From the Des Moines Register
Des Moines Metro Opera review: “Dialogues of the Carmelites”
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Categories: Arts in Iowa
It’s a French show (although sung here in English), and in some ways, it’s like a rare French wine: complex, intense, weighty, even bitter. It’s an acquired taste and probably not a good choice for someone new to the form.
The real-life story about an order of nuns during the French Revolution is definitely dark. The 1957 score has few recognizable patterns or stand-alone arias, although conductor David Neely’s dramatic flourishes with its abrupt transitions add oomph to the lyrics that follow.
The costumes are somber – mostly brown and black habits – and the set is austere, with a few gothic arches in the convent and computer-generated silhouettes to suggest the peasants clamoring outside. (Robert Little designed the set, with lighting by Barry Steele.)
But stage director Dugg McDonough’s overall vision pays off for those who give it the concentration it requires. During the show’s nearly three hours (with one intermission), it’s impossible not to wonder: What would you do in the same situation? How would you feel?
The story revolves around a jittery young woman named Blanche (played with nuance and vocal clarity by DMMO veteran Jane Redding), who abandons the relative comforts of her wealthy family for a life of prayer in a convent. But her insulated peace doesn’t last long. Revolutionary soldiers accuse the order’s priest of conspiring with the monarchy, the prioress dies (in a grim, convulsive fit by the excellent Sondra Kelly), and another young nun (Lindsay Ohse, channeling Julie Andrews) predicts that she and Blanche will soon die.
A new prioress takes over (the versatile Brenda Harris, who was last year’s Lady Macbeth) but her assistant (played with chilling severity by Blythe Gaissert) holds more sway. She persuades her sisters to take the vow of martyrdom that leads to the guillotine and the show’s inevitable conclusion.
Poulenc was a deeply religious man, and he suffered a nervous breakdown while writing the opera, supposedly because he felt such a deep connection to the characters’ test of faith. Although he wrote the original libretto in French, he requested it be performed in the language of the audience. Here, it’s a reminder during the first week of July that revolutions come with a price.
When the lights go out, the nuns line up for their curtain call, their tattered white smocks glowing like ghosts on the dark stage. The rest of the show is powerful, but at that moment, it’s hard to remember anything else.
…
WHEN: July 10, 13 and 15, in rotation with “La Boheme” and “Don Pasquale”
WHERE: Simpson College’s Blank Performing Arts Center in Indianola
TICKETS: $47-$87
INFO: (515) 961-6221, www.desmoinesmetroopera.org
The real-life story about an order of nuns during the French Revolution is definitely dark. The 1957 score has few recognizable patterns or stand-alone arias, although conductor David Neely’s dramatic flourishes with its abrupt transitions add oomph to the lyrics that follow.
The costumes are somber – mostly brown and black habits – and the set is austere, with a few gothic arches in the convent and computer-generated silhouettes to suggest the peasants clamoring outside. (Robert Little designed the set, with lighting by Barry Steele.)
But stage director Dugg McDonough’s overall vision pays off for those who give it the concentration it requires. During the show’s nearly three hours (with one intermission), it’s impossible not to wonder: What would you do in the same situation? How would you feel?
The story revolves around a jittery young woman named Blanche (played with nuance and vocal clarity by DMMO veteran Jane Redding), who abandons the relative comforts of her wealthy family for a life of prayer in a convent. But her insulated peace doesn’t last long. Revolutionary soldiers accuse the order’s priest of conspiring with the monarchy, the prioress dies (in a grim, convulsive fit by the excellent Sondra Kelly), and another young nun (Lindsay Ohse, channeling Julie Andrews) predicts that she and Blanche will soon die.
A new prioress takes over (the versatile Brenda Harris, who was last year’s Lady Macbeth) but her assistant (played with chilling severity by Blythe Gaissert) holds more sway. She persuades her sisters to take the vow of martyrdom that leads to the guillotine and the show’s inevitable conclusion.
Poulenc was a deeply religious man, and he suffered a nervous breakdown while writing the opera, supposedly because he felt such a deep connection to the characters’ test of faith. Although he wrote the original libretto in French, he requested it be performed in the language of the audience. Here, it’s a reminder during the first week of July that revolutions come with a price.
When the lights go out, the nuns line up for their curtain call, their tattered white smocks glowing like ghosts on the dark stage. The rest of the show is powerful, but at that moment, it’s hard to remember anything else.
…
WHEN: July 10, 13 and 15, in rotation with “La Boheme” and “Don Pasquale”
WHERE: Simpson College’s Blank Performing Arts Center in Indianola
TICKETS: $47-$87
INFO: (515) 961-6221, www.desmoinesmetroopera.org
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