance and offered words of congratulations for TCO’s 80th anniversary in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood, while also recognizing the North York Concert Orchestra’s 51st year in the community. Dumont wisely stressed the importance of Canadian arts groups by saying, “The only thing better than one arts community organization is two community arts organizations working together.” How right she was. Then all hell broke loose.
Orpheus in the Underworld is a satirical look at the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Orpheus is not the son of Apollo – he’s a violin teacher. When his wife, the demanding Eurydice, is kidnapped by the god of the underworld, Pluto, Orpheus is delighted and has to be bullied by Public Opinion into rescuing her. What ensues is a comedic jaunt through a world of very badly behaved gods.
Orpheus was Jacques Offenbach’s first full-length comic opera. Written to a libretto by Hector Crémieux and Ludovic Halévy (who was one of the two librettists for Carmen), this collaboration brought witty words to Offenbach’s infectious melodies and brilliant dance music.
Offenbach’s lively orchestration is not for the faint of heart, and the music director of the North York Concert Orchestra, Rafael Luz, kept the score moving energetically while navigating the changes of mood in the music. The orchestra was tight and there were some lovely moments: the brass in the overture, woodwinds solos throughout the evening, and solos by concert master David Rehner. Let’s hope that TCO’s first-time ever musical collaboration with a live orchestra begins a long relationship.
The singers were all top-notch and worked well as an acting ensemble. Mezzo Jada Alexiou’s Public Opinion was strongly acted, beautifully articulated and sung with a lovely full-bodied tone. Soprano Teresa Tucci’s Eurydice was beautifully sung with some astonishing high notes thrown in for good measure. Tucci is a gifted actor with a flare for physical comedy. Tenor Jeffrey Liu was a much put-upon Orpheus, playing well off the other characters while also demonstrating a lovely top range. Tenor Christian Matta’s delightfully malevolent Pluto was comic gold. Whether dancing up a storm or arrogantly strutting around the stage, Matta’s full-voiced depiction of the god of the underworld filled the venue with vibrant tonality.
Photo Credit: Dahlia Katz
Jeffrey Liu as Orpheus, a violinist in Offenbach’s operetta
Matthew Black was hilarious as Jupiter. He is a master at manipulating body actions and facial expressions, and his over-the-top British accent was priceless. The fly scene with Tucci was ludicrously lascivious. Add to this a fulsome baritone voice, and Black’s performance was a knock-out. Lis Soderberg’s Juno was a study in snarkiness, skilfully providing a foil for Black’s egocentric Jupiter. The bevy of junior goddesses added punch to larger ensembles: Aemilia Moser (Minerva) Ana Isabella Castro (Diana), Megan Carney (Venus) and Alice Macgregor (Cupid) were individually well-sung and scintillating in chorus work. Barry St. Denis (John Styx), Glenn Pettifer (Mercury) and Harshmann Singh (Morpheus) were strong supporting actors.
Amanda Testini’s direction and choreography is to be lauded. Her scenes were delightfully busy when need be, and her placement of individual actors was multi-layered and varied. The party scenes were effusive, and Testini’s choreography was a stellar example of what can be accomplished with an amateur chorus. The can-can was show stopping, and her adaptation of the dialogue was clever. Alexandra Christofides’s costumes – with their mix of classical and kitsch – added to the visual brilliance of the show. The use of clever props like Morpheus’s bubble blower and Jupiter’s neon lightning bolt added whimsical touches to the show.
Despite the difficulty of working in a converted church venue, Nathan Bruce’s lighting and projection design was ingenious; he used projections on the organ pipes varying from hellish flames to a keyhole morphing into a heart. Bravo to production design consultant Cameron Case as well as to Jennifer Tung and Ivan Estey Jovanovic for their behind-the-scenes musical work which produced excellent chorus singing. Stephanie Sedlbauer and Claire Thornton also deserve a shout out for their stage management; they made the quick entrances and exits of a large chorus and many gods seem simple.
Executive director and producer Nicholas Borg was on hand with his laurel wreath crown, greeting audience members. It’s this kind of personal touch that gives TCO its welcoming ambience. Opening night even featured an audience costume competition with participants being judged after intermission, bringing ticket buyer participation to a whole new level. TCO truly lives out its mission statement about being passionately committed to opera for everyone. Their sense of community and joie de vivre infuses every production. The audience was promised “a hell of a good time,” and TCO delivered by producing one hilarious Hades.
Photo Credit: Dahlia Katz
Jada Alexiou as Public Opinion, who bullies Orpheus in going to the Underworld to rescue Eurydice
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