The Lyric Opera of Chicago opened its 2025/26 season with a blockbuster with Italian composer Luigi Cherubini's Medea. Just hearing the name evokes a dark tale of obsession, misogyny, and vengeance. This production was directed by Sir David McVicar, who also did the dazzling, superb set design. Maestro Enrique Mazzola is firmly in the constellation of the best conductors of opera. The key to this outstanding production is soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, who has made the role hers with an excellent performance as Medea.
The Greek tragedian Euripides wrote Medea (431 B.C.), portraying her as an evil man-devouring witch who had her purposes in helping Jason, the Argonaut, obtain the golden fleece. Librettist François-Benoît Hoffman also adapted Pierre Corneille's play Médée (1635) for Cherubini's opera. The character of Medea is given more depth than just a misogynistic madwoman. Tenor Matthew Polenzani sings the role of Giasone (Jason). He has a magnificent tenor that reaches the rafters with none of the cloying timbre that I have heard in other operatic performances. Polenzani cuts a dashing figure as the heroic Giasone, who reclaimed his throne not only by bringing the golden fleece but also by using sorcery from his wife to overthrow his uncle. It must have been handy to know a sorceress who would do anything, including giving birth twice.
Giasone dumps Medea and takes his sons away from her, making an instant family for his naive bride. Soprano Elena Villalón plays the doomed Glauce, who has some serious wedding jitters but cannot quite put her finger on it. She has a gorgeous voice that conveys innocence and foreboding. Bass baritone Alfred Walker plays her father, Creonte, who convinces his daughter that the gods are watching over her and Giasone. Walker is superb as King Creonte with a commanding voice and a royal stage presence.
Radvanovsky enters in Act II like a bolt of lightning and creates a maelstrom that holds throughout the performance. The chemistry between Radvanovsky and Polenzani is electric. Giasone's rejection of Medea is conflicted. On one hand, she is the mother of his children and helped him get to his throne. On the other hand, he wants a young and naive bride who will basically be pretty and obedient. Giasone and Creonte both use their status and power as men to get what they want, and women are collateral damage. I should point out that Medea is a sorceress who acquired skills through study and knowledge. A witch is a person born with power that must be honed and guided. It's another layer to the Medea character, who took vengeance when her knowledge was abused. It speaks more to the power of the feminine abused by men.
Radvanovsky is clad in black, her hair flowing freely, and her face wild with a cauldron of emotions. Maria Callas defined the role of Medea in a historic performance in Florence in 1953. I am saying that it now belongs to Radvanovsky. It is a marathon role that requires a transcendent voice and a skilled actor in a volatile role. Medea is a tinderbox of emotions and also conflicted because a complete annihilation of Jason would include an unspeakable crime.
Mezzosoprano Zoie Reams plays Medea's loyal confidant Neris, who hopes to temper her friend's rage. Reams is a great singer and also an excellent actor who holds her own in scenes with Radvanovsky. The role of Neris is supposed to be the conscience of Medea, while Reams reflects the anger and need for vengeance, questioning how far her friend would go.
Cherubini's music is sublime and so beautifully melodious that it makes the violence and rage of the characters imore shocking. Radvanovsky reaches pure high notes with ease, and her physicality while singing is astonishing. This version of Medea is more than people standing in place and singing. This is a blend of raw sensual physicality and vocal power. This is a production where everything gells in a collective.
John Metzner's wig and makeup design is straight out of a Fellini spectacle. The characters are grotesques of louche excess, making them perfect for a royal court filled with intrigue and cruelty. Doey Lüthi made her Lyric debut with extravagant costumes that matched Metzner's aesthetic of excess. The wedding gown for Glauce is a spectacular confection with a train that spans the length of the stage. Sir David McVicar's set has a cool, funhouse feel with a mirror as the cyc wall reflecting the characters from above. The dark marbled walls are a nod to ancient Greek theater. It takes the Lyric to a new level in stagecraft genius. The excellent projections are designed by S. Katy Tucker. This is a company that built an expressionist prison in Fidelio, a tilted and sinking ship in The Flying Dutchman, and sent a lothario to hell via a tipped table in Don Giovanni.
I highly recommend that you see this Medea with Sondra Radvanovsky in the title role. It is a short run, so do not miss it. This production sets a standard for other opera houses to achieve. The shouts of "brava!" and lengthy standing ovations were well deserved.
Medea runs 2 hours and 45 minutes with one intermission. It is now playing through October 26 at the Civic Opera House, 20 N Wacker Drive. For tickets and more information, please visit www.lyric.org.
For more information on this and other productions, see theatreinchicago.com.
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