Opera gives ‘Romeo’ new twist

As the lights slowly dimmed, a wave of quiet calm flowed through the audience.  A warm pink glow came from the stage as the actors began their scene silently, until the women chorus members screamed. 

The music came to life suddenly, accompanying the suspense of violence and hatred between the two families Montague and Capulet.

“Romeo et Juliette” opened Friday at the Musical Arts Center as the second opera in the 2009-10 IU Opera & Ballet Theater season. Guest conductor Ronald Zollman led the Jacobs School of Music Philharmonic Orchestra for the performance.

The opera is an adaptation by Charles Gounod of William Shakespeare’s famous play “Romeo and Juliet.”  Because the play could not be translated word for word, some of the attitudes in the story itself changed. 

Graduate student Kara Grant said she thought Shakespeare’s original work was much funnier than Gounod’s adaptation.

“I feel like there’s not as much humor,” she said.

Grant said that this was her first operatic experience at IU and that it was enjoyable.

“It’s exciting to see what IU does,” she added.

Graduate student Erin Biebuyck said she appreciated the fact that she was familiar with “Romeo et Juliette,” and many other audience members agreed.

“I like the fact that I know the story,” Biebuyck said.  “I can just listen and watch.”

Graduate student  Christina Clark said she noticed a few small changes had been made in the adaptation.  As well as the change in humor, she said that Juliette seemed much bolder than her Shakespearean character.

“We like that Juliette is feminist,” Clark said. Grant and Biebuyck agreed.

Grant and her friends said they looked forward to seeing more productions at the MAC, especially “Die Zauberflote,” which opens Nov. 13.

“I think it’d be interesting to see something that I don’t already know, something with more humor,” Grant said.