 "Photo: Lyric Opera")
 "Photo: Lyric Opera")
 "Photo: Lyric Opera")
 "Photo: Lyric Opera")
 "Photo: Lyric Opera")
Before I attended the Lyric Opera’s production of Hector Berlioz’s The Damnation of Faust, my closest association with opera was Elmer Fudd’s rendition of Wagner’s The Ride of the Valkyries (“Kill de wabbit, kill de wabbit ...”). Having now seen my first opera, I can conclude that it is basically a grandiose musical sung in a foreign language (in this case, French).
This update on the classic tale opens with Faust (Paul Groves) singing about how much he enjoys being alone with his work. Unlike other Fausts, this edition doesn’t seem to have any strong emotion driving him. Even when he hears the local peasants going on about the upcoming war and how this makes them want to have babies (I’m not joking), he is remarkably cavalier about the whole business.
The story is based on on Goethe’s 200 year old tale of a scholar’s deal with the devil to win the heart of his love.
Mephistopheles, a.k.a. the devil (John Relyea) appears. Whereas Groves in the title role is often little more than a cipher onstage, Relyea steals the show with swagger. He brings a brand of humor to his role that charms as it reveals his character’s diabolical nature. Even his costume is perfect — an ’80s-style purple suit which embodies all that is ostentatious.
He takes Faust to a strip club where surprisingly lady-like strippers twirl demurely around poles. Seriously, you could find more scandalous outfits at any Halloween party on campus. The devil offers his potential acolyte booze and loose women, but instead Faust goes to sleep on a bed of roses (though where these roses came from, I’m not sure). In his dream, he finally discovers something to give his character definition: the virginal beauty Marguerite (Susan Graham).
Graham does a lot with the part of this naive ingénue. Her solo “The Ballad of the King of Thule” (“Autrefois un roi de Thulé”) is wonderfully eerie. It was so good, in fact, that it called my attention to one of the problems inherent in opera. Since most of the audience does not know French, the lyrics in English appear on a screen above the stage. This is helpful in keeping the plot straight, but it does prevent the audience from being pulled into the action. In some modern theatre this is a desired effect, but opera is driven by emotion. If you can’t surrender yourself, the art is lost.
Graham sings “The Ballad of the King of Thule” so well that I did forget myself. I stopped looking at the translation and simply listened; however, now I don’t know what happened to the King of Thule in his ballad, though judging from the tone things did not end well.
Another offputting factor was the set design. Though Berlioz composed The Damnation of Faust in the mid-19th century, stage director Stephen Langridge chose to update the production to Germany right before World War II. In moving the setting from the original lush mis-en-scene of the 19th century, Langridge created a set that is characterized by its frigid simplicity. While an interesting choice, it falters in its execution.
For example, a major feature of the set are the bars that form the ceiling. These are used to evoke tone through their change of color and position. When things are going well, they are parallel to one another; when chaos is introduced, the bars shift until they are intersecting. It’s a good idea, but the bars move in a way so fraught with meaning that their presence quickly becomes amusing. We want to laugh because they are trying so hard to make us nod thoughtfully.
Nevertheless, as long as Relyea or Graham are onstage, The Damnation of Faust is an entertaining ride. With its emotional histrionics and well-known plot, Faust offers a good introduction for any college student with no background in opera.
The Damnation of Faust is playing at the Lyric Opera, 20 N. Walker Dr. until March 17. Student tickets $20.
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