Thursday, May 21, 1998
Laugh staff
The cast and crew of UCLA’s ‘Falstaff’ stage a hero who doesn’t
mind being the butt of jokes
By Jessica Holt
Daily Bruin Contributor
Need to de-stress? Need to unwind? Laugh at yourself? Take
yourself less seriously? Falstaff would.
The UCLA School of Arts and Architecture’s Department of Music
presents Verdi’s "Falstaff," May 21 and 23 in Royce Hall.
Metropolitan opera singer John Del Carlo plays the jovial
Shakespearian character in this lighthearted new production.
"The very last words the characters sing (in the opera) are ‘All
the world is a joke and man is the born the biggest joke of all,’"
laughs Director Vincent Liotta. "Everybody is the butt of
somebody’s joke. And Falstaff is the archtype of that
sentiment."
This famous moral at the end of "Falstaff" seems apt in the last
opera of Verdi’s life. The composer, known for his dramatic operas,
wrote this comic character piece which displays the complexity of
his musical style, creating a spirited farce.
UCLA’s production reflects the comic nature of "Falstaff" that
Verdi originally intended. The cast humorously engages the audience
in a series of plots, misunderstandings and ruminations culminating
in a colossal fugue focusing on the opera’s theme.
"By the time Verdi got to be in his 80s, he had realized that
you can spend your entire life trying to be serious," Liotta
reflects. "And when all is said and done, if all you are is serious
and focused on the negative and stressful, you don’t really end up
having much to hold on to."
With collaborator Arrigo Boito, Verdi created a new
manifestation of the anti-hero, Falstaff, not found elsewhere in
the literature. By combining texts from Shakespeare’s "The Merry
Wives of Windsor," "Henry IV, Part I" and "Henry IV, Part II" the
librettist Boito developed a full-blown characterization of the
rogue.
The result is an affable fellow who loves wine, women and a good
laugh. He loves a good joke and can even appreciate when he is the
butt of that joke.
"He is a man of the world. He has done just about
everything,"says John Del Carlo, who will play Falstaff this
weekend. "He’s very lascivious and likes to drink a lot. At this
point of time in his life, he’s always going to the pub and having
a good time."
Sounds like a college student’s hero. Yet the comedic opera has
been largely unaccessible to the general public for a number of
reasons.
"Opera is not an art form that everybody knows these days. Most
college students, for example, don’t go to the opera," explains
Erin Wood, who plays town busybody Dame Quickly. "I find that most
people that go to an opera for the first time say, ‘Huh, I hadn’t
realized that there’s that much going on in opera.’"
"They always think of this person who comes out and stands in
one place for an hour," Wood continues. "In this opera no one
stands in one place ever. It’s a constantly moving show."
Perhaps because of its musical complexity, the opera is not
known for famous arias. Instead, it boasts wonderful fugues and
boisterous sung banter between the characters.
"There are not may ‘tunes’ to it. It’s not like ‘La Boheme’
where people recognize the arias that Rodolfo and Mimi sing," Del
Carlo says. "It’s not that kind of opera. It’s more complex in its
own incredible way."
Nonetheless, "Falstaff" has stood the test of time. As a comic
opera, its music and libretto intricately weave together to create
a lasting impression.
"I had a teacher, and somebody once asked what he thought was
the greatest opera ever written. He said, ‘You mean besides
‘Falstaff’?’" recounts Liotta. "So that’s my feeling on it."
Musicality aside, audiences relate to the characters and
empathize with their various problems, schemes and dilemmas. The
story’s themes are exceedingly relevant to today’s world.
"I think we need ‘Falstaff’ more today than Verdi needed it in
1893," muses Liotta. "We live in a world that is self-preoccupied
by the stress that we create about things being right, getting
done, going wrong. Read a newspaper. It sounds Pollyanna-ish, but
where is the good news?
"The beauty of Falstaff is that, you know what? We all make the
same mistakes," Liotta continues. "All those people in that play,
there is not one of them that does not become the butt of some
joke. And it covers every type of person."
This applicability of the opera to today’s themes make the show
feel fresh and vibrant even though it is over a century old. The
personalities of the characters come across as real and
identifiable, and Falstaff himself seems to epitomize this Everyman
quality.
"From an audience perspective, you see how human this man is.
His weakness, his strengths, his ups and downs. That is what I
think people relate to when they look at Falstaff," Del Carlo says.
"They can see themselves in him."
Above all, "Falstaff" allows today’s audiences to laugh.
"It’s a comedy every minute of the show. Nothing in it should
get people down," Wood says.
This new interpretation of Verdi’s classic strives to achieve
this goal. The cast, direction, staging and set all combine to
create a memorable experience. The message of the show still rings
true with audiences today.
"’Falstaff’ reminds us that when all is said and done, the world
is a joke, and the biggest joke of all is that we’re in it," Liotta
says.
So go ahead. Take Falstaff’s advice. Laugh at yourself.
OPERA: The UCLA School of Arts and Architecture’s Department of
Music presents Verdi’s "Falstaff," performed in Italian with
English subtitles on May 21 and 23 in Royce Hall at 8 p.m. Tickets
are $35, $20 and $9 for seniors or students with UCLA ID. For more
information, call 825-2101.
Photos by LYNN NISHIMURA
(bottom) Performers sing at the dress rehearsal of Verdi’s
"Falstaff," a music department production playing in Royce Hall.
(middle) John Klacka and Myoung-Gyu Lee appear in "Falstaff." (Top)
Peter Atherton appears as Pistola in "Falstaff."