Reviewed by James Karas
The Canadian Opera Company has mounted a redoubtable and enjoyable production of Charles Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette. The production is rented from Malmo Opera and we can blame the Swedes for some of the quirky bits and give credit to the COC for the rest.
Gounod’s opera is of course based on Shakespeare’s play as adapted for opera by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. It was first performed in Paris in 1867 and is generally received well if not enthusiastically. The last time it was produced by the COC was in 1992 and this production, as I said, was rented from another opera company.
The singing is generally superb. Tenor Stephen Costello delivers a strong and sonorous Romeo. At times he sounded stentorian but that may be in comparison to Kseniia Proshina’s Juliette. Proshina has a beautiful soprano voice and she delivers a highly sympathetic heroine. But she does not have a big voice with its attendant issues in a big opera house. But conductor Yves Abel handled the situation brilliantly. He reduces the volume of the COC Orchestra when Proshina is singing and avoids drowning her. She is capable of some beautiful flourishes at full throttle and with that and Abel’s handling of the orchestra we got splendid performances from Proshina and Costello.
Veteran Toronto bass Robert Pomakov sings Friar Laurence (I use Shakespeare’s names) with apt resonance and becoming humanity. In his first appearance he wears a white lab coat and he appears like anything but a friar. When next time we see him at the Capulet palace instructing Juliette about faking her death, he has found his cassock and perhaps his religious calling.
Bass-baritone Gordon Bintner sings the colourful role of Mercutio and he gets Queen Mab’s aria to show his vocal mettle. He does. Tenor Owen McCausland sings the hot-headed Tybalt who is killed by Romeo after he, Tybalt, kills Mercutio.
There are about half a dozen other characters that do a fine job. The role of Stephano sung by Alex Hetherington is worthy of mention. Alex is a soprano and Stephano is a pants role and I could not immediately tell that Alex is a woman. Stephano gets a very good aria of his own and he sings superbly in the role.
The set by Emma Ryott goes for dark tones, not to say a gloomy atmosphere. It is not always clear what she is after but the story line and the singing keep us too busy to worry about the sets and the lighting designed by Charlie Morgan Jones. The program notes tell us that the production sets the opera in New York on New Year’s Eve 1889. The Capulets are having a big circus-theme garden party that many Montagues crash. That explains some of the ridiculous costumes designed by Ryott and having the upstanding Count Capulet (Mark Stone) stripped of most of his clothes.
And speaking of quirky, Lane (or was it the Malmo Opera director?) has Juliette die standing up. I noticed the quirks in passing and they had little effect on my enjoyment of the performances.
Conductor Yves Abel deserves great praise for his lively treatment of the score and especially his sensitivity and adroitness in keeping the balance between pit and stage at all times. The COC Orchestra deserves kudos and the Chorus earned extra praise for their wonderful performance.
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Roméo et Juliette by Charles Gounod opened on September 27 and continues on various dates until October 18, 2025, at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario. Tel: 416-363-6671. www.coc.ca
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