Review: Bold and Brave, Milwaukee's Skylight Presents Sensual POWDER HER FACE

"I have only one purpose in life-- to be loved," believes Margaret, the Duchess of Argyll in the Skylight Music Theatre's new production of the chamber opera Powder Her Face. Staged in the Cabot Theatre defined by bravado, brilliance and bravery, Milwaukee hosts the 1995 opera by British composer Thomas Adès, an artist awarded the prestigious Grawemeyer Prize for Composition. With the libretto written by Phillip Hensher based on the sensational divorce proceedings of the Duchess of Argyll, the story toys with society's fascination of any royal's private life similar to how the Duchess toyed with the numerous men in her life.

Directed sensitively by Robin Guarino, Skylight continues to center on strong women, and this opera's particular woman centers attention on the celebrity status of beautiful, British royalty even if the Duchess was a minor instead of a major figure aka Princess Diana, HRH Kate, or even the former Camilla Parker Bowles, now the Duchess of Cornwall. While Margaret's marriage and divorce occurred during the 1930's through 1960's, today society demands more access through multiple media outlets into the private lives of almost anyone in the public eye, seemingly offended when access is denied and careless with the authenticity of the source.

Skylight's stylish production of the Duchess and Duke's divorce proceedings begin as a flashback in her elegant 1990 hotel room, designed by Lillana Duque Piñero, from the end of Margaret's life. Here the Duchess reminisces about when she met the Duke, her second marriage, and what transpired afterwards that rocked British society at the time because of Margaret's explicit rendezvous with numerous men. With subtle artistry and palpable sensuality, in costumes designed by Cesar Galindo, the four actors/singers display an accomplished portrayal of the Duchess and her fashionable, high society life, including her eventual demise into poverty.

Cassandra Black plays the eventually beleaguered, impetuous and tempestuous Duchess by inhabiting her regal air, even when in despair. Kaleigh Rae Gamaché sizzles on stage as her maid, and various other characters in the Duchess' life. The two men, Benjamin Robinson and Joseph Beutel, give their characters, an electrician and hotel manger, handsome charm, although they play several roles throughout the flashback. This extremely gifted quartet hits every note of Adès intricate score, even when the 15 piece orchestra complements their instruments with a slide whistle, fishing reels, and electric bells for an eclectic sound. Artistic Director Viswa Subbaraman's sublime control of this music, and the singers, underpins the brilliance of this contemporary style opera.

In one poignant scene, taken directly from a printed copy of the libretto, (which is compelling reading and would be wonderful to be seen during the opera in subtitles) the Duchess listens to the radio and hears this song, sung Cole Porter style: And admit my heart is reeling/with this electric feeling/that I love you/ Why don't you love me back until I'm ninety-five? This plays just a few scenes before her wedding to the Duke, where her maid claims, "She doesn't look happy, she looks rich."

While the Duke and Duchess were indeed rich, they were hardly content, much less happy, nor loved till they were aged 95. Perhaps the provocative chamber opera underscores this point, that money rarely equates with happiness, and delves into society's insatiable obsession for royalty and their private or sexual exploits.

Notice how the press embarrassed Prince Harry by publishing hotel room photos a few years ago, or how photographers haunted Princess Diana with every new boyfriend, while stating how rich he was, after her divorce from Prince Charles, who had his own dalliances with the then Camilla Bowles. What ever happened to Sarah Ferguson, the forgotten former wife of Prince Andrew--no longer royal, no longer newsworthy? And why did the press seek to publish photos of HRH Kate topless on her honeymoon? Or going back farther in time, disparage Wallis Simpson, the two-time married divorcé who eventually charmed Prince Edward into abdicating the throne for their supposed conjoined happiness? These, as well as the Duchess of Argyll's illicit photos in her own very public divorce case, caused scandal in England because women appear more to be the temptresses in each instance, maybe since the day that Eve offered Adam the apple, while the men infrequently suffer equal insult in similar circumstances.

Any divorce, royal or otherwise, is never pretty, and usually meant a degree of disgrace for women more than men in the early 20th century, as well as some financial setbacks, along with deep personal sorrow when any marriage escapes the expected happy ending. Perhaps, too, when society minimizes idolizing woman as sex objects, seen only for their gorgeous faces or fashion worthy figures, will the media concentrate more on what these women accomplish in their public lives. News where ultimately who they are captures more headlines than how these women look or what they wear, or what they' do in their private lives, including who they choose to sleep with.

The Skylight's bold and brave Powder Her Face raises the bar for discussion on these current, timeless issues, beginning with a woman named Margaret, a duchess searching for private fulfillment, that chance to be loved as a person the best way she believed or knew how to do this at that time in her life. Pre-show sessions and talk backs at each performance consider these themes and reveal more about the Duchess' life, well worth the time to listen to. Significant considerations when sitting in the audience because more than becoming famous, or being named handsome or pretty, the chamber opera resonates with the ultimate truth that men or women, married or single, long for love and respect more than riches.

The Skylight Music Opera presents Powder her Face in the Cabot Theatre at the Broadway Theatre Center through February 14 with the recommendation the opera be seen by mature audiences only. For further information, special events, or tickets, please call 414.2917811 or visit: www,sklylightmusictheatre.org.

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