Otello, Festival Opera, June 28 2013

West Bay Opera and Festival Opera joined forces to produce Giuseppe Verdi’s late masterwork, Otello. West Bay Opera was first, with four performances; Festival Opera followed nearly a month later with two performances using the same principal singers and sets, but with its own conductor, orchestra, and chorus. The result? A convincing demonstration that two small opera companies, working together, can meet the challenge of presenting a “big” opera.

Act 1 began with one of the most powerful storm scenes in all of opera, with the citizens of Cyprus anxiously watching Otello’s ship approaching through the storm. From the looks of the set, it would appear that the West Bay Opera’s stage is smaller than Festival Opera’s: on both sides of the stage, there were stone walls, with a rough bas-relief sculpture of a human figure. The center of the stage was taken up by a stone platform, which served as the dock onto which Otello could alight after his ship had managed to dock. To the left and right were two tall structures bearing various accoutrements, including a firebox whose light a chorus member would periodically obscure and then reveal, perhaps a 17th-century version of Morse code.

In Act 2, the stone platform remained, as did the walls to the left and right. The scene was completed by several stone pillars, each about 1½ feet wide and only a few inches thick, with small arches connecting them. Otello and Iago each had their own stand-up desk, Otello on the right, Iago on the left. Pretty much the same set was used for Act 3, with the addition of a solid backdrop to convey even more of an impression of “inside” and the removal of the desks. The Act 4 set was dominated by Desdemona’s bed, on a platform surrounded by three steps, and backed with a very tall headboard supporting beautiful blue-green draped fabric.

Our cast: 
Otello: David Gustafson
Iago: Philip Skinner
Desdemona: Cynthia Clayton
Cassio: Nadav Hart
Roderigo: Adam Flowers
Conductor: Michael Morgan
Director: Daniel Helfgot

Some might think that an opera of the size and scope of Otello might be beyond the reach of a small opera company, but Festival Opera proved otherwise. The star of the show was Philip Skinner as Iago. Skinner is a regular in minor roles at San Francisco Opera, and he brought his years of experience and a superb baritone voice to his role. David Gustafson (lacking “Moorish” makeup) made a fine Otello, and Cynthia Clayton (former Opera San Jose resident artist) was particularly impressive in her confrontation scene in Act 3. The orchestra sounded a bit underpowered in the initial storm music, but in general served the production well. It would have been worth a repeat visit, had my schedule allowed—a strong beta.