On Friday, March 12, Pacific Opera Victoria returned to the Baumann Centre with their first live opera in over two years. The set was composed of two acts performed by Megan Latham, who was accompanied by pianist Kimberly-Ann Bartczak.
The first act, Bon Appétit!, was inspired by Julia Child and based on two episodes of Child’s cooking show, The French Chef. The set design was awesome, featuring an impressive backdrop that was a complete kitchen set up. Beautiful blue walls, copper dishware, and mid-century fruit paintings created a homely and familiar atmosphere.
The performance saw Latham walk the audience through the steps of baking a chocolate cake and narrating the entire process in opera, all the while accompanied by flawless piano. It was lively and had audience members laughing at her witty dialogue. Equally as impressive was that she actually was going through the steps of baking a cake. Latham melted chocolate on the stove, beat the egg whites, and mixed the batter. I was very impressed to see that the chocolate was indeed perfectly melted. When it came time to bake the cake, she swapped it for a pre-baked cake that was waiting in the oven.
The flawless timing of everything was astounding: her vocals, the piano, and the projected subtitles were all completely in sync with one another, never missing a beat. At intermission, delicious miniature chocolate cakes were sold.
Following intermission was the second act, The Italian Lesson. This act was based on a work of the same name by Ruth Draper.
Although alone on the stage, Latham invoked a whole cast of characters: her children, husband, cook, dog, and, of course, her Italian teacher. The performance tells the story of a wealthy woman in her 1920s New York apartment who is in the midst of her Italian lesson, which is continually interrupted by her phone ringing, her cook, her maid, and her family members. It showed viewers a glimpse into the life and values of a high society New Yorker of the era. The backdrop, now completely transformed, featured photographs hanging in ornate frames, shelves lined with classic books, and a vanity, amongst many other vintage relics: it was exactly what you would expect to see in an upscale apartment of that time.
This performance varied slightly from the last in that in addition to the opera singing, there were some lines consisting only of spoken word, which demonstrated Latham’s impressive vocal range. I couldn’t help but glance over at the pianist frequently throughout, as I was astounded by her frequent page-turning and flawless playing, which perfectly synchronized with the vocals.
Latham’s ability to tell such a complex story as the only person on stage was a huge feat, and it provided a moving insight into the shallow ambitions and lifestyles that often plague members of the upper class.
I was very impressed with it all. Having never been to an opera, I felt pleasantly surprised by the dynamic and complex storytelling that incorporated history, theatre, music, and intricate set design.
Bon Appétit! and The Italian Lesson
Various times and days, until Wednesday, March 23
Various prices, The Baumann Centre
pacificopera.ca