A riveting, heart-wrenching, emotionally raw traversal of Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men has arrived at Des Moines Metro Opera in celebration of the centenary of the composer’s birth.
At “his” birthday bash, this renowned festival has actually gifted “us” with as stylish and cathartic an operatic experience as the late Mr. Floyd could have wished. Serving as his own librettist, Floyd has based the piece on John Steinbeck’s well know novella of the same name.
It famously centers around the fateful experiences of two migrant ranch hands, Geroge and Lennie, as they roam from pillar to post in California, looking for livelihood during the Great Depression. Floyd’s musical construction is tonal, very accessible, and largely tuneful, although he does not shy away from deploying dissonance selectively to heighten dramatic tension as appropriate.
Director Kristine McIntyre has created a crackling staging, starting off at an intense fever pitch that immediately grabs us by the throat. She is highly adept at maintaining that underpinning of impending tragedy throughout, even as she skillfully finds tender rays of light and affection to shine through at regular intervals, balancing out the steady decline of events to the inexorable tragedy. Ms. McIntyre knows this unique performing space inside and out, and it shows at every moment as she skillfully devises varied and meaningful blocking, and nurtures painfully affecting character relationships. Of Mice and Men is yet another of her crowning achievements.
She is partnered in this artistic success by a remarkable creative team, beginning with the set and projection designer Luke Cantarella. The indoor structures of the well-appointed bunkhouse and the more austere barn with its pile of hay bales were atmospherically suggested with roughhewn wood assembled to craft rafters and walls with deliberate cracks in the styling to allow lighting and projection effects to be seen through them. The jaggedly “torn” back wall spoke volumes as a symbol of the fateful situation. Mr. Cantarella’s outdoor wooded setting was effectively created by a hilly island of trees upstage, and a simple log downstage.
Kate Ashton has complemented the environment with an ever changing, moody lighting design that perfectly captures the plight and social position of the characters. Her awesome uses of isolated specials heightened the tension and amplified the dramatic stakes. Most remarkable was the flood of pure white light that suggested a road to a better day, as the two protagonists amble up stage to a wall of “sunlight.” Costume designer Kara Harmon has fully succeeded in creating the homely, lived in work clothes for the men folk, save for the spiffier garb for Curley, presenting him as the dandy he is. Ms. Harmon’s finest achievements were the dresses for Curley’s Wife, using cut and color to communicate a willfully libidinous woman. Similarly, while Brittany V.A. Rappise’s overall hair and make-up design was successfully understated, her blond wig and subtly tarty look for Curley’s wife was perfection.
In the pit, David Neely kept the temperature high with a mesmerizing reading of this modern masterpiece. Floyd had his first operatic success with Susannah, which employs several effects that suggest Americana: folk-like melodies, open fifths, and soothing, soaring phrases. While there are certainly echoes of those elements here, Of Mice and Men is more angular, incorporates more chromaticism, and often eschews lilting tunes for yearning soliloquies that are powerfully declaimed. Maestro Neely knows every cranny of this varied score and he elicited a virtuosic performance from his superb orchestra with playing of infinite variety, powerful dramatic accomplishment, and admirable partnership with a sublimely talented group of singers.
Ladies First: As the opera’s sole female character, Cadie J. Bryan was electrifying as Curley’s Wife. Her lustrous lyric soprano has gained in weight and allure over past seasons and there is nothing about this challenging vocal writing and complex characterization that eludes her. Her vocal presence is even throughout, and her many effortless leaps above the staff were thrilling. Ms. Bryan’s character is trapped in a loveless, even spiteful marriage, and while she craves male attention and flirts with danger, she admirably maintains an underlying vulnerability that is enormously empathetic. Hers was a resounding achievement in a performance that was chockful of them.
The central co-dependent pair of drifters, tenor John Findon and baritone John Moore are perfectly paired. Mr. Moore is turning in a towering performance, his beefy, highly charged baritone at one moment a thing of power, and the next of loving tenderness for his mentally challenged traveling partner. He is possessed of an easy, natural stage presence and anchors the evening with a combination of assured vocalizing and committed acting.
As the hapless overgrown teddy bear Lennie, Mr. Findon has exactly the right physique du role for the part, and exactly the right mellow Heldentenor to serve the rangy vocal writing. He capably suggests a man who is on the spectrum without once lapsing into stereotype. His heroic instrument can hurl out potent phrases with blazing effect, yes, but can also melt hearts with utterances that color his pitiable disappointments and limitations. Separately, Findon and Moore were terrific, but together, they were incomparable.
Dean Murphy was a fine, lanky presence as Slim, bringing vocal potency to the part by sporting a buzzy, virile baritone that is freely produced and robustly secure. A minor quibble: I wish that his Slim and Moore’s George had been a bit visually dissimilar. Kevin Deas was luxury casting as the lovable Candy. Acclaimed for his Porgy, Mr. Deas lavished this secondary role with his customary rolling, velvety bass-baritone. Adrian Kramer was dripping with condescension and swaggering malintent as Curley. His is a sizable tenor with well-focused tone and a wide palette of colors. On this occasion, Mr. Kramer successfully tinged some of his more petulant phrases with a hint of metal, increasing his growing menace.
Ethan E. Burck’s Carlson benefitted from his ringing, polished tenor; Mario Manzo lent his solid, personalized baritone to the role of Luke; Cameron Howard offered a bright, free tenor as Haygood; Pete was taken by Douglas Culclasure with his lean, shining tenor; and as Johnson, Harrison Hancock treated us to a stylish, pointed baritone. Luka Tsevelidze was a startling revelation as the Ballad Singer. His aria is a poignant setting that is usually a lovely accent piece. On this occasion, when Mr. Tsevelidze fairly enveloped the room with a plangent spinto sound, so sensitively dispatched, the entire theatre sat up at attention. His is a star power instrument and an unerring musical sensibility. I have the feeling we will someday reminisce that “we saw him when.”
Productions like this sterling Of Mice and Men serve notice yet again that with its uniquely intimate playing space and superior quality control, Des Moines Metro Opera remains my favorite place in the world to experience unforgettable performances of lyric theatre.
James Sohre
Of Mice and Men
Music and Libretto by Carlisle Floyd
Based on the novella by John Steinbeck
Lennie Small: John Findon; George Milton: John Moore; Curley: Adrian Kramer; Candy: Kevin Deas; Curley’s Wife: Cadie J. Bryan; Slim: Dean Murphy; Carlson: Ethan E. Burck; Luke: Mario Manzo; Haygood: Cameron Howard; Pete: Douglas Culclasure; Johnson: Harrison Hancock; 1st Man: Shijn Sun; 2nd Man: Hunter Warnick; 3rd Man: Rick Hale; 4th Man: Michael Breaux; Ballad Singer: Luka Tsevelidze; Conductor: David Neely; Director: Kristine McIntyre; Scenic and Projection Designer: Luke Cantarella; Costume Designer: Kara Harmon; Lighting Designer: Kate Ashton; Hair and Makeup Designer: Brittany V.A. Rappise; Chorus Director: Lisa Hasson
All photos © Cory Weaver