DATE: Sunday, March 9, 1997                 TAG: 9703090197

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Music review

SOURCE: BY LEE TEPLY, SPECIAL TO THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   90 lines

IN ``I PAGLIACCI,'' INNOVATIONS ARE DISTRACTIONS AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION, A NEW ELEMENT, DISRUPTS FLOW IN A COMPLEX PERFORMANCE.

In the Virginia Opera's new production of Leoncavallo's ``I Pagliacci,'' which opened Friday evening at the Harrison Opera House, the strengths were in the opera's traditional aspects: the musical performance, the basic stage direction, the set, costumes and lighting.

But the power of these components was in some ways weakened by innovative elements in this production.

The opera, which has almost always been presented as a single continuous drama, was divided into two acts.

A third layer was added to the play-within-a-play structure by including the audience in the preparations for the first act and in the intermission entertainment. This added little value and distracted attention from the main drama.

Topping the strong cast was soprano Deborah Raymond as Nedda, the young actress married to Canio but in love with Silvio. The contrast in her interaction with these two men was a clear representation of the conflict in her life, while a third side to her personality was seen in her cruel treatment of Tonio, a simple clown.

Her voice also had several facets, as she changed from unhappy wife to passionate lover. When she acted the part of Colombine, her voice took on an appropriate brightness. Her strengths were at some important moments covered by the orchestra when she was either far upstage or singing into the wings.

As Canio, tenor Robin Reed was not promising in his first scenes, where he pushed his voice to its limits dynamically. But as he warmed up, it sounded less forced and more natural. And as the drama's tension increased, his vocal qualities, including a large vibrato, matched the turmoil in Canio's collapsing life.

Baritone Morgan Reed was a bit wooden in acting the role of Tonio, though perhaps that was an appropriate way to see this unfortunate character. However, his underplayed presentation of the Prologue did not fully set up the emotional struggles about to be enacted.

All acting considerations aside, his voice had a depth and force that demanded the full attention of the listener. It filled the room easily with a rich warmth that helped make Tonio a sympathetic figure.

As Silvio, baritone Grant Youngblood had a somewhat rounded tone that suited the handsome lover. His duet with Nedda was a realistic dialogue between two people who are trying to resolve their problems in order to escape to a happier life.

Tenor Benoit Gendron made the most of the smaller role of Beppe, another clown. His short aria revealed a tender quality that was carried to the highest notes.

The chorus, solidly prepared by Peter Pasztor, had an unusually strong presence. Along with children, dancers, clowns and other supernumeraries, it filled the stage with real people who helped the audience react to the building tragedy.

Conductor Peter Mark led the singers and large orchestra through the opera at a comfortable pace that picked up in the second act.

The success of a verismo opera depends in large part on the non-musical pieces of the whole production. With the time of the story moved from the late 19th century to the early 1930s, Ron Keller's set and John Lehmeyer's costumes created the right atmosphere. The generally dark lighting, designed by David Latham, helped set the mood. A moving truck brought in the clowns at the beginning and became the foundation for their stage.

Stage director Michael Scarola kept the big picture interesting, while he moved the principal characters with dramatic purpose. He gave the clowns in the second act motions which helped tell the story with clever details.

He ended the opera with a particularly gruesome visual image. The enraged Canio, having stabbed his wife, reached around and slit Silvio's throat.

While the opera had much dramatic power, some of the director's decisions can be questioned. After the tension of Canio's ``Vesti la giubba'' at the end of the first act, a long intermission allowed the audience to forget his tormented cries. The second act was so short that there was not enough preparation for the sudden, grisly conclusion.

The third layer added to the play-within-a-play involved the audience, which entered to find a bare stage. In a completely unbelievable way, with little feeling of an impending performance (no verismo here!), the stage was swept and lights were checked. Cast members wandered around in preparation, until one stopped to sing the Prologue and the scenery was added.

At intermission, chorus members and clowns strolled through the lobby in another attempt to make the audience feel a part of the story. But the cultural differences between the lower-class dress of the actors and the jewels and tuxedos of the audience made it hard to see any connection between these people. These were clever ideas, but little more. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

OPERA REVIEW

Leoncavallo's ``I Pagliacci'' by the Virginia Opera, Friday

evening at Harrison Opera House, Norfolk.

Remaining performances: 2:30 p.m. today and March 16; 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday; 8 p.m. Friday. Call 623-1223.

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