Performance Friday, February 2nd

Review Published Monday, February 5th

Edited February 6th to credit pianist Ivan Rustandi, The Cat, Hadassah Misner, and to correct the timing of the set change between Act II and Act III. Special thanks to Stage Manager, Martin Wells, for providing me with updated information!

Antonín Dvořák’s opera, ‘Rusalka,’ presented Friday, February 2nd by Opera Arlington, seamlessly merged the ethereal with the tangible. The anticipation among the pre-show crowd was only a precursor to the visual and auditory feast that awaited within the walls of Tate Springs Baptist. As the lights dimmed and the first notes resonated, the stage came alive with a set that masterfully navigated the boundaries of reality and fantasy. This show was directed by Eliza Escalante, and is a long time favorite of Opera Arlington founder, Dr. Bree Nichols. Please note that I will alternately refer to Dr. Nichols as “Bree” and “Nichols,” as her husband, Jason Nichols is also part of the production and I wish to avoid confusion. 

Before diving into Rusalka, I think a note about Opera Arlington is important. Bree Nichols founded the company when she noticed the number of talented young artists in DFW who, if in Europe, would likely be pursuing professional performing careers. However, the current structure of the US opera career path often leaves these artists caught between the Pay to Sing/Young Artist Program circuit and a fully professional career. Despite many of these young professionals holding graduate degrees and professional experience, many struggle to find work due to the limited presence of small companies. Opera Arlington, through productions like Rusalka, pays local artists fees while expanding their resumes. Though artist fees are currently modest, there is hope that, with more successful shows, the company’s profits will grow, allowing for increased contract fees. Nichols’ vision of a company casting local talent without charging for opportunities is a refreshing addition to the opera scene.

I was thrilled to note that ticket sales for Opera Arlington’s Rusalka greatly exceeded expectations set by their first production. Opera Arlington has recognized and capitalized on a gap in the market. The cast, comprised predominantly of young artists, reflects a positive trend for the arts, particularly opera. I am 31, and the folks in this production are my friends, colleagues and peers, all with graduation dates not far off from my own. This youthfulness, coupled with a fresh and lively performance, bodes well for the vibrancy of the arts scene fostered by Opera Arlington.

Pre- show, the crowd was very chatty, and the room was filled with oohs and ahs as folks entered and saw the set, which took maximum advantage of the performance space at Tate Springs Baptist. As patrons entered the performance space, a track of pond and forest sounds played over the speakers while lighting was programmed to give the illusion of water in the “lake,” and small laser effects were used to give the impression of bugs and other floating objects. 

The stage at Tate Springs is a small thrust, with doors upstage right and left that were likely originally meant for choir members to file onto risers. In this case, the risers have been replaced with stairs. On stage right, a set of palace stairs led down to a waterside terrace, the boundaries of which were defined by stone work columns topped with flickering lanterns. The stage left stairs descended from a hill in the forest, which was an excellent choice, and a window cut into the center of the wall between them served alternatively as Ježibaba’s hut and a palace balcony. I was excited to see this space used in this production, and it was used well. Directly in front of the stage, there is a small empty area that was used as the water. Large floral arrangements and clever lighting made for a very believable lake, and I am delighted with how well it all read from out in the audience. 

Unlit Christmas trees filled the auditorium and one felt surrounded by the pine forest. Of all the trees, only one was regrettably placed- the full and bushy conifer placed downstage left obscured the view of the stairs. I was seated in the center stage section a little more than half way back, and I missed a good bit of the staging in that area. I had at this point moved seats two different times trying to find a spot that gave a good view and would allow me to scribble notes without distracting other patrons. I had happily settled on this center section aisle seat in a mostly empty row, and this would have been ideal had a group of five not walked in 3 minutes before the scheduled downbeat. They happily squeezed in next to me and I found myself very squished, although still eager for the show to start. By now, the sanctuary was absolutely packed with patrons and there was no place left for me to move. Attendance was easily double the size of either crowd that came out for Così fan Tutte, Opera Arlington’s first show, this past Spring. There were so many in attendance that by intermission, the place had grown very warm. 

