Same Old Song

Cyrano can't reach its lofty goals

by Peter Burwasser

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Published: Feb 13, 2008

Before the curtains even open, the Philadelphia première of David DiChiera's new Cyrano has so much going for it that it would be hard not to like. We begin with a great classic of the stage that begs for an operatic treatment, and then add a lavish, old-fashioned production crammed with pretty costumes, big choruses and a sword fight or two.

And yet this work feels too weighted down by its own overly grand ambitions, always looking up at the glass ceiling separating it from top-tier operas. The utterly retro score gets help from Puccini, Debussy, Barber, Hanson and not a little John Williams, but DiChiera himself is hard to find. The odd decision by an American composer to utilize a French-language libretto is emblematic of an artist unable to find his own true voice.

Technically, there are problems that could easily be fixed by future tweaking. Pacing is uneven; the first act is over-stuffed and over-long, while the Act III denouement comes in sharp bursts. The tender and lyrical duets, which should be the emotional core of the work, are shapeless. They meander pleasantly until running out of energy, and then meander a bit more. Most of the characters are thinly drawn, including the crucial roles of Christian, and even Roxanne. The OCP debuts of AVA grads Stephen Costello and Evelyn Pollock in these parts was eagerly anticipated, but these wonderful young singers did not have enough material to invest in flesh and blood.

The vital to exception to this, and the reason to see this opera, is the title role of Cyrano. DiChiera's depiction of this proud poet warrior follows a grand dramatic arch. He enters the action in a flash of glory, and exits, a broken old man, in a final duel with death, which, of course, he loses. All along, we witness the gradual erosion of his spirit. What is more, Romanian baritone Marian Pop's finely inflected performance exuded star quality in a bold and confident way that we do not often enough get on local stages.

OCP is to be commended for having the sheer bravery to present as much new opera as it does in its sparse seasons. In the case of this Cyrano, it is simply not nearly new enough.

(p_burwasser@citypaper.net)

Cyrano Through Feb. 17,Opera Company of Philadelphia, Academy of Music, 1420 Locust St., 215-893-3600, operaphilly.com.

 

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