Staged as part of the Jacaranda series, the Noh-influenced church parable play includes a nuanced performance by tenor Steven Tharp as the Madwoman.
[...] But Britten's most original inspiration proved making the Madwoman a mad tenor. Madwomen in opera are commonplace enough to hardly seem outsiders. But there is something about a madman as madwoman that grabs our attention and, perhaps, our compassion. Assuming you can find a tenor who can pull it off.
Jacaranda found him. In a richly nuanced, boldly expressive but expressly avoiding cheap pathos performance, Steven Tharp, who has a broad operatic repertory, displayed the visionary quality of madness. He was well supported by an eloquent Ferryman (Dean Elzinga), a booming Abbot (Reid Bruton), a compassionate Traveler (Abdiel Gonzalez) and the Spirit of the Child (Drew Pickett), a boy soprano who sounded like an angel. → more