The chorus was strong and lively, and when they sang from off stage, they were placed on the balcony, up and behind the audience. This worked very well, as they were always together and with the conductor. I do not know nearly enough about Czech diction to tell you whether or not the language was correct, but Bree is a Czech expert and an excellent teacher. Having recently done a Czech diction coaching with her myself, I am confident the chorus did well. 

The orchestration was a chamber ensemble led by Jason Lim, director of the McKinney Philharmonic. Although the orchestra was thin and timid at times, it was absolutely the right choice to use a chamber ensemble for this show. Dvořák’s use of the harp is so necessary to create the watery musical effects, a piano reduction just couldn’t have done the score justice. The brass did not overpower the strings, but to be truthful, I think the strings could have been more aggressive. The cadence at the end of Act II was so tepid that I wasn’t sure it was the final cadence. I did occasionally feel that singers were holding back for fear of overpowering the orchestra, but it was the orchestra that should have been adjusting to the singers.  Although I would like to acknowledge that rehearsal time was short, it would have been nice to have a more confident chamber ensemble. I would also like to note that it was announced before curtain that the pianist was a last minute replacement. The piano seemed well played to me, but replacing someone last minute can certainly change the vibes of a musical group, so take my criticism with a sprinkle of salt. 

[Edit February 6th: I think it’s important to be able to change your opinion when you are presented with new information, and I am glad that I wrote to take my opinion here with a sprinkle of salt! A crew member reached out to let me know that rehearsal time was more than limited- it was scarce indeed! One orchestra rehearsal, followed by two sitzprobe the very next day would have left me feeling absolutely overwhelmed if I was the one prepping for a show. There were also unforeseen circumstances that led to the last minute replacements of more than one musician, and with that in mind, I think it’s very impressive what the orchestra was able to do. I mentioned I thought the piano played well, and I would like to reiterate knowing that the pianist was not just a replacement, but a sub who jumped in at Final Dress Rehearsal! It seems that pianist Ivan Rustandi is the unsung hero of this production!]

As for the singers, I have much praise to give, and I will certainly touch on that later. A note throughout, however, is that knowing the music you don’t sing is just as important as knowing the music that is assigned to your role. Specifically, the transitions and pauses on either end of a line you have to sing. I will praise all day a singer who actually does watch their conductor, which this cast did, and it made for a better production, but it takes you out of the moment when a singer stares down the conductor for six to eight bars waiting for their cue.

The opera opens at dusk on the banks of the water with three Wood Sprites teasing the water goblin, Vodník, king of the lake. Sophia Formella, Megan Dobbs, and Madeleine Fell were an adorable trio, well rehearsed and blended, three parts always audible. The choice to costume them in white amongst a set and lightning full of greens, blues, and purples, made them glow. They wore capes of shimmering pleated organza, strung with lights that made them seem like gossamer fairy wings. They wore the flowered headdresses of unmarried women that seemed to be inspired, like much of the show, by the paintings of Czech artist Alfons Mucha. I could not get enough of these ladies or their costumes, and they set my expectations high for the rest of the show. I think there is often an idea that such trios in opera are for lesser singers, and that is simply not so. Much like the three ladies in Magic Flute, this trio serves an important narrative purpose, moving the plot along and giving us context, and the singers knocked this ensemble out of the park. 

Vodník, performed by Tres Hunter, appeared in a ghillie suit that had been enhanced with touches of shimmery ribbon, and large minnow shaped fishing lures entangled throughout his mossy limbs caught the light and added to the shimmery, underwater look. Tres moved with heavy, lumbering motions, as if he were actually dripping water every time he came up and out of the lake. Hunter has a beautiful, warm, lyric quality to his voice that made for a very pleasing Vodník. At times simply booming out over the rest of the cast, Hunter is a young bass to keep up with. 

