LSU Opera Presents: Carlisle Floyd's Willie Stark
by Carlisle Floyd, John Keene, Dugg McDonough
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Dennis JesseDirector: Carlisle Floyd, Dugg McDonough, John Keene
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Classical, Closed-captioned, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 135 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-05-20
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Newport Classic
Movie Reviews of LSU Opera Presents: Carlisle Floyd's Willie Stark
Movie Review: A Great American Opera Returns to Life
Summary: 4 Stars
I just finished watching this rather remarkable DVD and while everything isn't quite perfect (what is?), it definitely is one of those performances where one can say the total adds up to far more than the sum of its parts. Let's get the negatives out of the way. The HD picture is sometimes overly bright, washing out some facial features, though in close ups the lighting tends to be softer. (I wouldn't mention this but it detracted - at least for a while, from my enjoyment).
Much praise goes to the LSU Opera Orchestra, and indeed, they can produce some wonderful effects with this remarkable score. But there are moments they sound at sea, and with a sour sound that can mar some moments, these usually seem to occur in the louder moments. It IS a student orchestra and a talented one, but I can't gloss over a few of the sour sounds which ocassionally come from the pit. Still, this doesn't detract from the overall enjoyment. They are, in fact, to be commended - this score sounds, at times, as difficult as Wozzeck.
Another problem is that some of the roles are for voices one would expect to have more maturity, roles that, in fact, cry out for that maturity and experience - but overall once I settled in I felt even these performances to be heartfelt and performed with great emotion and they worked.
Now for the good parts, starting with the best.
First and foremost is the performance of Dennis Jesse in the title role. This is an amazing performance, one to cherish. Jesse captures perfectly the difficult duplicity of Willie - your at once repelled, yet charmed by him. I found myself loving this character, every side of him from the corrupt egotist to the common man of the people, inspiring hope in the hopeless and downtrodden. The possessor of a voice of truly great beauty,diction is never sacrificed in his delivery - every syllable clear and passionately uttered. It is a remarkable - tour de force performance.
His greatest moment in an evening filled with them is his visit to his home town and the first time we hear that marvelous "Come back, Willie" theme that will appear several more times, most incredibly when the chorus picks up the theme at the opera's end. I had tears in my eyes at the beauty of tone, the impassioned and introspective manner in which he made this come alive. This is a performance that absolutely crackles with life and electricity. Amazing.
The second standout performance comes from young tenor, Adam Holcomb, as
Willie's aide and rival in love, Jack Burden. Burden shows a huge amount of promise and terrific top notes. He captures nearly perfectly all of Jack's passion and heartbreak. His final scene with his father Judge Burden, is almost painful to watch. Also up to the challenge as his father, the Judge is Noel Bouley - outstanding and his final scene is gripping operatic theatre at its finest.
As Anne, Katheryn Drake displays a lovely soprano with gleaming high notes, but at times the role threatens to get away from her. I can only imagine that she will grow into this - and more mainstream roles with ease.
The chorus work here is at that same level as Jesse's performance. It is a beautiful sound they produce and their youthful faces capture all of the emotion of Willie's friends and constituents.
The production makes effective use of a unit set - a set of distressed stone steps arranged in a semicircle at the rear of the stage - evoking the steps of an ancient Greek ampitheatre. They are split unevenly with large gaps between. Three square stone-like arches are arranged on these steps, adding to the ancient feel, but each with a modern wooden door. This creates a rather intimate playing area where most of the opera is played out, with various props and set dressings (e.g., desks and chairs, picket fence, old fashioned radio console, etc.) to suggest the location of each scene. Dugg McDonough's direction is about as good as one could want here, and his cast responds beautifully.
So, while I had some reservations, they were easily overcome by the overall performance which is just wonderful. Truly wonderful.
My hat goes off to all involved in this project - and a hearty congratulations as well as gratitude, for bringing this wonderful American opera back to the public.
Summary of LSU Opera Presents: Carlisle Floyd's Willie Stark
Power, passion, and politics collide in Carlisle Floyd's dynamic setting of All the King's Men, Robert Penn Warren's classic story of ambition, betrayal, and violent tragedy. In Floyd's immediately engaging and beautifully paced opera, the great demagogue of America's political fiction, Willie Stark, springs to life as an unforgettable stage character. Willie's meteoric and soul-searching rise from grassroots politician to powerful and ruthless state governor is captured in words and music that are rousing, moving, and haunting. With personalities and events that could be ripped from today's headlines, LSU Opera's new Willie Stark brings fresh excitement to a quintessentially American masterpiece.Musicals & Performing Arts DVD Video
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