Classy Stuff at the Carib

We came out of the Carib Cinema in Cross Roads, Kingston, on a bit of a high again. Not because we had just seen the most exhilarating thriller complete with car chases and machine guns. None of that (although I do love a good thriller). We had just watched a simulcast of Verdi’s “Falstaff“ beamed live from the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

Yes, my husband and I are both opera nuts. I knew a couple of operas (primarily my grandmother’s favorite, “Turandot,” which made her weep) before I met husband, but he took me in-depth with the whole thing. Now I am completely sold on it. And the Met’s incredible HD series, broadcast live and direct to cinemas in sixty countries around the world – including, thanks be to God, Jamaica! – is an absolute treat.

Angela Meade as Alice and Lisette Oropesa as Nannetta in Verdi’s “Falstaff.” Nannetta does an entrancing aria in the final act – Ms. Oropesa has a sweet and delicate voice.
Photo: Ken Howard

Falstaff (Ambrogio Maestri) lights a cigarette for Mistress Quickly (Stephanie Blythe). (Photo: Ken Howard)

“Falstaff” is based largely on the William Shakespeare comedy, “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” Giuseppe Verdi had already done “Macbeth” and “Otello” – heavy stuff. This was only Verdi’s second comedy. He wrote this, his last opera, in 1893 – “for my own pleasure,” he said. It has an ensemble of ten characters and some pretty elaborate group numbers, including a remarkably intricate fugue in the third and final act. And he wrote it at age eighty!

Falstaff is full of himself, dressed in an absurd huntsman’s outfit, at the Garter Inn ( a great deal of wood paneling).

This Robert Carsen production premièred last year at the Royal Opera House in London. It was set in the 1950s (the original story being fourteenth century) and the costumes and sets (not to mention the amazing range of props, thousands of them!) are a complete delight. I loved Meg’s pillbox hats, and Mistress Quickly‘s handbags. The set for Scene II is a perfect Betty Crocker kitchen (Alice’s), with lots of lemony-colored cupboards and a vintage box of Omo washing powder on the orange countertop, among many other things. The women’s costumes in the final scene were crimson and maroon and all shades in between, with Falstaff’s two ridiculous, thieving sidekicks in kilts. I am not sure that the outside scene works quite so well – it is Windsor Park, but maybe not quite “open air” enough.

Meg (Jennifer Johnson Cano), left, and Mistress Quickly (Stephanie Blythe) squeeze Falstaff (Ambrogio Maestri) into a laundry basket full of dirty linen in ‘Falstaff’ at the Met, New York. This was Alice’s fabulous 1950s kitchen. (Photo: Ken Howard/Financial Times)

I always find Verdi’s operas intense, in a completely different way to those of Puccini. One plunges into the richness of the choirs and soloists, and the depths of the orchestration, and comes up for air gasping. Puccini is a whole different experience – equally satisfying, in my view – more like gliding along on top of a wave that never breaks. (I am a Puccini woman, husband is a Verdi man. We have our preferences). But I enjoyed “Falstaff” thoroughly, partly because I was not familiar with the opera but knew the story from Shakespeare. It’s not performed that often – in fact, the Met last did it way back in 1964, in a Franco Zeffirelli production conducted by Leonard Bernstein.

Falstaff is ultimately a pathetic character, in his pursuit of popularity and consumption. We can see many Falstaffs around us today: those men (and women) determined to have a good time, no matter at whose expense. The pathos of the character was not greatly emphasized in this production. We know that Falstaff will be forgiven and that he will forgive his tormenters. Mr. Maestri’s tremendous girth (much proud slapping of his belly) was, however, much in evidence; especially when he was wearing grubby long johns; what a slob he really was! And his voice is suitably all-encompassing and authoritative.

An old print of the same laundry basket scene.

The fabulous women! From left, Lisette Oropesa as Nannetta, Angela Meade as Alice, Stephanie Blythe as Mistress Quickly and Jennifer Johnson Cano as Meg Page. (Photo: Sara Krulwich/New York Times)

But… but, the four women were terrific: I loved the interplay between them, the knowing glances and smirks. Their conversation in a restaurant flitted all over the place, with many interruptions of the romantic kind as Nannetta (a delicate soprano, and the junior of the group) dallied with her sweetheart. One of the advantages of watching the opera in close-up, of course, is that you pick up on all the nuances of the acting – more than you would if you were in the theatre itself. And I could tell that the female singers were enjoying themselves. They were more than a match for Sir John Falstaff.

If you have never really taken a good look at opera, this production might well be a suitable place to start. “Falstaff” rattles along at a brisk pace, the humor is often very visual and although the plot is a little odd at times – this happens with Shakespeare – it doesn’t really matter much.

The moral of the tale is “He who laughs last, laughs longest.” And remember to laugh at yourself, sometimes.

This is the third opera that we have seen in the current series. We saw the stunning “Eugene Onegin” and the heart-rending “Tosca” but sadly missed Shostakovich’s “The Nose.” Don’t plan to miss any more! I am deeply thankful to Palace Amusement Company and of course to the Met and all its amazing sponsors for making this a reality for Jamaican audiences. The select few (in relative terms) who DO attend are deeply appreciative. The screenings start at the Carib and are repeated at Palace Cineplex in Liguanea, but we prefer the Carib. There is lots of space, a big screen and excellent sound. “Falstaff” will have an encore at the Palace Cineplex and at the Multiplex Montego Bay on December 22 at 11:30 a.m. 

I would highly recommend this for schools (sixth formers) and music/drama students. Why don’t more young people attend? Schools, give it some thought! It teaches so much about music and acting, but also about the nuts and bolts of theatre. One of the pleasures of this series is that the camera quietly goes behind the scenes in the intervals, roving around backstage. We see the stage hands arranging props, arranging lighting, and the huge “flats” rising and descending from the dizzy heights of the “flies” (up at the top of the stage), while the stage managers prowl around, checking things off on a clipboard and reminding the crew that they have two minutes to go… all in “real time.” It’s fascinating.

And if you want a truly rich experience, try opera for size. It’s got everything.

We have to wait until February 8, 2014 for the next one… “Rusalka” by Dvorák. This will be followed by:

“Prince Igor” by Borodin (cannot wait for this one!): March 1, 2014

“Werther” by Massenet: March 15, 2014

“La Bohème” by Puccini: April 5, 2014 (stocking up on handkerchiefs from now)

“Così fan tutte” by Mozart: April 26, 2014

“La Cenerentola” by Rossini: May 10, 2014