Two large projection screens served the dual purpose of displaying supertitles and adding backgrounds for the set. A beautiful digital painting of a full moon was displayed stage left as Rusalka entered in an enormous headdress, veil, and cape, which she expertly used to swim around the stage. She wore a beaded blue mermaid style gown to complete the ensemble. A watery vision, Nichols voice rang like a bell as she cried to Vodník of her love for the human prince. Vodník reluctantly refers her to the witch Ježibaba, warning her she may not like what happens. Nichols’ Song to the Moon was incredible. Good technique and good acting combined for a stunning experience, and I am sorry to say that if you were absent, you missed a treat. I especially appreciated her reaction to the magic motif in the middle of the aria. She frantically searched the water for the prince as the repeated notes came from the orchestra, and it seemed as if the moon heard her cry and began to work on her plaintive pleas. I frequently find that even in productions put on by big houses, directors and singers forget that the sound effects are provided right there in the music. The entire cast of this show made good use of the music, allowing it to dictate their movements and actions.

Rusalka’s cries for Ježibaba’s help were so sad and endearing, and I was feeling quite a lot of pity for her when Sabatina Mauro took the stage by storm. Mauro is an absolutely arresting stage presence and an unforgettable mezzo. She completely embodied the hedge witch Ježibaba as she walked the twilight between the spirit world and the world of Man. Nichols’ petulant cries for help were met with bemusement at best, derision at worst, and Mauro’s vocal agility almost made me forget who I was supposed to be rooting for. Mauro reached for the projection, seemingly drawing energy from the moon to fuel her spellwork. 

The directors made the risky decision to give this witch a cat. I am normally averse to having humans play animals in this kind of production, but I have to say, I thought the added role was extremely clever. I am not sure the name of the young woman who played the cat, as I could not find it online or in the program, but she was a delight. [Edit February 6th: I am delighted to learn that The Cat was played by the off night Turnspit, Hadassah Misner! ] [Misner] wore all black, cat ears, black gloves, a tail, and black make up to show a cat’s nose and whiskers. She prowled around Ježibaba helping to work the spells and brew the potions that Rusalka begged of them. This allowed Ježibaba to remain on stage with Rusalka as the two women exchanged melodies, the window on the back wall lit up with oranges, reds, and yellows as The Cat danced around a cauldron, gleefully carrying out the messy business. 

Damnation certainly sounded enticing as Rusalka drank the potion. Ježibaba and The Cat snatched away her headdress, veil, and wings as the hunting horn sounded from the orchestra. Vodník mourned Rusalka’s bad decision making from off stage and Nolan Brown entered as the Hunter/Gamekeeper. Brown was charming, delivering a beautiful arietta before the onstage arrival of The Prince.

Unfortunately at this point, there were still patrons trickling in looking for seats, which was very distracting. Rusalka and The Prince were on stage together by the time everyone arrived and found their seats. It would have been nice to have had a screen in the lobby displaying the action for latecomers, who really should not have been allowed to be seated so late into Act I. 

Jason Nichols as The Prince is a clear and vibrant tenor, easily winning the audience’s favor as he searched for a white doe. He was dressed all in browns, and the happy coincidence of his red hair made his physical appearance very warm, which was in pleasing contrast to his wife and counterpart Bree, who made good use of blue and purple contour make-up to give her entire body the look of being cool and cold. The couple’s on stage chemistry was, of course, palpable. As the prince found Rusalka and decided to take her away with him, a chorus of water nymphs lamented from the balcony, sounding the alarm, “Sisters! One of us is missing!” Rusalka’s reaction to their alarm elicited panic in my heart, and Act I came to a close as she made the decision to follow the prince. 

