Review: ALCINA is a Dreamy Vintage Opera at Dandy

A cozy opera set in a vintage shop. Is this the antidote to what is collectively ailing us? Okay, “antidote” may be a strong word, but Alcina—a collaboration between Milwaukee Opera Theatre (MOT) and Early Music Now—is certainly its own kind of balm. This 1735 opera by Handel tells of a lovesick sorceress who inhabits an island of enchanted illusion, where her ex-lovers are turned into everything from animals to boulders. 

Staging Alcina (directed by MOT’s Jill Anna Ponasik) at Dandy, a Milwaukee vintage furniture shop and event space, is an inspired creative choice. Enter through the glowy shop and meander your way to a wide-open room, which has been fittingly transformed into a theater-in-the-round. Among the seating options are vintage chairs and plush sofas. The space is lit with eclectic lamps—etched glass, Edison bulbs, fringed shades—for the dreamiest ambiance.

The stage itself is an oriental rug in the middle of the room with a few simple raised platforms set here and there. The players use the entire space to perform, creating an incredibly intimate experience. The musicians of Early Music Now (conducted by Fumi Nishikiori-Nakayama) cluster in a corner of the room—a Baroque ensemble of harpsichord, violin, viola, cello, piccolo, bassoon, and more. Alcina opens not only with lovely Baroque music, but also dancing (choreography by James Zager).

You can always count on Milwaukee Opera Theatre to be playful, and Alcina (libretto adapted by Danielle Gedemer) is no exception. This cast of characters is a bunch of charmers. There’s Esther Talopram as the drag queen narrator, for starters, guiding the audience through the story in English while the songs are performed in Italian. The seven singers (Cecilia Davis, Kristin Knutson Berka, Jackie Willis, Kaisa Herrmann, Nick Lin, David Guzmán) are altogether splendid with their vocal power and control. 

To me, opera is the Olympics of singing—an awesome feat for us mere mortals to behold. It was evident on Alcina’s opening night that those in the audience shared that sense of awe. I spied wide spontaneous grins, a man throwing his head back in laughter, and dreamy gazes as the notes poured out of singers and musicians alike.

I won’t say more about the plot of Alcina itself, since it would require longwindedness (as these centuries-old stories often do), but rest assured that the delightful narrator serves as a perfect guide. If you worry that opera is too convoluted or archaic, trust that Milwaukee Opera Theatre is a company that promises humor, surprises, and well-timed googly eyes. 

At the end of the show, my husband (who had never been to the opera before) turned to me with an enthusiastic “That was fun!” He’s right—it was fun. The fact is, Milwaukee Opera Theatre always brings the fun. I’m already looking forward to whatever they dream up next.

Photo Credit: Mark Frohna

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