PEORIA, IL -- After years without opera in Peoria, a stripped down version of Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte was performed with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra on March 12.
The performers were wonderful, and pulled off an amazing feat considering the lack of a stage. They all had fabulous voices, and acted and sang in Italian, from memory and apparently without microphones.
But the venue, Grace Presbyterian Church, on Illinois Rt. 91, was questionable. The lack of a stage forced the singers to move back and fourth in a tiny space in front of the orchestra, and sometimes sit on the edge of the stage or on stairs leading to the stage, which was not really a stage in the traditional sense.
Behind the 'stage' was an empty choir loft. It was used at times by a small chorus, which sang, inexplicably, in English. So the visuals were weak, except for the performers.
The building was constructed recently, but designed as a church not a concert hall. The sight lines on the main floor are not really adequate for a theatrical performance, leading to much craning of necks in the audience. The best seats are in the balcony.
The best thing about this space is the technology, with two large screens used to present supertitles, and even brief plot summaries. The acoustics also are good.
Then, alas, there's the parking lot, so badly designed with only one exit that it takes way too long to leave - 10 or even 15 minutes.
So why was the symphony relegated to this venue?
The Peoria Civic Center is awash in basketball fans for March Madness tournaments, so parking downtown is reportedly unavailable.
But what about Five Points in Washington, IL where the Heartland Festival Orchestra plays? Or what about changing the date so it doesn't conflict with basketball? The decision-makers should consider these options if they attempt another opera.
And the stripped down version of this opera leaves much to be desired. Part of the fun of opera is the spectacle: the settings and costumes. But these were missing in this version. The music was wonderful, of course, but it wasn't quite enough to make a first rate entertainment. Still, the standing ovation for the performers was well deserved.
-- Elaine Hopkins
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