OCP's 'Cinderella' (2nd review)

Rossini didn't take his Cenerentola seriously. He had a contract to produce an opera, decided to change its subject and belatedly grabbed on to the old Cinderella story to replace the original concept. He went for the least dramatic version of Cinderella, eliminating magical effects like the coach and big ensemble scenes like the ball, and he dashed it off in a month.

In addition to all that, he lifted its two best tunes from his previous operas.

So there’s nothing sacrosanct about this opera. Its dramatic merit is minimal, so designers and directors can indulge in whimsical approaches, as long as they don’t screw up Rossini’s music. And that’s what the Opera Company of Philadelphia has accomplished.

Some left at intermission

The cast is one of the most even, most competent the OCP has presented in recent years, with no weak members. Conductor Corrado Rovaris leads a suave and well-articulated reading of the score. Close your eyes and you’ll love the sound of this production. Open your eyes and you may not. Some audience members disliked it so much that they left at intermission, while others enjoyed the stage business so much that audible laughter filled the Academy.

Mostly, I liked it. Set in the 1950s, the production uses costumes, home furnishings and dance steps from that decade. The cabalettas of the tenor’s and the mezzo’s second-act arias were choreographed so the male chorus moved in step like the Temps or the Four Tops, swinging their arms and snapping their fingers. Rossini’s music is so catchy that their movements seem appropriate.

Ruxandra Donose is an attractive woman with a lovely mezzo sound, and she’s a good musician. Her voice lacks the gutsy quality of a Bartoli, Horne or Simionato; she puts very little chest into her lower tones, so the overall effect is sweetness rather than spunk. Her costuming could have been better. She shouldn’t wear high heels during the scenes in her home: it’s inappropriate attire for a stepdaughter who’s working like a servant. It also accentuates the fact that she’s taller than her prince charming.

Lawrence Brownlee, as the prince, is an average-looking guy whose acting is rudimentary. But he has a smooth way of negotiating tricky runs up and down the scale. He also possesses good, clear high notes, ideal for a Rossinian tenor. Close your eyes and you’ll love him.

My reservation is that some of the production’s ideas were repeated to the point where they lost effect. Example: An electrically-propelled vacuum cleaner was a cute stand-in for Cinderella’s tradition broom, but its trips across the stage wore out their welcome. Then too, the mugging of the evil step-sisters was overplayed.

Kevin Glavin was comical and musical as Don Magnifico, the girls’ father. Richard Bernstein as Alindoro, the tutor, was luxury casting; his strong baritone is more than what one usually hears in this supporting role. Finally, I was privileged to see and hear Daniel Belcher as Dandini. A bout with the flu forced him to cancel miss opening night and to beg the audience’s indulgence the day I attended. Nevertheless, he sounded fine. Best of all, his stage presence and his singing were subtle, understated and tasteful.

For an earlier review of OCP’s Cinderella, click here.