Maria de Buenos Aires at Mill City Summer Opera

Maria (Catalina Cuervo) and that DRESS.
Photo by Dan Norman.

As we've said before, Mill City Summer Opera provides one of the most unique and special experiences in local theater. Fabulous music in a gorgeous setting makes for a not-to-be-missed experience for theatergoers.

This year, due to the repairs at the Mill City Ruins Courtyard, their summer show has moved to a historic industrial spot in Northeast Minneapolis called the Machine Shop. This hip venue turns out to be a perfect setting for Maria de Buenos Aires for this intimate opera-tango-drama, with its urban feel made even more atmospheric by a heavy layer of fog, adding a sultry feel.

With text by Horacio Ferrer and music by Astor Piazzolla, Maria de Buenos Aires premiered in Buenos Aires in 1968. At this production, Mill City Summer Opera artistic director David Lefkowich, in his pre-curtain speech urges the audience to let the music wash over them, try not to work too hard to understand the story. The supertitles are not direct translations of the text, but "help to navigate the surreal poetry and the tango will provide a heartbeat and a mood" (according to the Director's Note.)

Luis Alejandro Orozco and Catalina Cuervo
Photo by Dan Norman

However, I still like to understand a story. This New York Times review of a 2013 production at Les Poisson Rouge gives a nice overview:

The work is more of an oratorio than an opera. Written in the key of “Ay! minor” (Ferrer’s libretto is laced with musical puns), it’s a Passion play in which the central character, María, represents both Jesus and the Virgin. She sleepwalks through scenes of sexual violence, her burial and dreamlike confessions to a chorus of psychoanalysts until, resurrected, she gives birth to a new version of herself.

So THAT's what happened! The performers are uniformly excellent and inhabit the roles as if they've played them many times before--which they have. The main actor/singers have played these roles multiple times and do so beautifully. The voices of Maria (Catalina Cuervo) and Payador (Luis Alejandro Orozco) are rich and gorgeous, and El Duende (Milton Loayza) narrates the action with the perfect mix of menace and sadness.

Also, noted in the program as one of four main cast members is JP Jofre as the Bandoneon player. Hey, what's a bandoneon, you ask? Here's some info that the very musical among you may understand. All I know is that it creates a beautiful sound and watching Jofre's expressive performance was one of the great pleasures of this show.

See that guy in white? That's the star of this show, JP Jofre.
Photo by Dan Norman.

I was also delighted to see Brian Sostek and Megan McClellan among the stylish dance ensemble, who apparently did a lovely marionette routine.

Here's the sad news. Theatermaking friends, can I remind you that when you put action on the floor with the audience on risers, sightlines can be challenging. Although we could see most of the action beautifully, as soon as the performers dipped to a certain level, the audience was leaning and straining to see the action. We missed the last scene with Maria entirely and couldn't see the beautiful sparkly dress she was wearing, much less what she was doing.

But in total, Maria de Buenos Aires was atmospheric, delightfully site-specific, with amazing performers and gorgeous music. As usual, Mill City Summer Opera is creating unique, engaging theater and is an utter delight. Also as usual, this is a short and sold out run, so put Mill City Summer Opera on your list for next summer!

Sweeney Todd at Mill City Summer Opera

Mill City Summer Opera is currently performing Sweeney Todd (through July 24). If there is a lovelier place in the Twin Cities to see opera (or musical theater) than the Mill City Ruins, I have not yet found it.

Don't get too excited--as usual, tickets sold out almost immediately. Thank goodness for rush tickets.*

Mill City Summer Opera has been in operation for five years, and this is their first musical. We've had a bit of resurgence in local Sweeney Todds in recent years--it was part of last year's Theater Latte Da season starring Sally Wingert and Mark Benninghofen. (This acclaimed production was to return this season, but for some reason, it fell through.)

Finally, his arm is complete. Catherine Cook and
Robert Orth. Photo by Dan Norman.

If this show is new to you, or if you missed the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp movie, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 1979 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. There's a two-page synopsis in the program, but here's the condensed version from Stageagent.com:

One of the darkest musicals ever written, Sweeney Todd: A Musical Thriller is the unsettling tale of a Victorian-era barber who returns home to London after fifteen years of exile to take revenge on the corrupt judge who ruined his life. When revenge eludes him, Sweeney swears vengeance on the entire human race, murdering as many people as he can, while his business associate Mrs. Lovett bakes the bodies into meat pies and sells them to the unsuspecting public.

Fun, am I right? The musical actually fits the setting beautifully, with a marvelously versatile set (by Narelle Sissons) that features a birdcage and oversized scissors. Judge Turpin's oversized chair did remind me of Edith Ann, but worked well for a snuggling Anthony and Joanna.

The cast of Sweeney Todd. Photo by Dan Norman.

As with the other Mill City Summer Opera productions I've seen, the orchestra (led by Brian DeMaris) was outstanding. Robert Orth was a sepulchral Sweeney, and had an uncanny physical resemblance to Len Cariou (who originated the role).** Mrs. Lovett was portrayed by Catherine Cook, who nailed both the comic and the more poignant elements of the character. I haven't heard Mrs. Lovett sung as operatically as this before, but it worked very well. 

The talented ensemble cast was fun to watch and consists of powerfully strong singers. In particular, the ensemble numbers such as "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" and "God, That's Good" filled the Ruins space beautifully.

That said, musical theater is a different animal than opera, and Sweeney Todd, in particular, has a lot of information that is conveyed in dialogue and in song. The dialogue got a bit lost at times in the large space. Also, though the cast and the ensemble was wonderful, I was disappointed to see only one actor of color among the cast of over 30, and in a very minor role--especially given the rich talent in our racially diverse musical theater community.

So why did they choose to take on Sweeney Todd? According to the Director's Note by David Lefkowich: "It was time to push the boundaries of opera and present thrilling music as well as a fantastic story." Hurrah for boundary pushing! I'd love to see them take on some of the marvelous operettas, especially since Skylark Opera has cancelled their Summer Festival (boo hoo). 

Just imagine: Sitting in the ruins on a gorgeous summer night and listening to an amazingly talented cast like this singing "Make Your Garden Grow" from Candide or "Ain't It Awful, The Heat" from Street Scene, or Barbe-Bleu by Offenbach, or anything at all by Strauss. 

Mill City Summer Opera provides one of the most unique and special experiences in local theater. Fabulous music in a gorgeous setting makes for a not-to-be-missed experience for theatergoers.

*Rush ticket policy: Show up before 7:30 PM, get in the rush ticket line and make all your dreams come true! $35 per ticket. First come, first serve basis. Rush tickets are available on the following show dates: July 17, 19, 21, 22, 24.

**Andrew Wilkowske is a cover for Sweeney Todd. Having seen him mostly be charming and comic in shows such as Minnesota Opera's The Magic Flute, I would LOVE to see what he does with the role.

***Belated trigger warning. There is flagellation. I repeat, there is flagellation.