The Lyric Opera of Chicago continues its 50th season with Beethoven's Fidelio, an opera not often staged in the repertoire of great opera houses. Perhaps it is the political tone and rebellion against tyranny and greed, but Fidelio can be set in any era of political upheaval. 2024 has been a rough year in terms of politics and tyranny, with ideology and religion used as battering rams. The Lyric Opera's stirring and powerful staging of Fidelio plays through October 10.. It is a short run but worth seeing and hearing Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera.
Fidelio is the story of Leonore who disguises herself as a male prison guard to rescue her husband Florestan who is being held as a political prisoner. Soprano Elza van den Heever performs as Leonore/Fidelio and baritone Russell Thomas embodies the steadfast and rebellious Florestan. The libretto for Fidelio has gone through several versions. Beethoven composed it in 1805 but the version of Fidelio most often performed premiered in 1814. There are theories about the political tone of the opera because of the Napoleonic wars and the man who made himself emperor—Napoleon Bonaparte.
Fidelio is set in an era that may be considered a current or futuristic prison industrial complex. It is a family-run business with Rocco (Dimitry Ivashchenko) as the warden figure. His daughter Marzelline (Sydney Mancasola) is besotted with the new guard Fidelio. Her suitor is coworker Jaquino (Daniel Espinal) who begs her to marry him but she only has eyes for Fidelio. The office romance is comic relief as Rocco wants his daughter to have what she wants. He sings about the importance of power and money as the keys to a successful life. He waves money and the accounting books at Fidelio as a dowry if he asks for Marzelline's hand in marriage. I enjoyed van den Heever's face as she resisted holding Marzelline's hand and dodged her kiss just in time.
Brian Mulligan plays the malicious Don Pizarro who imprisons Florestan for exposing his web of graft and corruption. Mulligan gets close to a mustache-twirling villain and I do not know if that is at director Matthew Ozawa's behest. The role may have been the 19th-century origins of German Expressionism but the performance comes off as a bas-relief of villainy. The character does not evolve or express remorse. I thought he would sing "Curses! Foiled again!" in German as he is carted away.
I found the two acts of Fidelio to be disjointed but as a whole, it was an abstract of many levels of imprisonment. The set is Expressionist in angles and almost painfully bright steel cages. Production designer Alexander V. Nichols created a wonder of stage engineering with the set. The multilevel cage is divided into cells with appropriately harsh lighting designed by Yuki Nakase Link. It is a visual representation of the past eight years in America. There are kids in cages, police brutality, and piles of cardboard boxes that I interpret as the "get it delivered" era. The subterranean cell where Florestan languishes is a wall of screens with dizzying images from the video cameras posted in the prison.
Russell Thomas first appears as being waterboarded on closed-circuit videos. He holds his chained arms up to shield himself and it turns to a snow image like antenna television. I loved the blue lighting on Florestan barefoot and chained to a chair. The theme of political imprisonment comes to life when Thomas sings his first aria about his imprisonment and imminent death being the will of God and a sacrifice he is willing to make. Thomas was recently seen as the heroic Radames in Aida at the Lyric. He is a riveting performer and makes a star turn playing Florestan, a smaller role.
Elza Van den Heever triumphs as Leonore. The singing and the acting are superb. The agony she projects when Leonore realizes that it is her beloved Florestan starving and parched in a dungeon is palpable. She expresses having to dig her husband's grave with grief and horror that made me tear up. The audience sees Van den Heever projected onto a black curtain in black and white as the overture plays. The image of her as a beautiful woman is juxtaposed with her guise as Fidelio.
Singing in German is no small feat. The language contains a lot of hard consonants, diphthongs, and vowel combinations. The singing enunciation has to be nuanced, which is even more challenging because it's Beethoven with his staccato rhythms and tempo changes. The entire cast is on point including the chorus directed by Michael Black. As always, maestro Enrique Mazzola conducts Lyric Opera Orchestra with precision and passion. He is as much a part of the production as those on stage. Beethoven is as deceptive to play as it is to sing. Bravo!
Costume designer Jessica Jahn hits a perfect balance of attire for the cast and the prisoners. Some of the prisoners have uniforms but the others look "disappeared." The gray and khaki tones give a militaristic feel to the prison. Fidelio could come from conflicts and coups anywhere in the world. That is why it resounded with me as deeply as it did. To paraphrase Shakespeare, "the course of love never runs smoothly." It is always a journey with hazards, stumbling blocks, other lovers, and enemies. I highly recommend Fidelio as a mirror that can be held up to society and it poses the question: what would you do for love?
Fidelio runs through October 10, so there Is only one more chance to see this rarely produced opera. The Lyric Opera is located at 20 N. Wacker Drive. For more information, please visit www,lyricopera.org. Get out and support arts and culture in Chicago.
For more information on this and other plays, see theatreinchicago.com.
Support arts and culture journalism today. This work doesn't happen without your support. Contribute today and ensure we can continue to share the latest reviews, essays, and previews of the most anticipated arts and culture events across the city.