The Four Faces of Violetta

One could almost feel the crackle of energy in the Bijou Theatre from the UT Opera Theatre’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata. There was so much energy and life that one could almost forget that Verdi’s classic heroine, Violetta, was dying of consumption. Whether this is good or bad depends largely on which side of the curtain you are on.

The story of La Traviata, based on the novel La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils, revolves around the hypocrisy of mid-19th century European society where “courtesans” like Violetta were privately embraced by the wealthy, while at the same time publicly shunned by polite society.

In this production, directed by UT Opera Theatre Artistic Director Carroll Freeman, the roles of Violetta and her lover, Alfredo, were taken by a split cast of student singers. In the performance I attended, in an almost Buñuel-esque fashion, a different Violetta sang each of the four acts: Catherine Greer, Micke Rickert, Katherine Cardin, and Leslee Poole-Adams. While the real intention of splitting the role was to give opportunities to more singers, the effect of different vocal qualities, physical appearance, and personalities added surreal overtones to otherwise straightforward theatre. Appearing as Violetta’s lover, Alfredo, was the excellent tenor Jonathan Subia. His father, Germont, was sung by the fine solid baritone, John Arnold.

The ensemble of party-goers in Acts I and III sparkled with life, but the parties themselves seemed a bit jumbled and confusing. Individual characters at the parties -- Baron Douphol, Gastone, and the Marquis, for example – were mostly indiscernible amidst the frenetic stage business. Although the singers seemed willing to step out, they always managed to get lost in the crowd. Unfortunately, this may also have been a function of the multi-leveled stepped-platform set which dictated how the crowd could be staged and how they could move. Anything-but-confusing, however, was Mr. Freeman’s intriguing choice to place Act III’s Violetta and Alfredo in the extreme downstage right and left, separating them and their thoughts from the center stage crowd of party-goers.

The value of playing a four act, three hour opera cannot be over-stated for James Fellenbaum’s excellent UT Opera Orchestra. Chock full of talented players, the orchestra learned the importance of “pit stamina,” that quality of mental and physical focus that allows one to play for 3-plus hours without falling prey to fatigue. In the amazing acoustics of the Bijou, pit orchestra volume and balance can be real issues, especially for the balcony audience. Mr. Fellenbaum did an excellent job keeping that in his control.

There was so much to enjoy in this La Traviata, that one can’t help feeling unashamedly optimistic for the future of the UT Opera Theatre program. I, for one, am certainly looking forward to next year’s fare.