REVIEWS Romeo et Juliette Film, US premiere 1 July 2002 An Opera Couple's Abridged but Ardent Romeo, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2002 A revved-up 'Romeo', USA Today, 1 July 2002 _______________________________________________________ An Opera Couple's Abridged but Ardent Romeo Daniel Cariaga, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2002 Whatever you want to call it--a "Romeo" quickie or "Highlights From Gounod's 'Romeo and Juliet' "--this 90-minute precis of the four-hour, five-act opera on the "Great Performances" series is worth watching. It is admirable primarily because of the impassioned and controlled singing of Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu in the title roles, the solid leadership of veteran conductor Anton Guadagno and the atmospheric natural scenery of the rural Czech Republic, including the 13th century Royal Castle of Zvikov, where the performance was shot. Running less than 75 minutes (the opera usually unfolds in more than three hours), Gounod's irresistible score is compacted and streamlined drastically. But the lovers' duets and some arias remain, sung ardently and handsomely by the Sicilian-French tenor and his Romanian soprano wife, both in fine voice, though not heard to best advantage in the mediocre television acoustic. Still, the strong chemistry between the couple is palpable, and their acting convincing in every way. They move through the castle archways and balconies and across forested pathways with dramatic compulsion. Their youth, and the heat of their emotions, come through. Surrounding the fated couple are serviceably credible friends and relatives, their parts pared to minuscule size. Director Barbara Willis Sweete moves the principals around convincingly, but creates zombie-like movements and expressions for the regimented chorus, who wear slick and stylized medieval costumes, from designer Christian Gasc, that clash with the lovers' clothes and the ancient castle setting. A revved-up 'Romeo' PBS trims some 'extra' notes for a quickie opera Jeannie Williams, USA Today, 1 July 2002 Romeo & Juliet is one of the world's beloved romances, told most famously by Shakespeare on stage, and in opera and ballet form. Now, a shorter version makes its debut in a movie jokingly dubbed ''Run, Juliet, Run!'' by the filmmakers. Opera's golden -- and married -- couple, tenor Roberto Alagna and soprano Angela Gheorghiu, appear in a 75-minute version of Charles-François Gounod's opera Romeo & Juliet, to air tonight on PBS' Great Performances (check local listings). It was shot in a 13th-century castle in the Czech Republic with plenty of outdoor space for the lovers, in particular the athletic and lovely Gheorghiu, to romp. She can run while trilling because they lip-sync to a new multi-track recording. The shortened version focuses on the 1867 French work's four famous love duets and showcase arias, plus choral sections; the full opera would have run up to three hours. Is this audience-friendly method the wave of the future for opera on TV, taking a page from the MTV music-video playbook? Or is there room for full-length productions taken directly from the stage, minus the grassy frolicking? ''One of the problems of opera on TV is it can take 2 hours to get through,'' says Romeo producer Chris Hunt from his office in Bristol, England. People make time to go to a concert, but at home, with all kinds of distractions, ''it's hard for even the most ardent operaphile to sit and concentrate.'' Hunt, also CEO of the Digital Classics label, and director Barbara Willis Sweete worked hard to make the TV version seamless. Hunt says that, during a dinner with Alagna and Gheorghiu, he gave his view that the ''sublime music'' of the opera is written mostly for the lead roles, and the rest is less interesting and eminently cuttable. He and Sweete compare their version to a CD of opera highlights. Alagna was very involved in the cuts, Hunt says, and the famously demanding tenor and his wife are over the moon about the soundtrack, recorded in Prague before the three-week shoot in the Czech Republic. ''They think it's the best they've ever done.'' Sweete expects criticism from opera purists. And lip-syncing, she insists, is the only way ''to hear the beauty of the voice and to adjust it so it sounds its best and at same time sounds like it's coming from a certain location.'' This version moves fast -- even repeats from some arias were trimmed. Hunt notes, ''People who watch TV cop shows or The Sopranos are used to a certain pacing.'' He hopes if non-opera fans come across Romeo, ''they'll stick with it for a few seconds and think, 'This looks nice. I can cope with this.' Barbara has made it emotionally affecting very quickly. It's a familiar story, but you want to see what happens next.'' F. Paul Driscoll, Opera News magazine executive editor, says shorter opera presentations are ''much more palatable'' to public TV stations. ''There's a limited amount of time they can devote to that kind of enterprise.'' He's surprised that more cable purveyors haven't picked up the trend, as they're less bound than broadcast stations by half-hour increments. And Jac Venza, creator of Great Performances, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, looks at the big picture: ''The question is, how can we make television a really good place for the fine artists of our generation?'' He has been trying to do that since he pioneered using subtitles for foreign-language operas. He recalls when NBC would only run operas in English. ''So much on TV exploits the worst of the American scene, when we have Americans who rise to the gorgeousness of our symphonies, ballets, operas,'' he says. ''At this point, we're a very civilized nation and should be portrayed that way on TV.'' |
