Michael R. Anderson
William Ottow (left) and Rebecca Buechel are part of a terrific ensemble cast.
University Opera opened an astonishing production of Anne Sexton’s Transformations at Music Hall on Friday, March 11. Full of surprises, it belies the Pulitzer-prize winning poet’s reputation for Sturm und Drang minus the Sturm.
An inspiring, hilarious, feel-good show by Sexton, the depressive and darkly introspective poet who committed suicide at the age of 45?
Well, maybe not completely feel-good, but still — Who’d have thought?
But this should not come entirely as a surprise. The spoken word is different than the written word, obviously. Reading, you can let language wash over you, loosening your hold on identity, to the point where you can’t tell the words are not your own. But in this submerged experience, a lot can be missed.
Locked instead into rhythms not our own, as in this case by Conrad Susa’s spare but effective score, we are suddenly word voyeurs. Slowed down and given voice by others, the true extent of Sexton’s caustic wit is exposed. During intermission, stage director David Ronis privately admitted that even the cast members were finding more and more humor, revealed periodically by the audience’s unexpected laughter.
Transformations is a retelling of 10 Grimm’s fairytales. The opera is based on Sexton’s 1971 book of the same name, in which she makes veiled reference to, among other things, struggles with depression, sexual abuse by her father and an erotic relationship with her great aunt.
That’s all still in place. This is Sexton, after all, and we’re viewing fairyland through her eyes. There are horrible, squirming moments, prolonged and given terrifying voice. The contrasting incidental comedy, as Sexton surely intended, makes it all the worse. University Opera prefers that young children not attend, and that’s sound advice; not for language or situations they likely have already heard of, but because of the chilling intensity of certain scenes.
Ronis’ direction (he also serves as visiting director of the opera program) is richly inventive, with snippets of choreography throughout, including a conga line and a parody of the Supremes. The staging is delightful, using the full height of the set to frame and reframe action.
This entire production would easily compare well to any professional opera company.
Conductor Kyle Knox led a truly fine orchestra assembled from the UW-Madison School of Music, and the period 1970s set is both Mid-century modern and icky: burnt-orange, with a crochet owl wallhanging and all the groovy trimmings.
And the ensemble cast, with parts rotating among the four women and four men, is so uniformly strong and so effective that it’s difficult to single anyone out. Really.
Still, kudos to Dennis Gotkowski for his preening Rumpelstiltskin, and to Brian Schneider, who plays Iron Hans.
Special mention must be made of Nicole Heinen, a second-year graduate student. She has a pleasant and powerful soprano, and a passing resemblance to Kim Cattrall. The climax of the entire show hinges on her sparkling voice — and she nails it. To the freaking wall. Add to that a deft hand at verbal and physical comedy, and there are surely great things in her future.
Transformations will be performed again on Sunday, March 13 at 3 p.m., and Tuesday, March 15 at 7:30 p.m. at Music Hall. For tickets or more information visit www.music.wisc.edu/event.
