Gian Carlo Menotti. Ever heard of him? If you’re under a certain age, probably not.
Many others, however, will remember him as the father of American opera. After moving from Italy to America at a young age, he started composing operas and writing librettos in English, creating award-winning works accessible to all types of audiences throughout his long, productive life (1911-2007).
Now is your chance to see a superb production of one of his early short operas, The Medium, playing at Actors Cabaret of Eugene. This is the first opera ever produced by the venerable theatre company lauded for popular musicals, but the producers, Jim Roberts and Joe Zingo, are always ready to experiment with something challenging.
Michael Watkins has flawlessly directed the cast and crew to pull off a mesmerizing, beautifully sung rendition of this delightfully spooky opera. It’s so exciting and never boring that I don’t think you would see a better production anywhere.
The Medium was commissioned for a production at Columbia University in 1946, and it ran on Broadway in 1947. The next year it was shown to the whole country on TV’s Studio One, and again in 1959 on Omnibus. Thanks to national television, millions of viewers have seen this opera and others by Menotti.
The composer was inspired to write this work after attending a seance out of curiosity. The medium he invented, Madam Flora, is played to the hilt by Erica Jean. Flora is a deeply disturbed person who has become a false medium pretending to conjure spirits to support herself and her daughter during hard times. Jean’s rich contralto voice can stretch from soothing to terrorizing, and her acting is always outstanding. Watch carefully and see her eyes fill with hatred, fear or fake kindness.
Her daughter Monica, a sweet, sensitive girl played by a radiant Emily Westlund, must aid her mother by portraying the spirits her mother’s clients are seeking to contact. She has a lovely soprano voice and sings almost as much as Flora.
Mr. and Mrs. Gobineau are well acted and especially well sung by Gene Chin, baritone, and Lois Stark, soprano. They come regularly to hear the laughter of their dead baby who didn’t live long enough to learn to speak. Hearing his laughter convinces them that he’s in a happy place. Both Chin and Stark perform with Eugene Opera.
A new client, Mrs. Nolan, is just as desperate to encounter her recently deceased daughter, who appears to call to her during the seance. Jennifer Sellers, mezzo-soprano, plays Mrs. Nolan with convincing timidity and nervousness.
One more character, a young mute named Toby, who can hear but not speak, was picked up by Madam Flora off the streets of Budapest to become her ill-treated servant. Matt Arscott convincingly reveals his extreme vulnerability. Making him mute is an interesting choice for an opera, in which voice is so important.
All of the actors are aided in representing their characters by Zingo’s costumes that capture the spirit and style of each one. Zingo is also responsible for the lush set design representing the well appointed seance room. The heavy furniture and fabrics appear to be typical of eastern Europe in the 1930s.
If you come to see The Medium on Halloween, you could dress up like a medium and carry a crystal ball. Madam Flora might appreciate your help. The Medium plays Actors Cabaret of Eugene (ACE) through Nov. 1, including a matinee at 2 pm, Sunday, Oct. 26. Call 541-683-4368 or go to ActorsCabaret.org for tickets and information.