Saturday evening the Michigan Opera Theatre’s production of Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow started more than a few minutes late – but for good reason. April 8th marked David DiChiera’s 80th birthday, and as founder and artistic director of Michigan Opera Theatre, DiChiera brought opera to Detroit in 1971 helping to begin the rebirth of a city torn apart by riots in the 1960s. So before the curtain was raised, Ron Raines led the audience in a rendition of Happy Birthday after Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan called DiChiera “a visionary who helped transform Detroit” and DiChiera’s grandchildren wheeled out a birthday cake complete with a lighted candle waiting to be blown out.
The celebration continued as the curtain was raised, revealing the party that is taking place at the beginning of the opera. The set, designed by Utah Opera, and the costuming was consistently a highlight of the show. In the first act a large ballroom was built with white drops glowing a light pink framing the stage and a grand staircase. Principles and choristers were all dressed in crisp white and black creating a uniform visual picture, but at times making the principles blend in a little too well. When a man entered stage left during the opening number in a bright red vest I assumed he must be a man of significant dramatic importance as my eyes were immediately drawn toward the red among a sea of white. Alas, he was a non-singing, non-speaking extra playing a butler and wearing a distracting vest which, in hindsight, seems much better suited for the burlesque scene of the third act.
Some were concerned that following her substantial work with heavy Wagnerian repertoire Deborah Voight would struggle in a lighter role with its share of coloratura. However, her performance Saturday night put any and all doubts to rest. Her coloratura did not come as easy as recordings of Joan Sutherland or Beverly Sills in the role but her superb acting expunged any flaws one may have found with her performance vocal. Regal and charming while always mischievous, Voight stole the heart of each and every audience member.
Performing along side Voigt were Roger Honeywell (Prince Danilo), Richard Suart (Baron Mirko Zeta), Amanda Squirieri (Valencienne) and Aaron Blake (Camille) who all gave strong performances. Honeywell, a tenor, struggled to project some of the lower notes that the role of Prince Danilo required but marvelously soared through the higher passages. Suart sang well with strong diction, but his monologue at the beginning of the second act was lost without a single hard consonant. Squirieri and Blake proved a remarkable pair and I was at a loss for which of the performances I preferred musically or dramatically. Squirieri masterfully sang through the difficult passaggio sections and Blake’s voice resonated throughout the theatre with impressive clarity.
The production that director Kelly Robinson and conductor Gerald Steichen presented Saturday night was a testament to all that David DiChiera has done for opera and for Detroit. A fun, yet touching piece, The Merry Widow had me dancing in my seat and wondering what MOT will do next.
