While Chicago Shakespeare Theatre presented an innovative South African take on The Magic Flute last month (see the PN website for September’s column), nearby Chicago Opera Theatre presented its own uncommon production of a Shakespearean classic. Many opera fans may be familiar with Verdi’s interpretation of Macbeth (which is the first broadcast of the 2014-2015 The Met: Live in HD cinema series at 11:55AM Oct. 11), but instead COT selected Swiss composer Ernest Bloch’s less-acclaimed adaptation which premiered in Paris in 1910.
The selection of Bloch’s score over Verdi’s was not the only feature of this performance that helped Chicago Opera Theatre live up to its mantra of “Opera less ordinary.” The company also chose to enhance their production with live video technology; during the production, actors themselves moved video cameras around the stage to capture close-ups of the action.
These images were broadcast real-time on screens at the back of the stage to simultaneously offer audiences a panoramic theatrical view and cinematic frames capturing more intimate views of the characters in this complex psychological drama. This innovative staging technique parallels with Bloch’s approach to writing the opera. As the COT website quotes from Bloch’s biography: “His conception of the music was to express the inner ferments of the characters, more important to him than the actual external drama.”
Both Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and Chicago Opera Theatre received positive reviews for their unorthodox productions. As these companies reimagine well-worn classics and the Lyric Opera of Chicago ventures into new repertoire and commissions, it will be interesting to see which strategies prove most effective in attracting new audiences.
