Homoerotic subtext makes for a unique 'Masked Ball'

February 17, 2003

BY LAURA EMERICK

The Chicago Tribune

In the world of Verdi, the fantastic and the gruesome often intersect: avengeful gypsy throws a baby into a fire, while a hunchback jester finds hisdying daughter in a gunnysack. And apparently, a ruler falls victim to an assassin's bullet because of the love that dare not speak its name. That's the radical interpretation of Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera" ("A MaskedBall") that bowed Saturday night at the Civic Opera House in a new production by French director Olivier Tambosi and German designer Frank Philipp Schlossmann.Instead of the usual Sweden or Boston, it sets the action in an unspecified monarchy of the mid-19th century, somewhat Victorian (with visual references tothe Industrial Revolution), and features the merriest bunch of men this side of Sherwood Forest. In the opera's first scenes, Tambosi and Schlossmann--almost in punch-drunk fashion--pile on the gay clues and signals. Reclining languorously on aswan-shaped divan, the ruler Riccardo seems more interested in his handsome men of court than the fair Amelia, whose love he professes in song. Moments later, Riccardo puts on an ermine-trimmed red velvet robe straight out of Liberace's closet, while his pageboy Oscar, dressed in white tails and top hat, evokes the fey charm of Clifton Webb (an actor once famously characterized with the retort "He doesn't walk, he flies"). Jealous male conspirators, wearing shades of green, snipe among themselves like spurned suitors. The sexual tension culminates in the gypsy Ulrica's hut, where Riccardo, disguised as a sailor, flits across the stage under the gaze of the male chorus, which looks like the rough trade from Fassbinder's homoerotic "Querelle." Act 1 ends as Riccardo,once again in his velvet cloak, opens its folds and envelops Oscar in his embrace. Whether you agree with Tambosi-Schlossman's revisionist view, however, this "Masked Ball" represents a complete triumph in terms of its performers. The all-star cast consists of Russian contralto Larissa Diadkova as Ulrica and Chilean soprano Veronica Villarroel as Amelia, both making their Lyric debuts, along with Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky as the betrayed friend turned conspirator Renato, American soprano Maria Kanyova in the trouser role of Oscar and American tenor Neil Shicoff as the conflicted ruler Riccardo. British conductor Mark Elder shapes Verdi's score, one of the composer's best, into fireworks of passion. While "A Masked Ball" (1859) is usually presented straight, so to speak, the gay subtext here has a basis in historical fact. Verdi and librettist Antonio Somma drew their story from a French play that chronicled the 1792 assassination of Swedish king Gustave III. Known for his homosexual affairs, the king was assassinated at an opera ball by a jealous court member. Because of the wave of nationalist fervor sweeping Europe in the 1850s, censors forced Verdi to relocate the opera from 18th century Sweden to colonial Boston. In his program notes, director Tambosi points out that he shaped his interpretation, which he calls "a psychological bel canto" that reveals "hidden motivations," closely with Shicoff. As for Oscar's relationship with Riccardo,Tambosi notes that "they depend on each other, with erotic overtones." And of course the opera itself centers on the question of identity and repressed emotions. The title "A Masked Ball" represents a metaphor that animates the entire opera. Tambosi sets forth an intriguing concept, but fails to fully integrate his interpretation throughout. Act 2 turns more expressionistic, with only the opera's famous mocking chorus, which closes the act, reminding us of the gay subtext. Similarly, in Act 3 until Oscar arrives like Tinkerbell, tossing out handfuls of glitter, the staging reverts to straightforward Verdi. Overall the concept works, however; music, acting and movement are wonderfully unified. For instance, curtains billow in time to swelling violins, and at the masked ball, conspirators glide in step while finalizing their assassination scheme (excellent work by movement director Sara Stewart). As for acting, Shicoff deserves an Oscar nomination (no pun intended) for his courageous and fully realized performance. Meanwhile, the vocalists reel off one showstopper after another; Act 3 alone brings Shicoff's love theme of "Ma se m'eforza perderti," Hvorostovsky's anguish cry in "Eri tu, che macchiavi quell'amina" and Villarroel's aria of maternal sacrifice "Morro, ma prima ingrazia." At the curtain call, the production team was greeted with boos, which were answered by equally vociferous cheers. If you prefer Verdi done as safe, Zeffirellian-style spectacle, then this "Masked Ball" is not for you. But for the adventurous, Lyric's production challenges the mind while it thrills the heart with one of the company's greatest Verdi casts of all time.