Act I clocked in at just under an hour, and was very well paced. As patrons filtered in and out of the performance space, the set was changed from Spring to Fall. Floral arrangements were swapped out and the terrace was set for a party. The two large projection screens displayed artwork including Mucha’s paintings of The Seasons. As I stepped outside into the rainy evening to cool off, I was happy to greet friends and chat with folks in the lobby. We slowly found our way back inside as the lights dimmed for Act II. 

Nolan Brown appeared again as the Gamekeeper, and this time, he had with him his niece, a turnspit/kitchen maid, sung by mezzo-soprano Kelsey Korman. The pair made for a gossipy duo, telling the audience how much time had passed and setting the scene for the upcoming party, telling us that the Prince is planning to marry a mute and nameless girl who showed up out of nowhere. They speculate demons and witchcraft, with the Gamekeeper teasing the Kitchen Maid. Korman is a great character actress, coming across as playful and enthusiastic. I loved Brown and Korman together in this scene. They played very well off of one another and although they serve as foils in the plot, I couldn’t help but like them. 

A Foreign Princess, played by Dr. Erica Simmons, is a wedding guest, and The Prince is showering her with attention. Simmons appeared in stark contrast with Nichol’s Rusalka, portraying a passionate and fiery princess. Ringing highs and sumptuous lows from Simmons curse the Prince and Rusalka as The Princess makes it clear that The Prince belongs with her. Her scorn actually wins The Prince, who rejects Rusalka. Bree’s acting in this scene was incredible, displaying a woman desperate for the Prince’s love but too timid to fight for it when his attentions turn elsewhere. At one point, she was provoked by The Princess and she lunged in a hissing attack, hands outstretched as if they were claws, reminding us that she is not quite human. As The Prince led The Princess off stage, Rusalka made pitiable attempts to regain the Prince’s attention. Failing this, she returned to the water below the terrace and cried out for Vodník, who has until now, been traipsing about the scene unseen by partygoers. A rumble proceeds his musical entrance and the wedding guests gasp in horror as the water goblin becomes visible. I loved this detail, and would like to congratulate the chorus, whose singing was so beautiful, for ignoring Hunter so well until they were supposed to notice him. The scene ended with a storm as Vodník cursed the party, and the lights came down amidst thunder and lightning effects.

The scene change from Act II to Act III took too long, almost three minutes. The thunder storm sounds stopped and we were left in silence for a solid two minutes while the scene changed from Fall to Winter. The set change mostly consisted of removing party decorations such as chairs and tables and covering the floral arrangements with white cloth to imitate snow. It would have been much faster and more efficient for each chorus member to exit with a set piece than to leave it all for the scene change. I find it easier to suspend my disbelief for a scene change where chorus members each take a chair, and a tablecloth is moved to a bush than it is to sit for so long while only two or three stage techs are left to handle it on their own. If three minutes are truly necessary for the change, it would be nice to give the orchestra some transition music to play. This could be a revamp of music that has already happened, or even a folk song selection from Dvořák’s many other works. 

[Edit February 6th: Here I would like to add a lengthy correction. I am a time blind individual who uses clocks and alarms in excess to keep my life moving and be places on time. This has caused me to become an obsessive Watch-Checker. While I was in attendance Friday night, I checked my watch at the end of Act II and at the beginning of Act III, noting that three minutes had passed from cadence to lights up. It did not occur to me at the time that this could have meant that a 60 second window with 15 seconds on either side would appear the same as 3 minutes if I wasn’t using a timer. I would like to sincerely thank Stage Manager Martin Wells for reaching out to me to ask about this. He let me know that the stage team had actually clocked the scene change at about 90 seconds, and it was the fastest of the entire run. While sitting in the silent dark felt like a long time to me personally, I would like to make sure that readers know that this was a me problem and I was wrong, and that the scene change did not take three entire minutes, rather 90 seconds that occurred during three separate minutes.] 

