Ulrica vs. "Ulrica"

After many months of much-needed "rest" (i.e., no offer of a role in the summer season), Your Own Ulrica has reluctantly agreed to return to the media glare to ponder the question “Can a person be in two places at the same time?”.

What prompts this metaphysical musing was yesterday’s rehearsal, at Zellerbach A, for the upcoming season starter, Giuseppe Verdi’s masterful Un Ballo in Maschera. For anyone who is inexcusably unfamiliar with Un Ballo, it should be pointed out that a crucial character in the opera is a mysterious soothsayer who gives some "Dear Abby" advice (“Go to that hideous field and pick the herb* which grows at the foot of the stones of infamy.”) to our heroine and foretells doom for our hero (“The next guy who shakes your hand will be the cunning bastard who kills you.”).

* She would be referring, of course, to the mandrake root (below), which, as legend had it, grew from the ejaculated semen of men executed on the gallows, and screams when it is pulled from the earth; Verdi was much too polite to go into such detail.

Now, in this SFO production, the opera is restored to its original setting in pre-Ikea, Age-of-Enlightenment Sweden. Verdi’s censors, fearful of its theme of regicide (an attempt on the life of Napoleon III of France had just been made), insisted he move it, oddly, to Colonial Massachusetts, where it remained until a couple of decades ago. During the move West, the homely Swedish wise woman, Madame Arvidson, became the more sinister Native American sorceress Ulrica. Although the recent return to Scandinavia meant that our hero Riccardo, Count of Warwick, was restored to his rightful Gustavus III, King of Sweden, poor Mrs. Arvidson confusingly remains spooky Ulrica. And therein lies our question…

Who is this imposter?

Your Own Ulrica, thanks to the grace of Wardrobe, has been granted a role in Ballo: immobile and partly hidden, it is a role nevertheless (remembering that being a Super is an exercise in humility). As such, she makes a brief entrance at the end of Arvidson/Ulrica’s one and only scene. Because of tight scheduling, Your Own Ulrica has yet to step onstage with the Arvidson woman (played by contralto Tichina Vaughan, below) but, if and when that happens, can we expect a warp in spacetime, or merely a replay of Hayley Mills in The Parent Trap?
Whilst Your Own Ulrica admits that the talented and likeable Ms. Vaughan has the edge in feminine attributes and vocal abilities, Y.O.U. feels that her advanced "experience" and reckless abandon could bring so much more to the role.

Although loyal members of the Super Spirito di Corpo are suggesting ways to do away with this singing wannabe, Your Own Ulrica has forbidden such action. This is, after all, High Art and not Showgirls.

(For the record, the name Ulrica was derived not only from the Ballo character but also from the nom de plume of the gossip columnist in E. F. Benson’s novel Lucia in London, the second in the series of six hilarious novels Mapp and Lucia. Written in the 1920s, they are required reading for all anglophiles and aficionados of camp.)

More Maschera Meanderings …

The latest SFO publicity brochure is very handsome, but the copy obviously none too closely scrutinized. Can you spot the two big mistakes in this: “A Masked Ball: An Intriguing blend of French eloquence and Italian passion, the opera climaxes with an extended duet of incandescent vocal opulence." (Answers at end of this column.)

Who was the chorister who warned a Ballo Super to “be very, very careful” with his halberd? Apparently, the unfortunate chorister was accidentally bonked on the head “by one of (y)our number” in last year’s Norma. Although one would never suggest that there may have been some provocation, one does wonder how one unfortunate prior mishap might suggest that all Supers are, by nature, clumsy with their props. Surely no one could ever think that all choristers are similarly disagreeable.

Don't count on Ballo heroine Deborah Voigt coming to that Bash. After famously undergoing gastric bypass surgery, a single Bucco entrée could prove fatal. The Little Black Dress brouhaha aside, Ulrica has always regarded Deborah (whether Junoesque or svelte) as one of our most beautiful and graceful performers and it is always an honor to have her on the War Memorial stage.

