Curtain Calls

  L.A. Opera Ana Maria Martinez plays
Violetta in the L.A. Opera’s production of "La Traviata."

“La Traviata” Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Through Nov. 10

It’s difficult to do justice to a classic, but the L.A.
Opera does just that in its production of Giuseppe Verdi’s
“La Traviata” which opened Friday at the Dorothy
Chandler Pavilion.

The brilliance of the production had less to do with the
opera’s plot ““ consisting of the cliched boy-meets-girl
story that ends in tragedy ““ than with its production and
performance.

The renowned soprano Ana Maria Martinez plays Violetta, the
opera’s tragic heroine. Her lover, Alfredo, is played by
tenor Rolando Villazon. The couple interacted harmoniously both
vocally and physically, giving life and personality to their
characters and eliciting multiple ovations from the audience.

Martinez and Villazon’s performances were enhanced by the
complicated, yet neatly performed, choreography of Peggy Hickey and
the direction of Marta Domingo. While Alfredo and Violetta discover
their love for each other, dozens of conversations and many
detailed movements take place in the background in a commendably
organized fashion, giving the audience a sense of inclusion in the
19th-century setting.

The highlight of the play’s choreography comes in the
second scene of Act Two, when Violetta attends a party at the
velvet-covered house of her friend Flora (played by mezzo-soprano
Suzanna Guzman) and a group of matadors and gypsies perform a
dance. Roberto Almaguer, the lead matador, in an almost gymnastic
feat, traversed the stage while simultaneously interacting with six
other dancers playing the part of gypsies.

The production’s beautiful backgrounds and settings give
one the sensation of being in 1854, the year the opera first
debuted.

Verdi’s music, conducted by Placido Domingo, functioned
not only as a guide to the performers, but also as an emotional map
for the audience. While the soft tune of the string instruments led
the viewers through the romance of Violetta and Alfredo, the wind
instruments elicited comic relief and the thunder of the brass
accentuated the tragic elements of the opera.

The end result was an emotional roller coaster characteristic of
Verdi: starting with joviality, followed by love, then empathy,
regret and sorrow.

The visual stimuli and the soul-reaching music make
Verdi’s “La Traviata” a gloomy, emotional
adventure that challenges us to confront our mortality. It pits the
best of life with the worst, highlights the hopelessness of
humanity in the face of reality and asks us to appreciate our
fleeting world. It juxtaposes optimism and pessimism and allows us
to choose a side.

Few productions can do this well, if at all. But the L.A.
Opera’s production certainly did ““ so much so that it
warranted a 10-minute standing ovation at its conclusion.

Cuauhtemoc Ortega

  Sacred Fools Theater Company Sondra
Mayer (left) is Bertha and Johanna McKay
is Twyla Adament in "Caprice."

“Caprice” Sacred Fools Theater Through Nov.
17

In honor of Halloween, the Sacred Fools Theatre Company has
decided to revive Charles Ludlam’s play “Caprice”
““ but as with zombies, mummies and scorpion kings, some
things are better left untouched.

Despite the efforts of a talented and energetic cast, the
unevenness of the dialogue and muddled plot detract from the
thoroughly enjoyable performances of the actors.

“Caprice” is the story of a Buddhist monk who, on
the verge of achieving Nirvana, decides to be reincarnated as
Claude Caprice, a world-renowned fashion designer. After the
monk’s transformation, the story devolves into a fragmented
and sordid tale of industrial espionage, betrayal and an
examination of the absurdities that surround the world of fashion
and art.

The play contains some outstanding performances by Daniel
Escobar, who plays Caprice’s tempestuous lover Adrian, and
David Bauman as the scheming man-servant TaTa. Escobar practically
steals every scene that he is in with his playful and witty
portrayal of the lovable Adrian. UCLA alumnus Bauman is hilarious
as the 6-foot, bleached-blond, platform wearing, Peter
Lorre-impersonating TaTa. Johanna McKay is also wonderful as
Caprice’s arch rival Twyla Adament and Tom Chalmers makes a
memorable appearance as the ever-humping android Copelias.

Another strong aspect of the play is its outstanding,
unabashedly campy music. “Caprice” contains many of the
greatest songs that were ever produced during the height of the
disco era. However, the poor quality of the sound system in the
theater was an annoyance that was impossible to ignore, and there
is something inherently wrong with a play in which the most
remarkable moments are the musical numbers that coincide with scene
changes.

The most glaring problem with Ludlam’s play is its
nonsensical story and off-putting jokes. It is akin to an amusing
skit on “Saturday Night Live” that some idiot thought
would make a great two-hour movie.

“Caprice” also contains some jokes that are
potentially offensive. In one scene, Adrian imitates a western
stereotype of a “Chinaman.” In another scene, a
character takes off the dress she is wearing to avoid being
embarrassed and then claims that it was stolen and that she was
raped by a group of black men.

Within the context of the play it is difficult to tell whether
the jokes are combatting or reinforcing harmful stereotypes.

“Caprice” is a play that should not have been
brought back from the dead.

Daniel Wong