Thursday night, we live-tweeted from LA Opera‘s long-awaited run of Moby-Dick, the contemporary opera by composer Jake Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer that brings Melville’s classic tale of whaling and obsession up close and personal.
The score and production are beautiful, with mesmerizing projections that mimic flying through the stars and the movement of a wild sea.
Nice use of projections and the sloped stage for the hunting party. #mobydick #tweetseats @LAOpera pic.twitter.com/b2w0w1pcaK
— Drew Tewksbury (@drewtewksbury)
Heggie’s score is more modern & varied than some have given him credit for. Lush, nubby textures & raw emotion #MobyDick — Lauri’s List (@laurislist)
Performances by Jay Hunter Morris (Captain Ahab), Joshua Guerrero (Greenhorn) and Morgan Smith (Starbuck) stand out, and the sense of adventure is palpable.
Tenor @Jguerrero_1 is really coming into his own voice – smooth, warm and silvery, impressive right off. #MobyDick — Lauri’s List (@laurislist)
Something (naturally?) piratical about @JayHunterMorris that makes him perfect for this role. #MobyDick @LAOpera — Lauri’s List (@laurislist)
Ummmm… Guns don’t kill people, really pissed off first mates kill people… Or do they?? #MobyDick @LAOpera #LAO30 pic.twitter.com/ul0OPOQyN9
— CK Dexter Haven (@MrCKDH)
The story is full of a variety of personal demons, of course, and characterizations are vivid. Morris does a beautiful job of singing like a pirate, without turning into a cartoon, and his strong presence and flashing eyes do much to make the captain larger than life. As Queequeg, bass-baritone Musa Ngqungwana, who hails from South Africa, is tattooed and coiffed for his role, but is even more impressive vocally:
Pls make @Musa_Ngqungwana‘s voice into a blanket & wrap it around me, ok? #MobyDick @LAOpera #LAO30 #WhaleAboutTown pic.twitter.com/HjRm035mzZ — jozjozjoz (@jozjozjoz)
The cast gave us a story full of dramatic tension and lively bits of detail:
Capt. Ahab orders the crew to “Drink and swear!” #mykindofcaptain #MobyDick @LAOpera #LAO30 #whaleabouttown — CK Dexter Haven (@MrCKDH)
…and those of us in the Tweet Seats had some fun along the way:
Duet between Starbuck and Greenhorn repeatedly mentions Nantucket without resorting to limerick #justsayin#MobyDick#LAO30@LAOpera
— CK Dexter Haven (@MrCKDH)
It’s a great show, and Los Angeles has waited for it for quite a while. The show runs October 31 to November 28, and is a must-see. Don’t miss it while it’s here!
And who are you, boy? “Call me…. ” @LAOpera #MobyDick #LAO30 pic.twitter.com/Yd08ID4bHv
— CK Dexter Haven (@MrCKDH) October 30, 2015