After starting here as Don Carlos’ Voce in Cielo and Macbeth’s Lady-in-waiting during the 1986 Season, Deborah’s first starring SFO role was as the Ballo Amelia when she substituted, spectacularly, for an ailing Susan Dunne in the 1990 revival. She is fondly remembered, too, for an early appearance with the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, way back when.

It was Bradly who saw a jumbo-sized rehearsal skirt being offered to Deborah a few days ago. Beautifully dressed and streamlined, her look of utter disdain for the garment (which might have fitted her many years ago) was, by his account, fit to kill.

And Super Guard Jim Bowes wonders if SFO is now recycling old sets and that Scene 12 of the current Ballo has been seen before, as the Kowalski home in A Streetcar Named Desire a few seasons ago - even down to the grungy curtain hanging stage left.

Also making welcome re-appearances in Ballo are the ever popular and adorable Maestro Marco Armiliato and that Super fave with an extravagance of curly hair, bass Joshua Bloom (below).

Versatile and youthful Helen Mirren look-alike Ballo Directrice Gina Lapinski has a tremendous eye for detail, a refreshingly physical involvement in the staging, and an enlightened response to the opera. On her suggestion that the performers express either a sense of fun or of discreet disapproval at the King’s order to get into disguise and go to the other Ulrica’s house, Your Own Ulrica decided to express a sense of fun by remaining immobile and partly hidden.

Answers to quiz, above:

1. There is nothing French about the opera. It is sung in Italian, premiered in Rome, and is set in the U.S., Sweden or, very occasionally, Naples (see above).

2. Everyone knows that the “incandescent duet” – “the most expansive love duet Verdi wrote before Otello” (Kobbe’s Opera Book) comes in Act II. The climax of the opera, surely, is the Act III murder of the king at the eponymous Ball.

Let’s Make Opera Accessible (Again)

We’ve tried it all: Broadway-style productions, the Bravo Club, The Rainbow Series, Flute for Kids, simulcasts, titles translated into English (The Force of Destiny) or otherwise altered (Joan of Arc), yet still we need to entice the Opera audience back, and to find new blood. The latest ploy is the elimination of intermissions to make An Evening at the Opera a shorter experience and send everyone home before BART shuts down and the Orchestra goes into overtime.

In order to preserve bar revenues and give us all an extra pee break, Ulrica says keep the intermissions and get rid of some Acts. Would anyone miss Act 3 of Tristan und Isolde (maybe skipping from the Prelude to the Liebestod), the final act of Le Nozze de Figaro, or the goofy antics in Act 2 of Der Rosenkavalier? Probably not. And why bother with more than two acts of any Handel Opera? We got the point after the first one.

Mike Harvey has a much more constructive suggestion, Tosca on Ice or perhaps Wozzek: the Dance Mix, to which Ulrica might add an audience-interactive Traviata ("Violetta: Live or Die? Vote Now!") or a sing-along Lucia di Lammermoor. Evidently, Santa Fe Opera is leading the way with The Tempest, staged as an Opera Aquacade.
Bravi Tutti Merolini

Saturday, August 19th was the Grand Finale of the 2006 Merola Program, and it is hard to imagine a more attractive and likeable group of rising stars. Tenor Noah Stewart and Soprano Heidi Melton brought the house down with their first-rate Verdi arias (from Luisa Miller and Ernani respectively), and there were stunning ensembles from Candide and Tales of Hoffmann in a varied, though heavily French flavored, program.

Veteran Supers Susan Anderson and Andrew Korniej had the opportunity to work with six of these young artists during the production of Cimarosa’s 18th-century comedy Il Matrimonio Segreto earlier this month. With only six singers and two Supers, it was perfectly proportioned and hilariously directed, in a 1930s country-home setting, by former English National Opera movement director Nicola Bowie. The beautiful costuming was by SFO Wardrobe’s Kristi Lynn Johnson. Neither Busby Berkeley nor (Gowns by) Adrian could have done any better. There were only two, sold-out performances so it was much too easy to miss. photos by Kristen Loken

All six twenty-something Matrimonio singers (Andriana Chuchman, Caryn Marlowe, Jessica Vanderhoof, Kyle Albertson, Daniel Billings and David Portillo) are prodigiously gifted in the vocal and acting spheres, and each is possessed of outstanding comic timing. The entire production company went out of its way to express appreciation for the Supers’ contributions, a novelty in itself. As the two starchy servants, Andrew and Susan were easily spotted: they were the ones with wrinkles and gray hairs.