Rusalka made her Act III entrance in a veil that covered her entire upper body, including her face, and carried a blue light. The veil itself was gorgeous, with iridescent glimmers throughout that showed beautifully in the stage lighting, but it was, in my opinion, too opaque. Most of the light bounced right off of it, and you couldn’t see her face at all, which I think is a shame because Bree is so expressive. Perhaps this was intentional, and I love the look they were going for, but I think a more delicate, more see-through fabric would have been a nice alternative. 

Rusalka meets with Ježibaba and begs for a solution to her problems. The witch offers a chilling solution. She hands the disconsolate water nymph a knife, and reveals that Rusalka can save herself if she kills the Prince. Rusalka is horrified, and throws the knife into the lake. Nichols and Mauro are well matched throughout this scene. Ježibaba shows little pity as a chorus of water nymphs informs us that Rusalka is now a Will-o’-the-wisp, neither woman nor nymph, unable to live and unable to die. The women’s chorus was beautiful and haunting. Again, well blended and well rehearsed, I really felt this chorus added to the show. 

The scene changes as the Gamekeeper and the Turnspit come to beg Ježibaba for help getting rid of Rusalka, whom they believe betrayed the Prince and is responsible for his slowly going mad. The singing and comic timing throughout this scene were a happy reprieve from an otherwise depressing plot. I was, however, disappointed to miss the action between the Turnspit and Ježibaba, since it all took place directly behind the tree.

Hunter appeared again as Vodník, terrifying the humans and setting the record straight. The Gamekeeper and the Turnspit made a terrified exit, and the trio of Wood Sprites reappeared to mourn Rusalka’s fate. Their costumes had traded their headdresses for little white fur hats, acknowledging how much time has passed and that is now Winter, a detail I appreciated. In the scoring for this scene, the first and second Wood Sprites each get a solo, but I found myself irritated on behalf of the third, who surely also deserved a moment in the spotlight. Alas, Antonín Dvořák is dead and is not around to hear my defense of the mezzo-soprano. 

Finally, the Prince wandered back on stage in search of his white doe, stopping at the edge of the lake to call out to Rusalka. Jason Nichols sang this scene very well, and I felt his desperation as he called for his water nymph. Rusalka answered his call, finally able to speak to him. The Nichols’ broke hearts as they sang the final scenes, the Prince begging for a kiss, knowing it meant death, and Rusalka resolving to grant his wish. Vocally, Jason and Bree are a pretty pair. Bright, clear voices singing such dark thematic content was very unsettling, exactly the way I think this music should be presented. They kissed, and the Prince died begging for another. Rusalka then covers him with her mourning shroud, as the Wood Sprites return her original headdress and veil. I liked this staging very much. In a dark and unsettling way, it implies that in kissing the prince, Rusalka has killed him and thus fulfilled the terms of the contract with Ježibaba. Notably, she did not regain her “wings,” making it clear that she has lost an integral part of herself. Rusalka, wingless, exited directly down the center house aisle, deep, deep into the lake as the lights came down for the final time.

The house absolutely erupted with applause. This show is a shining triumph for Opera Arlington. 

Escalante’s production unfolded as a captivating journey, seamlessly blending ethereal storytelling with tangible performances. The meticulously designed set, clever use of lighting, and a chamber ensemble led by Jason Lim contributed to a visually and aurally stunning production. Character portrayals, from the whimsical Wood Sprites to the hauntingly powerful Ježibaba, were a highlight, with strong vocals and expressive acting leaving a lasting impression. While the orchestra’s chamber ensemble occasionally felt timid, the singers navigated their roles with passion. Noteworthy is Opera Arlington’s commitment to local talent, challenging the traditional opera career path, and its positive impact on the DFW arts scene. The production’s success solidifies Opera Arlington’s role as a vibrant contributor to the local arts landscape.

Follow Opera Arlington on Facebook to stay up to date with their performance calendar. Their second season has been announced, and will include a production of Cendrillon, a scarce performed show composed by Pauline Viardot, and Mozart’s Don Giovanni, a beloved staple of the operatic repertoire. 

If you were in attendance and noted any stand-out moments, please feel free to comment below!