Lyric Opera presents RUSALKA.
The water nymph Rusalka falls for the prince of her dreams. She decides to coerce the local witch into making her human. Jezebaba will conjure up the spell with a few conditions. First, Rusalka must give up her power of speech. Second, if Rusalka fails in her love quest, she and the prince will endure eternal damnation. Feeling confident, Rusalka agrees to the terms. By the time her prince arrives, she is muted. Will love grow from silence? At first glance, RUSALKA sounds like Hans Christian Andersen’s “Little Mermaid.” The story is actually based on the fairy tales by Karel Jaromir Erben and Bozena Nemcova. And under further examination, RUSALKA is a more intricate and darker fable. The storytelling gets the Lyric Opera touch as a new production sets the stage for enchantment.
For the introduction, Set Designer John MacFarlane has a backdrop of an oversized painting of a moonlit wood scene. A man appears mesmerized with the art. A woman arrives and they fight. The man falls off his chair. The backdrop lifts to reveal a three dimensional moonlit wood scene. We’ve entered a dreamlike state where nymphs play games and dance. The dynamic visual is animated. The trees in the background continually move. The submerged lake has white mist rising from it. MacFarlane creates a fairyland. Costume Designer Moritz Junge fills it with vibrantly-dressed creatures. The wood nymphs have apocalyptic-style ballerina garb. Their outfits have an edgy prettiness to them. The beautifully wacky Jill Grove (Jezibaba) looks like a female mad hatter at Mardi Gras. Ana Maria Martinez’s (Rusalka) tattered outfit has a fluidity and sensuality ideal for a love-starved water nymph. The aesthetic is stunning. And Martinez’s delivery of the “Song to the Moon” is exquisite. Her strong voice is balanced in yearning and optimism.
This new production is a three-part spectacle. Act 2 has two very different sets. In the first scene, MacFarlane creates a castle’s kitchen. The oval shaped, rustic room is filled with dead carcasses and even a wood burning oven. The whole kitchen crew is bustling in activity. The delightful Daniela Mack (Kitchen Boy) is stuffing a turkey while gossiping about the prince. Details like this are highly amusing. This fairytale never loses its sense of fun. The show is riddled with humor. Grove’s acerbic observations and her pet birds‘ antics in the first and third acts deliver the dark comedy.
Leaving the kitchen, MacFarlane takes us to the palatial side of the castle. His majestic room has a grand depth. And the walls are covered with deer heads. The Prince’s true nature reveals itself in his decor. The charismatic Brandon Jovanovich (Prince) has perfect pitch. The robust tenor woos and strays with an aggressive lust. The confident Ekaterina Gubanova (foreign princess) swoops in and commands the situation. The love triangle is staged cleverly. Director Sir David McVicar has the singing occur outside the majestic room. MacFarlane drops a screen between the crowded palace party and the front of the stage. As Jovanovich, Gubanova and Martinez battle for love, the audience sees past them into the party. The diorama feel adds a layer of frivolity to the unfolding drama.
RUSALKA is conducted by Sir Andrew Davis. As the Lyric Music Director, Davis owns the orchestra pit. His sprightly presence always brings an extra level of energy to an opera. In RUSALKA, he fully commits us to a wondrous land of magical happenings.
Running Time: Three hours and thirty minutes includes two intermissions
At Lyric Opera of Chicago, 20 N. Wacker
Composed by Antonin Dvorak
Libretto by Jaroslav Kvapil
Based on the fairy tales by Karel Jaromir Erben and Bozena Nemcova
Conducted by Sir Andrew Davis
Director David McVicar
Opera in three acts in Czeck
Projected English titles by Colin Ure
At 7:30pm on March 4th, 7th, 10th
At 12:30pm on March 13th (student matinee)
At 2pm on March 16th
Buy Tickets at www.lyricopera.org