Much drama occurred during Final Dress rehearsal on Wednesday, August 2nd, when a 4.4 quake rattled the Fort Mason Pier. Although there was much movement backstage, Ms. Chuchman and Mr. Billings sang through the temblor like pros, never missing a beat. A feared tsunami failed to materialize, but rumors of one gave the rest of the performance an added frisson.

Bravos are also due to now-regular Festival Opera (Walnut Creek) Supers Charlie Lichtman and Mike Harvey (seen at far left, below) for great work in their recent Don Giovanni, another wonderfully comic, updated production. Keep Festival Opera on your radar for next Summer’s season. They consistently do great work, often with singers well known to us this side of the Bay, including former Adler fellow Kristin Clayton as Donna Anna and SFO choristers, past and present; Aimée Puentes as Zerlina and Cliff Romig as the Commendatore. Beloved Wigs-and-Makeupper Denise Guttierez is highly involved over there and, spotted in the Final Dress audience taking notes was former Super Captain Albert Goodwyn.

A belated welcome …

… to new Super Coordinator, April Busch. Welcome to the Wacky World of Supering, April. We’re happy to have you on board. May we request a get-to-know-April interview soon?

Question; is April in any way related to silent-movie actress Mae Busch, who starred in the bizarre, recently screened-at-the-Castro film Unholy Three with Lon Chaney? Mae appeared in many, many movies with sacrificial lamb Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and ended her career, like so many other silent stars, taking uncredited bits and extra work in the Talkies.

Your Own Ulrica’s fondness for the obscure silent movie performer has been well-documented in previous columns. As an SFO Super, she closely identifies with their under-celebrated-ness and, of course, with their lack of voice.

On a more serious note...
It behooves this columnist to issue a word of warning to any Super coming to or from the Opera House these days. According to the SFPD, the incidence of crime in the immediate vicinity of the House is way up in recent years, with a lot of cars broken into while parked on the street. Four of the eight current Super Committee members (Laurel Winzler, Kimberly Thompson, Andrew Korniej and Walt Thorp) have suffered break-ins while attending functions at the House. The danger of personal or property damage can’t be overstated. Please be careful around there. It is a dangerous neighborhood, and we are often walking alone at odd times, before and after the Opera crowds. Paying for safe parking is cheaper than replacing windows; don’t leave anything valuable visible inside your vehicle; and try to car pool. Public transport is a viable alternative, but Civic Center Station can be threatening, too. Mike Harvey was harassed outside the station a couple of nights ago.

Late Breaking News: At an August 21st rehearsal, one fellow from the chorus had his car broken into, in full daylight, on Franklin Street, just 20 yards from the ZA entrance. Apparently it was not the first break in of the day. I spotted five other piles of shattered auto glass in the gutter on one side of the block of Franklin from Fell to Hayes.

If anyone has other incidents of crime in the area to report, please let Laurel, or any member of the Super Committee know about them.

Katherine

And finally, although it has been some months now, the SFO Super community is still deeply affected by the loss, in a traffic accident, of one of its brightest members, the lovely Katherine Brazaitis. A memorial service was held for Katherine at her church, The First United Methodist Church, in San Rafael on June 24th. There was an impressive turnout of Supers wanting to celebrate her life. On their behalf, Carolyn Waugh gave a beautiful eulogy that struck the perfect note of grief at the loss and the joy and humor of knowing and working with Katherine. There is optimism that the Company might, in some way, acknowledge Katherine’s contribution to the San Francisco Opera this season. Our sympathy remains with her husband, Joseph.

As a further remembrance we’re linking to this interview Katherine gave to the Spearhead back in its pre-Internet, Xerox-copy days.

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