Omens good for 'Caesar'

What story could be more epic than the life of Julius Caesar, one of history's greatest conquerors? This weekend at the MAC the epic story was retold with some of the world's finest music in the form of George Frideric Handel's opera, "Julius Caesar." The opera, whose music is set to Nicola Francesco Haym's libretto, is loosely based on history (and "loosely" is emphasized). It tells the story of Cleopatra, who is vying for the Egyptian throne with her brother Tolomeo and decides to use her womanly charms to gain Caesar's aid in her quest for power. On her side she has the wife (Cornelia) and son (Sesto) of Caesar's rival Pompey, who has just been murdered by Tolomeo. Although presented with many difficulties from Tolomeo and his advisor Achilla, all turns out well for Cleopatra and Caesar in the end.\nListening to a Baroque opera like this one is a very interesting experience. The opera consists almost entirely of solo arias with few duets and two choruses. But the music is wonderful. Handel was one of the all-stars of the Baroque and his music still has its flair after over 200 years. The unique usage of a backstage orchestra as well as a violin solo and a horn duet are delightful surprises to add to the already beautiful melodies. \nThe only real problem with the opera is the libretto (script). It is not the best of plots, it distorts truth more than necessary, and the scenes are extremely disjointed and incoherent. But Handel still made a masterpiece out of it. In fact, the bad libretto only draws more attention to the beautiful music, so nothing is diminished by it. And, as is custom, the orchestra, conducted by David Effron, made wonderful music even more brilliant through their instrumental talent.\nThe vocal performance was also truly breathtaking. The cast had not a single weak link. But the star of the show was without a doubt Alison Bates as Cleopatra. Bates was simply delightful in her performance of a spirited, playful Cleopatra. The ease with which she performed the role showed more an actress than a singer, someone who showed personality in addition to a voice. The title role was performed quite well by Jeremy Hunt, and other notable parts were Sesto, played by Emilio Jimenez Pons, and Tolomeo, played by Taylor Hightower.\nCompliments are also due to the stage designers. The design was very simple, yet it was used to its maximum potential and gave a very powerful and effective scenery change only by rotating and moving a few decorations. Lighting also added the appropriate character to scenes without being flashy at all. However, the costumes were not quite as good as the scenery. The best costume of all was undoubtedly Tolomeo's comfortable yet kingly royal garb with an oddly Egyptian flavor to it. Cleopatra's lingerie-like outfit was somewhat too casual, yet fitted its character's sensuality. The Roman costumes were not very original. They looked like something the futuristic cosmonauts wear in bad sci-fi films. If Tolomeo's and Achilla's costumes still retain an ancient flavor, why must Caesar and his legions look like Captain Kirk?\nOverall, the opera is definitely worth seeing. If the second cast does even half as well as the first, the performances will still be utter vocal and orchestral masterpieces. Not very many people are familiar with Baroque operas, so "Julius Caesar" would serve as an excellent example of the genre, especially at these performances.\n"Julius Caesar" will be performed on November 1 and 2 at 8 p.m. Tickets are still available at the MAC box office or www.ticketmaster.com.