Lovely review of operas by Robert Paterson, Victoria Bond, and Herschel Garfein.
Gulliver: Soprano Ariadne Greif and tenor Glenn Seven Allen shared much of the spotlight in a few roles each. Both were in fine voice, as was baritone Jonathan Green in a Gulliver-as-narrator role. Greif and Allen delivered droll characterizations along with confident realizations of Bond’s modernist-influenced, accessible and exciting recitatives and ariosos. (Greif and Allen would return in even livelier roles later.)
The Companion: Directed by John de los Santos with a smart libretto by David Cote, Allen’s uproarious portrayal of Joe established him as a singer with exceptional acting skills. Grief’s naturalistic performance as Maya did the same, with baritone Robert Welsey Mason grounding the action as Dax and revealing unexpected depth to the character.