'Consul' forever relevant opera

OPERA REVIEW

"The Consul"

Who: Cinnabar Theater

Where: 3333 Petaluma Blvd N., Petaluma

When: 8 p.m. Friday and Nov. 9-10, with a matinee at 2 p.m. Nov. 4.

Admission: $32-$35.

Information: 763-8920. www.cinnabartheater.org.

Bottom line: Gian Carlo Menotti's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1954 opera brims over with feeling and meaning in this lovingly performed stage revival, with fine singing by a regional cast.There are some American classics everyone ought to see once. Gian Carlo Menotti's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1954 opera, "The Consul," is one of them.

Like Thorton Wilder's "Our Town" or Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire," Menotti's tragedy remains forever relevant, and it's best appreciated in a live performance.

Through mid-November, Petaluma's Cinnabar Theater offers audiences a rare chance to see this work locally. The stage direction by Elly Lichenstein and music direction by Nina Shuman, show great respect and affection for the material, which makes their production a pleasure to witness.

Set in an unnamed nation, "The Consul" tells the story of a wife and mother caught between the oppressive secret police of her homeland and the paralyzed bureaucracy of the American consulate in her city.

Given the 1950s setting -- the Cinnabar's U.S. consulate set has President Harry Truman's photo hanging on the wall -- we can presume that the woman lived in a Soviet satellite country somewhere in central Europe.

But really, Menotti's heroine stands for anyone ever oppressed by abuse of power, indifferent authority and invasion of privacy.

San Francisco soprano Kristen Brown stars as Madga Sorel, a kind and brave woman beset by constant misfortune. Her husband John (William Neely), a leader in the local underground resistance is forced to flee the country to escape government persecution.

Left at home with an ailing infant and her husband's aging mother, Magda goes to the U.S. consulate day after day, sitting with a weary band of unfortunates waiting to see the consul, who never comes out of his office. She desperately needs a visa, so she can join her husband.

Ordered to fill out more forms during every visit, Magda wages a futile battle against the consul's haughty secretary until finally Magda lashes back, scattering paperwork everywhere. That's a timeless dilmemma, instantly recognizable to everyone. Magda's tantrum was evidently a cathartic moment for the opening-night audience, which momentarily stopped the show with rowdy applause.

The magic of Menotti's tragedy is that it is neither pedantic nor oppressive. There are tender moments -- the parting between John and Magda, and John's mother (Bonnie Brooks) singing a wistful lullaby to the baby.

Even the villains aren't one-dimensional. The swaggering police inspector (Brian M. Rosen) and the sassy, snippy consulate secretary (Eileen Morris) have a certain charm.

There is intrigue, with Assan the glass cutter (Jared Emerson-Johnson) bearing messages between Magda and her husband.

And there is comedy. In one of the opera's best scenes, a shabby magician (Andrew Cox) hypnotized the other forlorn souls stranded with him in the consulate waiting room. Soon they were all smiling, while the magician's child assistant (Elizabeth Brown) led them in ballroom dancing.

The waiting room ensemble (John Bonnoit, Nanette McGuiness, Melody Caspari and Cary Ann Rosko) contribute just as much to the production's authentic atmosphere as designer David R. Wright's split set, with the consulate on one side and the Sorels' shabby apartment on the other.

The entire cast sings with precision and emotion, and the acting is convincing, except for a little bit of stiffness from a couple of the supporting players. Brown's performance is outstanding. Anyone who isn't on Magda's side by the final act has no heart.

The production work is very strong. Lisa Eldredge's costume design offers a dramatic contrast between the shabby wardrobe of the common folk and the finer attire worn by government officials.

Because all the scenery for both of the opera's locales are onstage all the time, it is Wayne Hovey's lighting design that shifts the audience's attention from one place to the other. And subtler lighting changes reinforce the shift from comedy to tragedy.

The production is briskly paced, running just two and a half hours, with two short intermissions. This is a comparatively large cast, and adding in Shuman's 14-piece orchestra, there are a lot of performers. Lichenstein and Shuman have done an admirable job of bringing everyone together.

From the good-sized cast and musical ensemble to the detailed production work, this handsome production shows evidence of some well-deserved extra financial support.

The Cinnabar was one of a dozen Sonoma County performing companies chosen to participate in the two-month long Performance Sonoma program. The overall series was backed by a $60,000 grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and another for $61,000 from the James Irvine Foundation, both administered by the Community Foundation of Sonoma County.

Cinnabar could not choose a better work to support its ongoing quest to attract new audiences to opera. Menotti, who died last February at age 95, was born in Italy but spent most of his life in America. He wrote libretti in English that were meant to be accessible to everyone, and his characters are easily identifiable as everyday people.

His best-known work is the classic Christmas opera, "Amahl and the Night Visitors." As schoolchildren, legions of Baby Boomers saw his one-act comic opera, "The Telephone," a favorite with travelling educational troupes.

Now Cinnabar offers a grown-up, follow-up installment for lifelong learners and others. For those who have always wanted to give opera a try, and those who never miss a chance, this a convenient opportunity to see a quality production close to home.

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at 521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com.