As I was walking into the Stevens Center to watch a recent performance of “The Flying Dutchman,” I didn’t know what to expect. I had never been to an opera before and I was not sure I was going to like it. However, with the rise of the curtain, I was immediately thrown into 18th-century Norway and was pleasantly proved incorrect by the Piedmont Opera — I loved the performance.
The opening scene starts off with sailors on board a ship battling a storm. The chorus and intense music immediately had me hooked. Projectors were used to show the intense storm and the approach of the Flying Dutchman’s ship in the background.
“With the use of projection screens, we were able to show animations that let people better explore the story. Plays like ‘The Flying Dutchman’ need to use this technology, as where performances like ‘The Nutcracker’ do not,” said stage director Steve LaCosse.
During the performance, it was obvious that a lot of time had been put toward the special effects, which provided the audience with a beautiful setting. Projectors were also used to show the dialogue of all the characters, making it very easy to follow the story and understand what was happening in the plot.
“I started writing (the opera) about a year ago and we have been rehearsing on it for about a month now,” LaCosse said. “We used professional actors and a few students (from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts), who are at par if not greater actors than the ones in ‘The Nutcracker.’ ”
“The Flying Dutchman” had many stellar moments, such as the opening scene when the crewmen were fighting the storm and the beautiful singing in the last scene by actor Carter Scott, who played the Flying Dutchman’s love, Senta. However, there was one scene where my eyelids started to become heavy and my interest faded.
This scene was when Senta had learned that her father had set up a marriage between her and the Dutchman. The scene was not only lengthy, but not very exciting. This started to change when the Flying Dutchman and Senta’s father arrived to greet Senta. During this meeting, the audience sees Senta and the Flying Dutchman really start their relationship.
The opera could have used a little more action. I know that this is a love story/tragedy by Richard Wagner and is not centered around action and violence like most movies of this generation, but most of the side characters were pirates. How can a performance involving pirates, ships and love not have single sword fight? One could have easily been introduced when the Flying Dutchman saw Senta’s previous boyfriend kiss her. This led to a brief confrontation involving a single knockout punch to Senta’s boyfriend.
Despite the lack of action, I was won over by the beauty of the opera, the singing and the overall plot. These greatly outweighed the very minor cons. People — especially Reynolds students who are interested in performance as a career — should take note of how well the singers were able to come together and sing in this challenging performance. LaCosse did a great job and I look forward to his future works — even other operas.