“Jacques Brel”
WHERE: Schenectady Light Opera Company, 826 State Street, Schenectady
WHEN: Through January 18
HOW MUCH: $27-$15
MORE INFO: 1-877-350-7378
BY CAROL KING
For the Daily Gazette
SCHENECTADY – Do not expect a storyline when you go to see Schenectady Light Opera Company’s “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well & Living in Paris;” expect more than twenty stories, each told magically in song. The stories are anthems to love, to loneliness, to generational respect and understanding, to expectancy. They are touching, often irreverent, funny, and deeply human.
SLOC places these stories appropriately in a cabaret setting (coordinated by Jeff Hocking), with small tables for four. There is a complimentary beverage and cheese platters for the price of a ticket. The set is a collage of Parisian scenes, designed by Allan D. Foster (who also directed) and Ginny Mills, and gorgeously executed by JoAnna Hepinstall. Hepinstall paints with life and sensitivity, and she uses color sublimely. She creates The Eiffel Tower, the Arch de Triomphe, a flower stall, a farmer’s market—all things we associate with Paris—and sets the stage magnificently for the show we’re about to see. Likewise Ken Zarnoch (lighting design and execution) embraces Hepinstall’s set lovingly, evoking each mood of each musical number. And it is the performance of the music that compels.
The production is all about the voices and the acting of each story. Deborah Rocco gives powerful voice to “Sons Of,” expressing a heartfelt understanding of the human condition. Her gorgeous “No Love You’re Not Alone” is soul-touching. Richard Satterlee is most effective, especially in his rendition of “Statue,” about a soldier/hero, who is immortalized in stone and comes to life to tell of his own death. And his opening number “Alone,” sung to Rocco, presages the lovely experience the audience is about to have. Robert Rice displays a remarkable vocal range and an expressive face. He does a nice comic turn in “Funeral Tango.” He is equally impressive in his performance of “Jackie” where his character would like to be “cute in a stupid ass way” for just one hour a day. Nancy Carlson Stone has an authoritative voice and uses it beautifully especially in the vibrant and scary (with a nod to lighting designer Zarnoch) “Carousel.” Her “My Death” is a wonder of dynamic musical acting.
In all, director Foster has assembled the best of the best to act these powerful stories in song. Costume designer, Patricia Casey has put her actors in simple (the women are most elegantly attired) costumes that neatly convey the wide range of characters. Music Director, Andrea Merrill, never allows her backstage combo to overshadow the singers, but underscores their voices beautifully. Choreographer, Donna Hatch, has done fine work with some creative and sometimes witty moves.
No matter the weather (I attended the show during a snow storm), this production will make you feel warm all over.