The first time I heard Anthony Kearns sing, six year ago, I felt that
his voice belonged in the opera. Now, having heard him do his first
Faust at the Gaiety Theatre, I feel that the rest of him belongs there
as well. Far and away the best singer of the cast, the role of Faust
fits his voice like the proverbial glove. He was the only cast member
who used vocal nuance at all. His singing was filled with brightness
and shading, vehemence and tenderness, forte and piano tones, all
sung seemingly with ease. His aria "Salut Demeure" was beautifully
sung, ending with a dead center top C. He received the loudest
applause and several bravos. The love duet ("Il Se Fait Tard") was
sung with a mixture of ardor, passion, and sweetness, although I
thought the tempo was a little fast. It should be a little slower, to
draw out the awakening emotions between Marguerite and Faust.
The final trio was strongly sung, with Anthony ending on a great top B.
This was a great opportunity for Anthony, undertaking a MAJOR tenor
role, and he succeeded admirably.
The rest of the cast was less successful, to varying degrees.
Chantal Mathias as Marguerite, has a lovely voice, with a disturbing
tendency to shout her high notes. When she sang softly, the voice
was beautiful, and very effective. I must confess I was not fond of the
voices of the remaining cast although most liked mezzo-soprano
Renata Pokupic, in the trouser role of Siebel. The men, with the
exception of Anthony, were not good, although Gerard O'Connor
acted a wonderfully malevolant Mephisto.
Now...to the sets, staging, and costumes. I admit to being very
much a traditionalist. I prefer opera in period costumes, set in the
century it was written, and in the language the composer intended.
There were so many discrepancies between what the composer put
in the vocal score, and what was onstage, it began to remind me of
"how many things can you find wrong with this picture?" We've all
seen the photos already posted of the opera, so we know how
unflattering the costumes were. But having sung the role of Marguerite,
my biggest objection centered around the "Jewel Song." Normally
Marguerite begins her aria sitting at a spinning wheel in her garden.
Then the devil causes a large jewel box, filled with all kinds of jewelry,
and a mirror, to appear. In this production, the mirror, apparently was
on the palms of Mephisto's hands. But not really. Since there were no
mirrors in his hands, and no explanation, it seemed like a piece of the
puzzle was missing. There was no spinning wheel, no garden, no jewel
box (just a pair of earrings), and no mirror for Marguerite to admire
herself. And in all the performances of Faust I've ever seen or sung,
there has never been an "old Faust", especially one who shadows his
younger self. The tenor sings both halves of himself, transforming
onstage from the old man to the young, handsome love interest. It
was quite confusing, especially to those who had never seen the
opera before. But the worst infraction took place during Anthony's
wonderfully sung aria. Normally, "Salut Demeure" is sung by the tenor,
alone onstage, gazing at Marguerite's humble abode. This is the tenor's
big chance to shine, especially if he has an extraordinary voice.
There was no humble abode about, and so much other stage action
going on while Anthony was singing, it was distracting to the audience,
and probably to the tenor as well. My opinion was shared by others
with more knowledge than I, by the way.
I don't mean to dwell on the negative, because all in all, it was
a great evening. If you closed your eyes and just listened to Gounod's
exquisite music, it transcended everything. And it was wonderfully
successful for Anthony.....and Opera Ireland, too, I think.
I'll let the next to final words be Patrick's. He said, "It's a huge role, and
I'm very proud of him." And I'll just add that Anthony should be very
proud of himself, as well.
Berta Calechman
FAUST
Gaiety Theatre
Dublin, Ireland
April 27, 2006
