AIDA (opera)

Date saw the show: September 23, 2007
Place saw the show: Kansas City, Missouri
Company: Lyric Opera of Kansas City
Principal Leads: Karen Slack, Arnold Rawls, Jane Dutton, Luis Ledesma, Luiz-Ottavio Faria, David Soxman
Stage Director: Thaddeus Strassberger

Conductor: Ward Holmquist

3 ½ Stars

Reviewed by: Deborah Ground Buckner

Giuseppe Verdi's Aida opened the 50^th Anniversary Season of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. Director Thaddeus Strassberger gave double duty as the Set Designer as well, providing a breathtaking setting of ancient Egypt. Backdrops of painted sand dunes covered with thin transparent curtains gave the impression of swirling sands as a slight breeze blew across the stage.

Aida, the Ethiopian slave of Amneris, the Egyptian princess, is richly voiced by Karen Slack (a recent graduate of the Adler Fellowship Program with the San Francisco Opera). Aida's love, Radames (Arnold Rawls), commands the Egyptian forces in battle against Ethiopia, and Aida, in reality an Ethiopian princess, watches as he marches away to fight her father. Rawls' rich tenor voice received ovation after ovation. Even in oddly directed scenes that had him lying on his back while singing, Rawls delivered his notes beautifully. A romantic triangle develops when the Egyptian Princess Amneris (Jane Dutton) also falls in love with Radames, suspecting her servant Aida shares such feelings. Jane Dutton is blessed not only with a thrilling mezzo-soprano voice, but also a spirited acting ability. She played the princess with delightful jealousy and expression, nearly sticking her tongue out at Aida when Radames, returning in victory, is offered Amneris' hand in marriage as reward. When a beautiful voice combines with acting talent as well, opera becomes all it is meant to be. Miss Dutton will repeat this role in the upcoming English National Opera production of Aida in November.

The audience of Kansas City's Lyric Opera is a diverse crowd, young and old, dress ranging from stylish outfits especially purchased “for the opera” to tattered blue jeans. The packed house would indicate no need for “gimmicks” in staging. Nevertheless, in an attempt to prove that “opera can be sexy,” the staging includes a topless human sacrifice whose breasts drip blood as her heart is ripped from her body and two Chippendale-type hunks “attending” the princess. Dressed only in ancient Egyptian versions of Speedos, these attendants had little to do other than lounge beside the princess flexing their muscles and displaying their six-pack abs. Yes, it made for nice eye candy, but would an Egyptian princess, awaiting marriage to the proper suitor, truly spend her days being stroked by her servants? These additions did nothing to enhance Verdi's story, offended the traditional opera goers and seemed unnecessary to attract new audience members who have already become faithful attendees. Such gimmicks only cheapened the otherwise lovely setting and excellent voices.

Verdi's tale of love and loss is exciting enough. Let his music, accompanied by the vocals the Lyric was privileged to present, tell the tale and leave the gimmicks to the action movies.