‘Pagliacci’ drives into Powers for OWR production
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Scott Skiba takes creative approaches with classic operas.
Some are born from the imagination of Opera Western Reserve's production director, such as last year's steampunk-style "Faust." Others -- 2020's "La Traviata" that used Stambaugh Auditorium as its set and 2021's hybrid version of "Romeo & Juliet" -- were necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The inspiration for this year's staging of Ruggero Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci" came from a car.
In the late 19th century opera, a performing troupe of clowns arrives in an Italian village, where the star discovers his wife (and co-star) is having an affair. The real-life drama and the on-stage story begin to blend with tragic consequences.
"I wanted to have a creative way to bring the arrival of the traveling troupe of clowns into town," Skiba said. "If you’re at the Met or something like that and you have all the money, then you bring in a donkey-drawn carriage or something like that. I was working on a different show, and a colleague texted a picture of a car that they had built for (the musical) 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.' That looks awesome. So I texted him, 'Hey, what are you doing with that when you’re done?' Long story short, they held onto it so that we could use it for this."
A car wouldn't work for the late 1800s, so Skiba shifted the setting to Italy in the late 1940s. The post-World War II period would be appropriate for the hard times referenced in the story, and it still was early enough where the arrival of a group of traveling performers would be treated as a big deal in a small town.
That move shaped the other visual choices. Skiba, who often draws inspiration from movies, had a specific note for costume designer Brian Palumbo.
"I said imagine the flashbacks in 'Godfather II,' when he's in Sicily, that kind of feel," Skiba said. "That's the vibe of the town where they are. This is in Calabria, just a little more north. I feel like 'The Godfather' is my reference for 90 percent of my stuff."
Susan Davenny Wyner is music director, and Dean Buck is conductor for "Pagliacci."
The cast features Jonny Kaufman as Canio, Sarah Joyce Cooper as Nedda, Jose Luis Maldonado as Tonio, Brian Keith Johnson as Silvio and Ethan E. Burck as Beppe as well as an ensemble and a children's choir.
Kaufman, Cooper and Johnson, a Warren native, have appeared in several OWR productions.
"He (Kaufman) has a great voice," Skiba said. "That's a prerequisite, and he's also a great person and easy to work with. In a business that's so challenging, where you're trying to pull so many things together, having people that are super easy to work with and are reliable and good colleagues (is important).
"They're all great. Brian and I have worked together a bunch. Sarah Joyce Cooper has been with us a lot. Jose Maldonado, this is his first time here and he’s been a joy to work with. Ethan Burke. It’s his first time here, but I’ve known Ethan for about 10 years now. I taught him when he was an undergrad student, so it’s nice to work with him."
That familiarity is an asset for Skiba, and he believes it goes both ways.
"On the singers' side, they know that it’s a safe place. They can have ideas and be creative with things."
"Pagliacci" was the very first opera OWR staged in 2004. Skiba wasn't involved with the Youngstown company then, but he has a long history with it as well. It was one of the first operas he directed, and it was the only time he directed and sang in the same production.
It is frequently performed by opera companies around the world for several reasons. One is its familiarity, Skiba said. "Pagliacci" established the "sad clown" trope. It's been referenced and parodied in such shows as "Seinfeld," "The Simpsons" and Looney Tunes. It inspired Smokey Robinson and the Miracles' "Tears of a Clown."
Another reason is its accessibility.
"It’s fast paced, it’s not long," Skiba said. "Some things will be familiar, and it’s a story that’s not hard to understand. There are other operas that I think are great experiences for the audience, but you might have to keep track of things. In this one, it’s like, 'OK, that person is having an affair. This person discovers it. Oh my gosh, he’s got to play a role on stage where, as a clown, his clown wife is having an affair. Whoa, life is overlapping.'
"There’s fights, there’s throwing chairs and tables, crimes of passion. It’s a pretty fast moving thing. It’s a really good first opera for those reasons. And it’s also got funny stuff too. You know, like rubber chickens and goofy clown horns going off. It makes you laugh, makes you cry."
If you go …
WHAT: Opera Western Reserve -- "Pagliacci"
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Powers Auditorium, 260 W. Federal St., Youngstown
HOW MUCH: Tickets range from $37 to $87 and are available at the DeYor Performing Arts Center box office, online at experienceyourarts.org and by calling 330-259-9651.