Gianni Schicchi/L’enfant et les sortilèges
Reviewed by Julia Stier
Pacific Opera Project
Through February 2
Two one-act operas have found their way from Italy and France to Los Angeles in the Pacific Opera Project’s double-bill presentation of Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Maurice Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges. This program marks the start of Pacific Opera Project’s 10th anniversary season.
Gianni Schicchi and L’enfant — directed by Josh Shaw and Josh Horsch respectively — prove that less is more. While both are playful in nature, they contrast nicely: The former delivers a fun poke at the upper class, while the latter is a cautionary tale with a touch of the whimsical. What’s the best part about each one? They’re both under an hour.
Puccini’s piece is simply delightful. When the wealthy Buoso Donati finally passes on, his family is devastated to find that he has willed all his money to the local friars. Among them, the young Rinuccio (Jonathan Matthews), is the most desperate for a piece of the inheritance so that he may marry Lauretta (Tiffany Ho). He advises his family to call upon Lauretta’s father, the tricky and sly Gianni Schicchi (E. Scott Levin) for help. With Gianni Schicchi’s aid, a plan is hatched to create a new will that benefits all — including Schicchi.
As Lauretta, Ho stands out, bringing cheekiness to a character that might otherwise be portrayed as beautiful but bland. Instead, Ho uses wit and charm to cleverly toy with Schicchi’s heartstrings. Top all that off with a soaring soprano voice, and Ho proves an absolute scene-stealer in her few moments on stage.
Ravel’s piece, L’enfant et les sortilèges, catches one by surprise. While the synopsis promises a magical turn of events — the furniture comes alive, à la Beauty and the Beast — there is a dark edge to the show. Kimberley Sogioka is pouty and mischievous as the bratty Enfant who wrecks havoc on the furniture and terrorizes the household pets, which later bring their wrath down upon him.
The technical aspects of this show are particularly enchanting. Maggie Green’s costume designs transform the singers into grandfather clocks and armchairs, dragonflies and squirrels. The costumes cast a dreamlike quality over everything, and transport the audience to a world where animals and inanimate objects express their pain and personalities.
These fun, accessible works are the perfect introduction to anyone new to the art form, and are sure to live up to the expectations of any veteran opera-goer.
Thorne Hall, Occidental College, Thorne Rd., Eagle Rock; Sat., 7 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; through Feb. 2. www.pacificoperaproject.com. Running time: about two hours with a 15-minute intermission.
