A Cornucopeia of Riches at the Moore

There is so much to see and hear in William Kentridge’s conception of Monteverdi’s “Ulysses” that it’s hard to take it all in.

There is always plenty for the senses in opera, but along with the usual singing, acting, sets, costumes and supertitles, add to “Ulysses” puppets and continually changing black and white visuals which range from drawings of olive groves to close-ups of a surgery in progress to cityscapes, x-rays, and buildings falling down to flowers growing at fast forward.

Like the Monteverdi “Orfeo” of a month ago conceived by Italy’s La Venexiana, this has the musicians and performers together on the Moore Theatre’s small stage without a lot of action, but what a difference! Where “Orfeo” seemed disjointed and static, Kentridge’s ideas becomes a fascinating, absorbing production.

the dark knight film download high quality

“Ulysses” has been cut to 90 minutes, the length of time the puppeteers can hold up the lifesize puppets. One could spend the entire opera just watching them. Picture each puppet with two humans, one to hold and manipulate the puppet, and the singer, who takes charge of a puppet arm.

Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa, which created these puppets and has traveled the world with this production (plus others conceived by Kentridge), brings them amazingly to life with close attention to tiny details of human movement. While the mouths don’t move, the hands, heads and body stances are remarkable lifelike.

At one point Ulysses and the ancient shepherd who recognizes him are walking through a landscape on the tier at the back of the stage, and it seems as though we are really watching it, as in a movie. The puppets (we only see their upper halves) “walk” through the scenery. And yet, as we draw back into reality, there are the puppet movers walking in place, moving their puppets as they move, and it’s the scenery on screen which moves past them. It’s extraordinarily realistic.

Kentridge, the puppets and stage director Luc de Wit traveled from South Africa for this revival, but the musicians and singers mostly come from the Seattle area, and were rehearsed by musical director Stephen Stubbs.

This is the opening production of Pacific Operaworks, a tiny presenting company established here and headed by Stubbs which aims to bring stellar productions to Seattle, like this one, of the kinds of opera and unusual concepts or performance practices which aren’t done by Seattle Opera. Stubbs intends to draw on the rich musical and theatrical resources of the Seattle area to complement what he brings in from elsewhere in the world. While Stubbs has been known for his work in the early music field, Pacific Operaworks does not intend to confine itself to that era.

Musically, this “Ulysses” is a joy.

Seven musicians led by Stubbs sit unobtrusively in a semicircular middle tier on stage, while the opera itself takes place on the tier behind them and the stage in front. Most are musicians well known to Seattle: Stubbs himself and Elizabeth Brown on chitarrone and archlute, harpist Maxine Eilander, violinists Tekla Cunningham and Ingrid Matthews, viola da gamba player Margriet Tindemans and cellist and lirone player David Morris.

The singing was superb almost across the board, with Ross Hauck a stand-out as Human Frailty in the prologue and Ulysses himself. Here is a singer who has not just a fine tenor voice and an operatic presence, but incorporates the florid 17th century ornamentation with understanding ease as part of the expressive portrayal of his character. I was gripped by his Ulysses; and that it was a puppet with a singer standing beside him became moot. Mezzo-soprano Laura Pudwell as Penelope has the same characteristics as a singer. She created with her voice the embodiment of strength and patience, yet also portrayed a spitfire and doubter.  The strong cast included Jason McStoots as the old shepherd Eumaeus and Zeus: Douglas Williams, James Brown and Zachary Wilder as the three importunate suitors (each with other roles as well), Cyndia Sieden as Love and Athena, and Sarah Mattox as Fate and Penelope’s maid Melanto. Each deserves mention.

While so much is going on plus the need to keep an eye on supertitles far overhead, the production could be overwhelming, but it isn’t. It does leave one, however, with a strong wish to see it again to catch some of the myriad details missed the first time around.

Remaining performances at the Moore are March 13, 14, 20 and 21 at 7.30 p.m.,. Tickets are $40-85 at 206-292-ARTS or www.ticketmaster.com