'Merry Widow' depicts love story in opera

For those who think opera is only about fat women in Viking helmets shrieking at the top of their lungs, an opera of a very different kind is about to open at the MAC.\n"The Merry Widow," by the German-Hungarian composer Franz Léhar (1870-1948) is a cheerful operetta with a love story at its core.\nThe opera tells the story of Hanna Glawari, whose husband died on their wedding night and left her an immense fortune. Count Mirko Zeta, an ambassador from fictitious Petrovania, has a plan to stimulate his country's economy through Hanna's tax money by marrying her to Count Danilo. Zeta doesn't realize, however, that the two used to be lovers. The rest of the story is a love game that resolves itself favorably.\nProfessor Imre Palló, who will be conducting the opera, explained some of the features that make it a lighter work.\n"At the turn of the last century the operetta was what the musical is today," he said. "It was considered light, popular music, though by no means less valuable. Brahms respected the operetta, and Puccini tried to write operettas after being impressed by Léhar."\nPalló explained that the leading style of the opera is the Viennese waltz in the style of Strauss, which is the signature of the piece.\n"The music is all about beauty, sensuality and joy," Palló said.\nAnother important member of the production crew is Tito Capobianco, the guest stage director from Argentina who has produced this show 24 times and has worked with such legendary figures as Beverly Sills and Placido Domingo. Despite his impressive track record, Capobianco comes to IU with the students in mind.\n"My goal is not to show off -- I've already had my chance to prove myself," he said. "What I'm here for is to pass down the experience and develop the young artists."\nCapobianco also hopes to shape the performers in this opera, which is particularly difficult for young artists. Because it is an operetta, there are spoken parts along with the singing, and the performers are trained in singing, not in dialogue or acting. \n"The difficulty lies in the balance between singing and projecting speech, sometimes over an orchestra, without losing any of the dramatic touch," Capobianco said. "The performers need to communicate and project emotion."\nAlthough the difficulties are great, Capobianco feels confident about the cast's progress so far.\n"The cast has had dramatic improvement since the first day of rehearsal. It's been a complete 180-degree turn in the right direction, but we'll still keep going," he said. "The cast has shown complete dedication and has really killed themselves in order to give the best of themselves."\nSoprano Vera Savage, who will play the lead role of Hanna Glawari, said she was very nervous at first and did not know what to expect from Capobianco.\n"He worked with one of my idols -- Beverly Sills -- in the same role," Savage said. "He is a very demanding director who knows exactly what he wants, and I needed to adjust to that. He ended up being one of the most phenomenal stage directors I've ever worked with."\nFor tenor Jason Plourde, who plays Zeta, working with Capobianco has also been an invigorating learning experience.\n"Mr. Capobianco brings a wealth of 50 years experience with stage direction, but also is unique in that he wants a stylistically correct opera, which keeps the production fresh and elegant," Plourde said.\nBut the making of "Merry Widow" hasn't been without thorns. The actors have faced their share of challenges and problems during rehearsals.\nSavage had to work hard to ensure that Hanna appears merry and playful at all times. \n"The entire plot is essentially a love game between Hanna and Danilo," Savage said. "She also is amused that people are attracted by her money and plays that card well. I'd describe Hanna as smart and sassy."\nOpposite Hanna's intelligence is the clueless old man Zeta. \n"I wanted to bring out his obliviousness while still portraying him as a real person -- not a caricature," Plourde said.\nSavage also hopes that her performance will do its part to "take the audience to a different place."\n"The most one can ask from a show is that the audience will walk away affected by the performance," she said.\nPalló thinks the opera should have such an effect in a positive way.\n"This is not a particularly deep or tragic opera," he said. "The music breaks down to pure joy. It is an opera where the audience can just sit back and enjoy the story and the music."\n"The Merry Widow" will be performed at 8:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the MAC. For tickets call 333-9955 or visit www.music.indiana.edu/boxoffice. \n-- Contact staff writer Adam Sedia at asedia@indiana.edu.