The Thrust stage at the 773 Theater on Belmont is a small black box. As we enter, the cacophony of a 19-piece orchestra tuning up assails us. Seats are at a premium; arranged for about 120, folding chairs are added, and half a dozen nimble people climb a ladder into the small wing for seats. Amy Hutchinson, Director, briefly addresses the audience, asking for donations that will enable Folks Operetta to perform in a larger space, which they sorely need.
Folks Operetta Reclaimed Voices Series
THE FLOWER OF HAWAII is part of Folks Operetta (their name derived from Vienna’s Volksoper) Reclaimed Voices series. It expands their mission to include recovering the forgotten works of Jewish opera composers who were forced into exile or perished at the hands of the Nazis.
From the program notes and promotional materials for this play we learn that the late 20’s and early 30’s initiated radical changes in European music, sparked by touring jazz band from the United States. Hungarian Paul Abraham combined jazz and traditional waltzes in his breakout operettas. Between 1929 and 1932, he composed three of the most successful operettas of all time, plus popular songs and film scores. The fact that he and his collaborators never visited Hawaii did not deter them when they wrote THE FLOWER OF HAWAII. They melodramatically combined the actual history of U.S. occupation with the need for a good love story and produced a plot that, in this writer’s view, tests the limits of imagination but gives rise to great songs.
The story goes as follows--- A U.S. film crew is shooting a Hawaii based story when surreptitiously, Hawaiian royalty formerly in exile or hiding, return. Prince Lilo-Taro and Princess Laia were promised to each other as children. Following the U.S. occupation, they fled. Hawaiians, with a renewed spirit of nationalism, welcome their return, crown Laia and reunite the couple. But other loves cloud the picture—Laia for Captain Stone, commander of the ship that brought her from France. Liai, Lilo-Taro and three other couples all find “happily ever after” before the operetta ends.
THE FLOWER OF HAWAII Features Opera Stars, Singers, Dancers and Comics
In this reviewer’s opinion, the featured singers/actors in THE FLOWER OF HAWAII are first rate. Tenor Rodell Rosel as Prince Lilo-Taro and Baritone Nicholas Pulikowski as Captain Stone lifted the performance with their large full voices in both operatic and comic songs. Unfortunately, Marisa Buchhelt as Princess Laia and Angela Yu as Raka were underserved by the microphone system. Their lighter voices were drowned by the proximity of the orchestra. William Roberts as John Buffy, Ryan Trent Oldham as Jimmy Fox and Rose Guccione as Hattie and Perroquet were burlesque comics, buffooning, dancing, and singing their ways through the light plot. However, their spoken lines were difficult to understand. The full of cast of 24, many talented students at our local music schools, performed well in the confining space.
THE FLOWER OF HAWAII is somewhat recommended for light opera fans who can calibrate that this small theater is not the best house for this large production.
Somewhat Recommended
Cast:
Rodell Rosell (Prince Lilo-Taro);
Marisa Buchheit (Princess Laya/Suzanne);
Nick Pulikowski (Captiain Stone);
Teaira Burge (Bessie);
William Roberts (Buffy);
Trent Oldham (Jimmy Fox);
Angela Yu (Raka);
Robert Morrissey (Governor);
Benjamin Burney (Kaluna/Bobby Flipps);
Benjamin Kawsky (Sunny Hill);
Jordan Beyeler (dancer);
Ivory Leonard (dancer);
Ysaye McKeever (dancer);
Athena Kopulos (feature dancer/ensemble);
Sarah Ruth Mikulski (Bessie understudy/ensemble);
Clara Imon Pedtke (ensemble);
Elena Avila (ensemble);
Adrianne Blanks (ensemble);
Cydney Washington (ensemble);
Camryn MacLean (apprentice/ensemble);
Anwar Mohammed (apprentice/ensemble)
Julian Lee-Zachies (apprentice/ensemble).
Production Team:
Anthony Barrese, conductor;
Amy Hutchison, stage director/editor;
August Tye, principal choreographer;
Ressie Davis, choreographer;
Eleanor Kahn, set designer;
Patti Roeder, costume designer;
Eric Watkins, lighting designer;
Peter Schwob, technical director,
Kayla Kroot, props;
Joseph Frantzen, assistant manager/editor;
Antoliy Tochinskiy, rehearsal pianist
Hersh Glagov, translator/lyricist/editor.
When:
Thru July 14, 2019
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.
Sundays at 2:00 pm
Where:
Stage 773
1225 W Belmont Ave
Chicago, IL 60657
Tickets:
$30+
For more information please visit Folksoperetta website
All photos courtesy of Folks Operetta
Note: Picture This Post reviews are excerpted by Theatre in Chicago
Reviewer Ann Boland is committed to Chicago theater. Involved in the audience since the early 80’s, she’s witnessed firsthand the rise of our theater scene, our exceptional local talent, and the vigor of each new generation. Ann handles public relations for authors and works on programs to help seniors with neurological movement disorders. Please visit her website for more information.
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