Author: Gaetano Donizetti ( composer ), Felice Romani ( libretto ). At: Lyric Opera of Chicago, 20 N. Wacker Dr. Tickets: 312-827-5600; www.lyricopera/org/bolena; $33-$207. Runs through: Jan. 16
Almost certainly, I expect too much. In theory, opera is the fusion and epitome of all musical and dramatic arts. It's breathtaking when it is, but opera rarely achieves that ideal. The chief barriers are that ( 1 ) musical values always trump theatrical values in opera, and ( 2 ) it takes far longer to sing something than to say it, so opera seems slow and bloated to those attuned to the speed of spoken drama or non-opera musical theater. This new production of Anna Bolena ( dating from 1830 ) exemplifies the values and the barriers.
With momentary exceptions, it's musically ravishing ( orchestra, chorus and principals under conductor Patrick Summers ). The all-American cast ( unheard of even 20 years ago ) dazzles the ear, led by Berwyn-born Sondra Radvanovsky as Anna, Henry VIII's doomed second wife and mother of Elizabeth I. Svelte Radvanovsky moves gracefully and offers sparkling bel canto technique filled with dark undertones, high pianissimos and soaring embellishments. She's supported by mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton as Jane Seymour, Anna's confidante-turned-betrayer. It's the real goods when they join forces for their show-stopping Act II coloratura duet. That scene and Anna's "mad scene" at the opera's end are worth the ticket price.
But there's more! Barihunk bass John Relyea is the villainous Henry VIII. He's tall and good-looking, has a richly-colored and enveloping big voice, and is a refreshingly unmannered actor when director Kevin Newbury allows him to be.
And there's the rub: Anna Bolena has little physical action, so Newbury and his designers invent some. All the principals sing while kneeling, lying or sitting on the floor as if to say, "Look, we can sing and move, too!" Neil Patel's scenic design is dominated by a massive ceiling piece ( a stage rarity ), seemingly of burnished oak carved with the Tudor dynasty double rose emblem. Scene changes are signaled by enormous columns and archways descending through the ceiling, curiously covered with ornate Celtic knots. ( Is there a Tudor link? ) There's no backdrop, only a cyclorama used for green, orange, blue and red color-block lighting ( designer D. M. Wood ) and for dramatic expressionistic shadows, perhaps intended to highlight emotions. Color seems reserved for lighting, as Jessica Jahn's costumes mostly are dullespecially for the men, who almost universally in black, suggesting the repressive 16th-century Spanish court rather than Tudor exuberance. The design choices are applied to the story rather than flowing from it, thereby calling undue attention to themselves. Ironically, Newbury keeps the chorus mostly immobile. Sumptuous yet static, Anna Bolena feels very long at three hours and 15 minutes.
Lastly, the surtitles repeatedly translate Queen Anna's title as "Your Highness" rather than the correct "Your Majesty." I don't know if this error stems from librettist Felice Romani's original text or the Lyric translation.