Opera’s simple set contributes to great performance

Unless you count the piano for the music and the all-black costumes, two benches were all that were used for Eric Anderson Jr.’s production of “Down In The Valley.”

The one-act opera began at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday in the John Waldron Arts Center Auditorium in celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the show’s world premiere. “Down In The Valley” was the first world premiere for the IU Opera Theater.

The show was a modest one, taking place in the third-floor auditorium, which is about the size of a small lecture hall, complete with floor stage. Eric Anderson Jr. – an IU alumnus as well as the producer, director and pianist for the performance – and his fellow cast members took what they had and turned it into the rawest opera production possible. Not “Raw” as in Hellhammer’s proto-black metal demo. “Raw” as in extracting every bit of energy out of your human resources (i.e., the cast) and using them to make fireworks.

“‘Down In The Valley’ is always a minimal production,” Anderson said. “Kurt Weill’s adaptation was intentionally simple.”

Anderson studied music at IU, and the first show he worked on as musical director was “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” during his junior year. “Rocky Horror” made him realize his talent as a musical director as well as taught him how to use minimal resources which seemed to be provided by the John Waldron Arts Center third-floor auditorium.

“(Rocky Horror) took place in the even smaller room located in the basement of the center, and that was more limited. This is a multi-use venue, it’s designed to be versatile,” Anderson said. “When you have a good, talented group, they certainly are not an impediment, and you can still make a product you’re proud of.

“Down in The Valley” is not about visual effects. The most visual the cast gets is with
the choreography.

If I had to pick one “star of the show,” I would have to pick Jamie Leonard as “Jennie Parsons,” the “damsel in distress” whose lack of love for Thomas Bouché and love for Brack Weaver, her happy-go-lucky lover-turned-martyr, ends up sending Weaver to the gallows. From the moment she steps on stage, Leonard grabs a hold of your attention and doesn’t let go. In addition, while the entire cast did an outstanding job with vocals, Leonard’s voice seemed to surround the audience.

“Down In the Valley” was a solid performance all-around. Even if you had no interest in the story, you could certainly feel the cast enjoying themselves, and this performance outlasted the Communist scare, hippies, Watergate, disco, Pogs and Fred Durst!

As for the prospect of “Down in The Valley” lasting another 60 years? We can only hope so.