Reviews of Concerts in Boston and at Tufts

Tufts Opera Ensemble staged delightful renditions of Duke’s Captain Lovelock and Bizet’s Dr. Miracle Tuesday night at Distler Hall. Two separate casts performed each opera in one act. Using many of the same props, the actors in both plays made terrifically effective use of the lean and simple sets and realized two very different scenes.

The all-female cast of Captain Lovelock showed excellent chemistry onstage, acknowledging the ridiculousness of some of their characters with cleverly overdone gestures and facial expressions. Caitlin Felsman played Terentia, a hopelessly romantic mother of two young women who is dreaming of marrying a young officer rather than marrying off her daughters. Felsman’s interpretation of Terentia’s character was perfectly balanced; her richer, more matronly soprano voice was poised and clear which contrasted well with her playful, endearing expressions.

Stephanie Kreutz and Carolyn St. Laurence played Terentia’s daughters, Leonora and Laurentia, and captured those characters with youthful soprano voices and comically overdramatic gestures in unison. Their voices blended nicely for their frequent duets. Their maid, Pernille, played by Anjin Stewart-Funai, persuades them to help her play a trick on their mother. They find a matchmaker, played by Robyn Goodner, to tell Terentia of a man who exactly fits her fantasy, named Captain Lovelock. When they meet, Captain Lovelock will really be Pernille in disguise.

Anjin Stewart-Funai shone especially in the double role of Pernille and Captain Lovelock. Stewart-Funai made her character, the maid, seem as good an actress as Stewart-Funai herself. Her depiction of the sassy, scolding maid seemed the most grounded and sane of the ensemble, and her cocky, heroic take on Captain Lovelock allowed hints of her maid’s character to shine through.

The cast of Dr. Miracle featured a quartet of singers with exceptional voices. Dr. Miracle is the story of Laurette, played by Julia Torgovitskaya, a young woman in 19th century Italy who is in love with Silvio, played by Greg Kastelman. The Counselor and his wife, Veronique, played by Christopher Van Lenten and Gena Gorlin, do not approve of their daughter’s suitor. Silvio tries to snake his way into their home disguised first as a cook with a poisonous omelette and then as a miracle doctor with remedies for the ailing Counselor. He is able to manipulate the Counselor into promising his daughter’s hand in marriage, and the Counselor gives in.

Kastelman was sensational as Silvio, taking on all of his disguises with exuberant humor. He jumped hysterically around the stage, taunting the gullibility of Laurette’s parents, and hinting at his real identity. Kastelman, playing Silvio, provided a perfect backboard for Silvio’s banter, and did a superb job asserting his stuffy, paranoid character. Van Lenten’s voice had a smooth, rich tone, befitting of his gentlemanly character, and his jauntily arrogant expressions provided the audience with many laughs. Gorlin and Torgovitskaya were charming as the mother-daughter pair balancing the comedy of the men with their own subtle wit and cunning agendas. Torgovitskaya’s sweet, innocent voice blended perfectly with Gorlin’s rich, velvety voice.

Carol Mastrodomenico was the stage director for both operas and Steven Morris provided piano accompaniment. The ensembles of Captain Lovelock and Dr. Miracle succeeded in producing great shows; both operas could have stood alone as a feature presentation.