OPERA REVIEW:
CINDERELLA
(La Cenerentola)
29 APR/11

JOHN COULBOURN,
QMI Agency
Rating: 4 out of 5


TORONTO - First off, and just for the record, it should be stated that this is not Walt Disney’s Cinderella — or even the one that predated it, for that matter. In fact, the Canadian Opera Company’s production of the classic story, titled LA CENERENTOLA, could be said to be something both a lot older and considerably newer than the Cinderella who dwells in today’s public consciousness.


Older, in that it is an opera almost 200 years old, composed by Gioacchino Antonio Rossini around a libretto by Giacomo Ferretti, patterned after a couple of stories that were even older. And newer, in that this co-production of the Houston Grand Opera, Welsh National Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu and Grand Théâtre de Genève sports a highly theatrical Babes-in-Toyland look that might have been achieved had Mondrian, Picasso, Gaudi and a few of their artist friends collaborated on the design of a nursery for a very precocious child hooked on classic Commedia de’Arte.


All of which means the production, currently playing at the Four Seasons Centre, isn’t your mamma’s LA CENERENTOLA — or your daughter’s CINDERELLA, either. But there are things that would be familiar to both camps — things like a tragic title character, sung here by mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong, who survives on the very fringes of familial life, abused by two self-centred sisters, sung by mezzo Rihab Chaieb and soprano Ileana Montalbetti and finding warmth in the ashes of the family hearth. And, of course, all three of them find themselves competing for the hand of a handsome prince, sung by tenor Lawrence Brownlee.


But from there, things take a few unfamiliar turns. The evil stepmother’s gone, replaced in this story by a venal father (bass Donato DiStefano doing a boffo turn in classic buffo tradition), while the role of the fairy godmother has been usurped by a Merlin-esque royal advisor (bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen), who has cooked up a bit of a bait ’n’ switch scheme for the Prince and his valet (baritone Brett Polegato) to ensure the King-in-waiting doesn’t fall prey to some heir-brained scheme cooked up by the likes of Cinderella’s father or her sisters.


Musically, of course, it is a classical treat, with conductor Leonardo Vordoni putting the COC Orchestra through its paces with measured briskness. But from a plot point of view, it might be considered just a trifle short, as composer and librettist come together to demand long segments of the kind of stand-and-deliver staging that could, in the right circumstances, render all but the most musically adoring fans utterly comatose.


But here, director Joan Font brings his background with Spain’s Els Comediants to bear, combining the candy floss colour palette of Joan J. Guillen’s inventive toy-like sets with the sun-drenched lighting of Albert Faura to maximum effect. Font also conspires with choreographer Xevi Dorca to incorporate a troupe of often delightfully entertaining mice to enliven the proceedings when they become mired in the music. They don’t completely solve the problem, but they help.


Vocally, this is a universally impressive cast — and happily, almost everyone seems comfortable enough to have a bit of fun with Font’s admittedly eccentric take on the tale. From a comedic point of view, of course, DiStefano steals the show, but credit must also go to Chaieb and Montalbetti, who, as the evil sisters, refuse to allow massive panniers to turn them into overly upholstered couch potatoes. As the Prince’s valet, Polegato walks a fine line, milking maximum comedy from his role, while never upstaging the quite believable romance developing between the masterful Brownless and the delightfully pragmatic DeShong.


It may not be your mamma’s version of the story, or your daughter’s, but if you’ve got a taste for something a little different, you might want to make this one all your own.