L’Étoile at Belmont: Silly & Exceptional Fun
On March 26th I had the opportunity to attend Belmont Opera’s production of Emmanuel Chabrier’s L’Étoile at the Troutt theater on the Belmont University campus. A French Opéra bouffe from 1877, the work is a zany comic farce whose sophisticated musical expression has puzzled performers since its premiere at Offenbach’s own Bouffes-Parisiens in Paris. In Director Savanna Sokolnicki’s hands, and under Maestro Daniel Krenz’ baton, the Belmont production was wonderfully fast-paced, fun and all-around delightful.
After an overture that demonstrated the Belmont Opera orchestra would have the evening’s score well in hand, the performance began with the hilariously sadistic hijinks of King Ouf I, “King of 36 realms,” played by Javier Castro (tenor) with an impeccable comedic timing. In the first scene Ouf has disguised himself and is traveling around the realm seeking a subject to execute for his annual birthday merriment. He is accompanied by Patacha and Zalzal (played “en travesti” by Eva Grossardt and Katelyn Barnes) who are all about business (kudos to Lissa McHugh’s amusing costuming!).
Meanwhile, Ambassador Prince Hérisson de Porc-Épic—brought to life by the delightfully unhinged baritone Brian Deavers—and his entourage travel incognito. Laoula, posing as his wife, is in fact a neighboring princess destined to marry Ouf. Reagan Hall lends the role a sturdy soprano, a finely focused timbre, and a comic instinct capable of conveying more in a glance than most manage in a hundred words. The Ambassador’s actual wife, Aloès (Madison Smith, soprano), exudes a charismatic, quietly beguiling presence, while Tapioca (Evin Ross), her co-conspirator, proves an ideal comic foil, the pair generating a deliciously absurd chemistry.
As the entourage presses on, chance intervenes: they encounter the peddler Lazuli, and in an instant, he and Laoula are swept into love and the zany plot just continues from there. As Lazuli, Rox Davidson, a mezzo singing en travesti, brings a voice of striking power, bright color, and unwavering security of pitch. Hers is perhaps the opera’s most fully human—and most demanding—character, poised between the quicksilver instincts of a cunning trickster and the earnest vulnerability of a young man newly in love. Davidson navigates this duality with remarkable ease, delivering a performance of real distinction.
Individually all the cast were fantastic, but some of the most endearing moments came in the ensemble numbers. The “Tickle Duet” for instance, sparkled with precision and wit, where Hall and Smith were just perfect together, communicating a sly humor and rhythmic buoyancy that, typically, makes a good performance of any opera bouffe just work. The larger ensembles were also well prepared, with a wonderful blend. It was laugh out loud funny when the entire ensemble lined up on the stage, à la rockets, to dance in a line. Special mention goes to Sirocco (Ryan Bede) whose supportive presence indicated and surely modelled the ideal for giving a performance for the benefit of the company. He was frequently hysterical, but never so much that he stole the scene from those around him.
The orchestra, always the unsung hero in a successful comedy, seemed to revel in the score’s shifting moods—from the sly elasticity of the opening to the glittering precision of the ensemble’s numbers—delivering Chabrier’s comic timing and orchestral detail vividly to life. The set design was functional and fun, while Coltrane Frenton’s lighting design was also quite good, transforming each scene into a playful yet meticulously crafted world where color and shadow worked in perfect comic harmony.
In general, college opera programs serve as vital cultural engines within their communities, nurturing emerging talent while making the richness of operatic performance accessible, relevant, and deeply rooted in local life. But, as Sokolnicki has proven, they can also be fun and entertaining! Well done Belmont Opera!
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Joseph E. Morgan is a father of two, husband, teacher and recovering guitarist in Middle Tennessee.
