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Utopia Opera Spring 2017 Season Character Descriptions

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Utopia Opera Spring 2017 Season Character Descriptions UTOPIA OPERA SPRING 2017 SEASON CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS THE GRAND DUKE written by W.S. Gilbert & Arthur Sullivan directed and conducted by William Remmers A play about a man who gets engaged to four women of the course of two days. He also manages to stage a coup d’état in the middle of it all. LUDWIG (lyric baritone): lead comedian of a theatrical troupe (who all also happen to be political rebels), wants social justice and might have political aspirations. He starts off ahead of the play and very gradually ends up quite behind it. Rarely off-stage, the play happens to him by act II. A strong vocal presence, capable of repeated trips to top F, the audience must be with him. LISA (mezzo or soprano): Ludwig’s betrothed. Sensitive and passionate soubrette performer of the troupe. Wants a calm life but ends up in the cross-fire. A gentle soul, but not passive. Expressive lyric singing and true love pervade her vocal lines. JULIA JELLICOE (soprano): the dramatic leading lady of the troupe. Speaks and sings in a thick German accent. Fiery and temperamental, she wants nothing more than to be the dominating force behind all decision-making and social structure. Passionate torch song vocalism, calculated histrionics, and snide dramatics color her music. ERNEST DUMMKOPF (tenor): wily and ebullient manager of the troupe with political aspirations and a desire for social change. Dies half-way into act I, but it’s only a legal death, so he sticks around as a legal ghost for quite some time. Desires Julia in marriage. Lyric and facile singing, with comedic flair. DR. TANNHÄUSER (lyric baritone or tenor): the fastidious and learned notary that explains age-old laws to the troupe. A political upstart at heart, he still plays by the rules. An inside member of the troupe who tries to find the legal solution to every difficulty. Text-heavy arias full of tongue-twisters, but must also be a commanding lyric voice to negotiate the middle-high harmonies of the quintets. A rewarding sing. GRAND DUKE RUDOLPH (baritone): ascetic and timid hypochondriac who has somehow ended up as the (perceived) despot of the land. Probably a political puppet. Rules with an iron fist, but prone to headaches and anxieties. Would like more than anything to have time off from his job, and marry the woman of his dreams, the Baroness. Colorful patter-singing and show-biz flair when discussing his favorite topic: saving money. BARONESS KRAKENFELDT (contralto): ascetic and status-seeking. Probably loves Rudolph. They have enough in common. Excitable and wrathful when thwarted, she can only be pacified by champagne, which she has a tendency to consume en masse (assuming she hasn’t paid for it). Sizzling vocal style with a big sound. Tremendous facility with both text and drunk singing. THE PRINCE OF MONTE CARLO (baritone): a show-off and charlatan. More show-biz than even these theatrical types. Something of a roulette ex machina that turns the tables on the cast with his late arrival. Sings in a French accent and with enough real French to require a performer whose French diction is impeccable. Lyrical and bouncing with both patter and grand melismas. THE PRINCESS OF MONTE CARLO (soprano): the Prince’s daughter. Entitled and snobbish. Was allegedly betrothed to Rudolph at birth and has come to collect her fortune (or so she thinks). Like her father, requires a French accent and command of lyrical melismas. THE HERALD (baritone or tenor): in service of the Prince, sings one of the best arias in the show, merely to announce his arrival in overblown stateliness. Snobbish, effete, and florid singing of what it simply a greeting card. A star turn for a performer who would be a member of the Greek Chorus ensemble in the earlier parts of the show. BEN HASHBAZ, THE COSTUMIER (any male voice): ambiguously “other,” an eccentric theatrical costumier who is supplying clothes from Monaco’s grand theatre to beef up the appearance of the Prince’s entourage. A great star turn for a character performer who is not afraid to steal the show. Would appear in the Greek Chorus ensemble in the earlier scenes. VISCOUNT MENTONE & THE OTHER 5 SUPERNUMERIARIES, AND THE 7 CHAMBERLAINS (all male voices): these supporting male roles are the much bemused or confused entourages of the Prince and the Grand Duke, respectively. Both act as a spotlight choir for their leader and both participate in riotous setpiece dialogue scenes and choreography. These roles can double each other and otherwise appear in the Greek Chorus Ensemble. OLGA, GRETCHEN, BERTHA, ELSA, MARTHA (any female voice): varied and colorful supporting players in Ernest’s theatrical troupe. Diverse and impassioned in their own ways. All supplied with dialogue and singing. The vocal lines can be assigned based on the personality of the performer, but half of these roles are sopranos and half are mezzos/altos. They are the leaders of the Greek Chorus ensemble. THE GREEK CHORUS ENSEMBLE (SATB): the colorful political revolutionaries and actors that pepper Ernest’s troupe. They sing almost non-stop and eventually come into their Greek tradition when they don the appropriate attire in the second act. Featured dancing moments for select members of the ensemble, but this is definitely a show where the ensemble must dance and be ready to work up a sweat. In-your-face fire pervades their attitudes. THE BALLAD OF BABY DOE written by Douglas Moore and John Latouche directed by Gary Slavin, conducted by William Remmers HORACE TABOR (Baritone): a strong, magnetic, attractive man, with political aspirations, strong opinions and even stronger emotions. Fiercely loyal to whatever he believes in right now – which is generally himself. Capable of great passion. AUGUSTA TABOR (Mezzo): Horace’s wife. Strong. Formidable. But in no case only one emotional color; has a heart but hides it away. Has endured a great deal, but chose to Do The Right Thing. Morally upright. Emotionally complicated. BABY DOE (Lyric Soprano): escaping a failed relationship, she is an open book, and yet also a gold digger who is surprised and then overjoyed by the depth of her connection to a man she expected to Love for money. Possessed of a strong emotional will, she throws herself fully into what she believes. A powerful presence, without being demonstrative. Her reputation precedes her. MAMA McCOURT (Contralto): Baby Doe’s mother. Strong willed, does not think before she speaks; perhaps she should, but her heart runs away with her tongue. WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN (Bass): Magnetic, a politician who can capture a crowd with oratory, and personality. A believer in all he says. CHESTER A. ARTHUR (Tenor): The President of the United States, not necessarily strong on substance but a slick crowd pleaser. THIS SINGER MAY ALSO PERFORM FATHER CHAPELLE: the priest at the wedding, easily shocked AN OLD SILVER MINER: a character who lives just up the street from a Bugs Bunny cartoon AND several other roles as listed in the score. Be versatile. BOUNCER/ALBERT/FOOTMAN/DENVER POLITICIAN (Baritone): requires a versatile singer/actor to perform several characters. SARAH, MARY, EMILY, EFFIE (two Sopranos, two Mezzo-Sopranos): Augusta’s friends. Augusta’s Greek chorus, they expect to push her to action. Require excellent singers who will make strong, unique choices to differentiate these women one from another. SAM, BUSHY, BARNEY, JACOB (two Tenors, two Baritones): Tabor’s cronies and associates. Political animals. Require excellent singers who will make strong, unique choices to differentiate these men one from another. MEG/SILVER DOLLAR (grown up)/SAMANTHA (Mezzo): a musical comedy and dance background will be helpful. Also performs in the ensemble. KATE (Soprano): a dance hall entertainer. A musical comedy and dance background will be helpful. Also performs in the ensemble ELIZABETH (age 12)/SILVER DOLLAR (age 7) (Soprano): believable. ENSEMBLE (SATB): Seeking a diverse group of singers who can create a variety of characters in multiple environments/situations EUGENE ONEGIN written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky directed by Benjamin Spierman, conducted by Dmitry Glivinskiy sung in RUSSIAN TATYANA (lyric soprano) OLGA (lyric mezzo/contralto) LENSKY (lyric tenor) EUGENE ONEGIN (lyric baritone) PRINCE GREMIN (lyric bass) LARINA (lyric mezzo) FILIPPYEVNA (lyric mezzo) ZARETSKY (lyric bass) TRIQUET (lyric tenor) SATB ENSEMBLE .
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