Monday night was the kickoff of my personal opera season - La Boheme at Lyric Opera of Chicago. With all the brouhaha surrounding the opening of the season - ie the 11th hour contract settlement with AGMA - and with this opera in particular - ie the dramatic firing of Ms. Angela G (look it up, I don't know how to spell it) several days before the production was set to open - I was very very curious.
But Lyric is like the Rock of Gibraltar, or at the very least, the Rock of Wacker Drive. Sturdy, solid, unflappable. Opening Night on Saturday went off without a hitch and the performance of La Traviata earned glowing reviews for Elizabeth Futral and Joseph Calleja. Monday night rolled around - and quiet changes had been made. The poster of season stars that faces Wacker Drive had already been altred to remove the dismissed diva. The only other indication that the cast had been changed was an insert in the program announcing Elaine Alvarez in the role of Mimi. They did not make any announcement of the cast changes. They did not need to. From the Grand Foyer to the Dress Circle, and all the way up to the first Upper Balcony (a painful hike in uncomfortable shoes. Pant, pant) all anyone was talking about was Angela being fired and this new soprano stepping into her place.
I had never seen La Boheme before, but the story was familiar (from Rent. I was a big huge Renter when I was an undergraduate. I saw it many times when it toured here. But don't worry. It's out of my system.) and so was the music. The cast boasted many Lyric favorites - Quinn Kelsey, an opera center alum, played Marcello, Andrea Silvestrelli (a big, booming basso) played Colline, and Singer of the World winner (and also an Opera Center alum) Nicole Cabell played Musetta. Roberto Aronica was Rodolfo and Elaine Alvarez was Mimi.
Ms. Alvarez is 27 years old just (gulp!) one year younger than myself, and I can't even imagine what she must have been feeling when she stepped out onto that stage in her first appearance at a major American opera house. She did not disappoint the audience, who waited with baited breath to hear her first note. Honestly, she stepped into the role like an old pro. She had a big beautiful voice and was a good match with the rest of the cast (even though the orchestra, at times, threatened to drown the singers out). The audience knew what was going on, and really embraced her as the opera went on. She got a huge, well-deserved, standing ovation at the end of the performance.
It was a great night, and I am looking forward to the rest of the season. I only hope the perfume soaked woman in front of me(who made my eyes itch the entire opera), the chatty couple next to me (who shushed ME for shushing THEM - didja ever??) and the cluster of old biddys behind me (who scolded both my mom and myself for STANDING UP DURING THE CURTAIN CALL. Hello?? It's called a standing ovation?) are NOT subscribers. Sitting around this cranky lot for another 7 performances is NOT something I am looking forward to. Maybe it's the Monday night crowd??
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