Back when Maurice Abravanel was music director of the Utah Symphony, outdoor performances of opera were a regular feature of summer. Performed in the old football stadium on the University of Utah campus, it satisfied a need among classical music lovers at a time when opera was still a rare commodity in Salt Lake City.
Paradoxically, as Utah Opera grew in size and stature, and opera became available on a regular basis, the symphony's summer productions ceased. But now, after years of being absent from the local music scene, Utah Symphony & Opera has once again revived the tradition of outdoor opera in the summer.
The work selected to inaugurate what Anne Ewers, CEO of US&O, hopes will become part of the organization's Deer Valley Music Festival, couldn't have been better chosen: "H.M.S. Pinafore."
Fully staged and costumed, Gilbert and Sullivan's popular operetta will be performed twice next weekend at the Deer Valley Amphitheater.
According to Broadway star Lisa Vroman, who'll be making her debut as Josephine, "Pinafore" will be played fairly straight. "It's going to be traditional, but campy. And it'll be comedic in true Gilbert and Sullivan style."
"There's no reason to do it any other way," said stage director Patricia-Maria Weinmann. "It's so brilliantly written that it works for what it is."
Librettist W.S. Gilbert was meticulous about what he wrote. He wasn't interested in penning frivolous stage pieces that would quickly be forgotten by a fickle public. Ever conscious of the social and economic problems in Victorian England, his words are carefully, although thinly, disguised satires on contemporary life.
In the case of "Pinafore," Gilbert exposes the inequities of class distinction in the love between a lowly sailor, Ralph Rackstraw, and Josephine, the daughter of the ship's captain, for whom marriage is out of the question. The words may be hilarious but they are also fraught with meaning.
All of Gilbert's characters are memorable, and frequently, as in the case of Sir Joseph Porter, who was made an admiral even though he had never set foot on a ship in his life, laughable for the pompous airs they put on.
Because of the limitations the amphitheater's stage places on the performers, the singers will be placed in front of the orchestra. Weinmann concedes that this kind of arrangement can be difficult to work with, but she downplayed the problems associated with the staging. "The singers will have monitors (enabling them to see the conductor). The sound system will be the biggest challenge, and I don't have to worry about that. I'll let them (the sound technicians) deal with it."
There will be a transparent backdrop suggesting a ship behind the cast and in front of the orchestra. "The set is very open and airy — there is just a suggestion of a ship," Weinmann said.
Weinmann has worked with US&O in the past. She directed Utah Opera's Ensemble Program a few years ago in Rossini's "La Cenerentola." She also works with the company's young artists program, coming out to Salt Lake City four times a year to coach them. Otherwise, Weinmann stays close to her home base in Boston.
Weinmann directed a production of "Pinafore" for Opera Boston that made use of one of the city's tourist attractions. "I directed it for an outdoor venue that had a Victorian wharf set, and 'Old Ironsides,' and a view of Boston in the background."
Vroman hasn't worked with Weinmann before, and she has nothing but praise for the director. "She is so creative and buoyant. I love her take on it."
For Vroman, who has spent the majority of her career in musical theater, singing operetta is a new experience. "My role is so different from what I am used to doing, but it's been a wonderful challenge. Josephine is so spunky."
Taking on the role of Ralph Rackstraw is tenor George Dyer. "I love the role," he said. According to Dyer, even though Ralph is a common sailor, he stands apart from the rest of the crew. "He has a certain amount of elegance. He has a superior personality, which he comes to innately."
This will be Dyer's third production of "Pinafore." He made his professional debut as Ralph with the New York City Opera, so the operetta has a special personal significance for him. But besides that, Dyer also said that he loves "Pinafore" because it's fun. "Don't take a cerebral look at it. Come to the show, sit back, listen to the wonderful music and lose yourself completely in the silliness and fun."
"There's something in it for everyone," Weinmann added.
Also in the cast are Jeffrey Mattsey (Captain Corcoran), Melissa Parks (Buttercup), Donald Sherrill (Dick Deadeye) and Michael Wanko (Sir Joseph Porter). Gerald Steichen will conduct the Utah Symphony and the Utah Opera Chorus.
If you go. . .
What: "H.M.S. Pinafore," Utah Symphony & Opera
Where: Deer Valley Amphitheater
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday
How much: $34-$42 reserved seating, $18 general, $10 students, $65 family pass
Phone: 355-2787 or 1-888-451-2787
Web: www.deervalleymusicfestival.org
E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com