Max Wendt
Gillian Cotter as Rinaldo (left), and Caitlin Cisler as Armida in "Rinaldo and the Galactic Crusades."
There are not a lot of operas with Wookies in them.
None, actually, until now.
Fresco Opera Theatre’s setting of Handel’s “Rinaldo” in the universe of Star Wars is absolutely brilliant. The production of Rinaldo and the Galactic Crusades premiered to a delighted audience Friday night at the Overture Center for the Arts.
In retrospect, it seems fitting to merge the story of a galaxy far, far away with the Catholic Church’s first crusade to wrest control of Jerusalem from Islam long, long ago – 1096 to 1099 A.D., to be specific. Already half-myth, the original 1711 opera featured good guys, bad guys, mysterious magical forces and a sorcerer’s wands.
The wands are now light sabers, the two sides are Princess Leia’s rebels vs. Darth Vader’s imperial army. The force remains and the laughs are many.
Max Wendt
Gillian Cotter has a strong, clear voice and suitably winsome presence.
The cast is uniformly strong, particularly Gillian Cotter as Rinaldo/Skywalker and Chadley Ballantyne as Argante/Vader. Cotter has a strong, clear voice and suitably winsome presence, and Ballantyne practically channels James Earl Jones, whether singing or not. Very fine, too, is Emily Roach as Goffredo. The standout is soprano Caitlin Cisler as Armida, the evil queen. Immensely powerful, she owns the stage every time she appears.
The costumes are inventive and suitably authentic, and the makeup, by Jim Henson Company vet Lyn Marie Neuenfeldt, wonderfully bridges George Frideric Handel and George Lucas.
Everything in the production is so strong that the staging, by contrast, sometimes appears staid and even clichéd, with aimless wandering and cupping of cheeks to show affection. Except for light-saber handling, expert musical director Melanie Cain also serves as theatrical director. The staging is easily forgiven in a production so otherwise delightful, except for the disservice done to Cotter, who spends a great deal of the show prostrate; it’s neither heroic, nor — far more importantly — easy to sing from such a position.
Still, Rinaldo and the Galactic Crusades overall is wickedly clever, dynamically sung and deliciously witty. It’s highly recommended. In fact, Fresco should copyright their version of the show and put it on the road.
Opening night attendance was 257. Only two performances are left. A free pre-show talk, providing production background, will be offered onstage one hour before Saturday evening’s performance. No tickets or reservations are necessary for the talk.
Fresco Opera Theatre will present Rinaldo and the Galactic Crusades at 8 pm Saturday June 6, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 7, in the Overture Center’s Playhouse.
