UTAH OPERA SCORES WITH ‘OF MICE AND MEN’

UTAH OPERA, OF MICE AND MEN, Capitol Theatre, May 5; additional performances 7:30 p.m. May 7, 9, 11, 2 p.m. May 13, tickets at 801-355-2787 or 888-451-2787 or utahopera.org  

Utah Opera closes out a rather humdrum season with a solid staging of Carlisle Floyd’s 1970 opera Of Mice and Men. Based on the John Steinbeck novella, the opera stays fairly close to the original and paints a gritty, dark picture of life among ranch hands in California during the Great Depression.

From left: Corey Bix, Matthew Burns (Photo: Courtesy of Utah Opera)

Focusing on two migrant workers – George Milton and Lennie Small – the story isn’t just about the bleakness of their lives. Rather, Of Mice and Men is about hope and dreams –  dreams, however, that are never, can never, be fulfilled.

George and Lennie dream of owning a little farm where they can spend the rest of their lives in peace and happiness. When Candy, an old hand at the ranch where George and Lennie have found work, hears about it he wants to join them. They agree, and the three start envisioning what their little place will look like.

But the flirtatious wife of Curley, the ranch foreman, crushes their dreams. Curley is mean and jealous and his wife (who is nameless) does everything she can to defy him. She likes hanging around the bunkhouse and teasing the men. And later, when she finds the mentally challenged Lennie alone in the barn and begins flirting with him, things get out of hand and Lennie unwittingly chokes her to death. With Curley and his men after him, George finds Lennie and shoots him before the mob can get to him.

Corey Bix (Photo: Courtesy of Utah Opera)

Corey Bix returns to Utah Opera as Lennie. A fabulous singer who possesses a voice with heldentenor qualities, he is also a superb actor. At Saturday’s opening night performance he brought credibility and depth to the role. One couldn’t help but be moved by his portrayal of a mentally handicapped man who doesn’t know his own strength and doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. Lennie is a true innocent and Bix brought it out. And as with his portrayal of Florestan in last October’s production of Fidelio, Bix stole the show.

Matthew Burns as George was also in top form. A strong and expressive singer, he held his own in his scenes with Lennie (of which there are many). He also brought compassion to his portrayal, and one could certainly feel his anguish and pain in the final scene when he shoots Lennie.

Sara Gartland as Curley’s wife was wonderful. A fine singer and actor, she captured her character’s spirit and soul.

The rest of the cast was equally outstanding. Special mention must be made of Ryan MacPherson as Curley, Ryan Allen as Candy and Marcus DeLoach as Slim. All were convincing and strong both as singers and actors.

The men of the Utah Opera Chorus were also at the top of their game Saturday.

The story is well paced thanks to Kristine McIntyre’s intelligent direction, and conductor James Lowe did a wonderful job leading members of the Utah Symphony.

Edward Reichel also reviews Utah Opera productions for OPERA magazine.

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About Edward Reichel

Edward Reichel, author, writer and composer, has been covering the classical music scene in Utah since 1997. For many years he served as the primary music critic for the Deseret News. He has also written for a number of publications, including Chamber Music Magazine, OPERA Magazine, 15 Bytes, Park City Magazine and Salt Lake Magazine. He holds a Ph.D. in composition from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He can be reached at ed.reichel@gmail.com. Reichel Recommends is also on Twitter @ReichelArts.

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