REVIEWS Romeo et Juliette Film, US premiere 1 July 2002 An Opera Couple's Abridged but Ardent Romeo, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2002 A revved-up 'Romeo', USA Today, 1 July 2002 _______________________________________________________ An Opera Couple's Abridged but Ardent Romeo Daniel Cariaga, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2002 Whatever you want to call it--a "Romeo" quickie or "Highlights From Gounod's 'Romeo and Juliet' "--this 90-minute precis of the four-hour, five-act opera on the "Great Performances" series is worth watching. It is admirable primarily because of the impassioned and controlled singing of Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu in the title roles, the solid leadership of veteran conductor Anton Guadagno and the atmospheric natural scenery of the rural Czech Republic, including the 13th century Royal Castle of Zvikov, where the performance was shot. Running less than 75 minutes (the opera usually unfolds in more than three hours), Gounod's irresistible score is compacted and streamlined drastically. But the lovers' duets and some arias remain, sung ardently and handsomely by the Sicilian-French tenor and his Romanian soprano wife, both in fine voice, though not heard to best advantage in the mediocre television acoustic. Still, the strong chemistry between the couple is palpable, and their acting convincing in every way. They move through the castle archways and balconies and across forested pathways with dramatic compulsion. Their youth, and the heat of their emotions, come through. Surrounding the fated couple are serviceably credible friends and relatives, their parts pared to minuscule size. Director Barbara Willis Sweete moves the principals around convincingly, but creates zombie-like movements and expressions for the regimented chorus, who wear slick and stylized medieval costumes, from designer Christian Gasc, that clash with the lovers' clothes and the ancient castle setting. A revved-up 'Romeo' PBS trims some 'extra' notes for a quickie opera Jeannie Williams, USA Today, 1 July 2002 Romeo & Juliet is one of the world's beloved romances, told most famously by Shakespeare on stage, and in opera and ballet form. Now, a shorter version makes its debut in a movie jokingly dubbed ''Run, Juliet, Run!'' by the filmmakers. Opera's golden -- and married -- couple, tenor Roberto Alagna and soprano Angela Gheorghiu, appear in a 75-minute version of Charles-François Gounod's opera Romeo & Juliet, to air tonight on PBS' Great Performances (check local listings). It was shot in a 13th-century castle in the Czech Republic with plenty of outdoor space for the lovers, in particular the athletic and lovely Gheorghiu, to romp. She can run while trilling because they lip-sync to a new multi-track recording. The shortened version focuses on the 1867 French work's four famous love duets and showcase arias, plus choral sections; the full opera would have run up to three hours. Is this audience-friendly method the wave of the future for opera on TV, taking a page from the MTV music-video playbook? Or is there room for full-length productions taken directly from the stage, minus the grassy frolicking? ''One of the problems of opera on TV is it can take 2 hours to get through,'' says Romeo producer Chris Hunt from his office in Bristol, England. People make time to go to a concert, but at home, with all kinds of distractions, ''it's hard for even the most ardent operaphile to sit and concentrate.'' Hunt, also CEO of the Digital Classics label, and director Barbara Willis Sweete worked hard to make the TV version seamless. Hunt says that, during a dinner with Alagna and Gheorghiu, he gave his view that the ''sublime music'' of the opera is written mostly for the lead roles, and the rest is less interesting and eminently cuttable. He and Sweete compare their version to a CD of opera highlights. Alagna was very involved in the cuts, Hunt says, and the famously demanding tenor and his wife are over the moon about the soundtrack, recorded in Prague before the three-week shoot in the Czech Republic. ''They think it's the best they've ever done.'' Sweete expects criticism from opera purists. And lip-syncing, she insists, is the only way ''to hear the beauty of the voice and to adjust it so it sounds its best and at same time sounds like it's coming from a certain location.'' This version moves fast -- even repeats from some arias were trimmed. Hunt notes, ''People who watch TV cop shows or The Sopranos are used to a certain pacing.'' He hopes if non-opera fans come across Romeo, ''they'll stick with it for a few seconds and think, 'This looks nice. I can cope with this.' Barbara has made it emotionally affecting very quickly. It's a familiar story, but you want to see what happens next.'' F. Paul Driscoll, Opera News magazine executive editor, says shorter opera presentations are ''much more palatable'' to public TV stations. ''There's a limited amount of time they can devote to that kind of enterprise.'' He's surprised that more cable purveyors haven't picked up the trend, as they're less bound than broadcast stations by half-hour increments. And Jac Venza, creator of Great Performances, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, looks at the big picture: ''The question is, how can we make television a really good place for the fine artists of our generation?'' He has been trying to do that since he pioneered using subtitles for foreign-language operas. He recalls when NBC would only run operas in English. ''So much on TV exploits the worst of the American scene, when we have Americans who rise to the gorgeousness of our symphonies, ballets, operas,'' he says. ''At this point, we're a very civilized nation and should be portrayed that way on TV.'' |
This page was last updated on: July 9, 2002
