By Benjamin Jarvis
Utah Opera will perform Handel''s 'Julius Caesar' beginning May 15, which will combine the ancient story of Caesar and Cleopatra with some modern intrigue of the 1930s.
'Julius Caesar' tells the story of Caesar, Cleopatra, and her brother Ptolemy as they each vie for power and control in Egypt, circa 34 B.C.
'When you see this piece, what becomes quite evident is we''re dealing with major egos,' artistic director for Utah Opera Christopher McBeth.
For this performance director James Robinson has the action take place in 1930s Hollywood in the form of a movie being produced on a back lot soundstage.
' was thinking ''What other time and place can I find, where these kinds of over-the-top egos and love relationships all co-existed?''' McBeth said. 'And he went ''Oh my gosh!'' The Hollywood movie spectacles of the ''20s and ''30s jumped right into his mind.'
Although the songs themselves will remain the same, the director and producers inserted a ''30s setting to put a uniquely modernized spin on an old classic.
'It''s been close to two years since the creative team ... started actually thinking about how it was going to work,' McBeth said. 'This is one of the more adventuresome, I would say, productions we''ve ever done.'
The characters are even updated to the point of Cleopatra becoming a classic blond bombshell, reminiscent of early starlets like Greta Garbo.
All these updates are only the latest efforts to bring opera to the masses. Most operas are in foreign languages like Italian, 'Julius Caesar' included.
In recent years, opera houses have begun to project English translations of what the performers are singing on a screen above the action on stage. These projections are called 'supertitles.'
'When those first came out, of course, there was all sorts of dialogue going on about whether or not they should be used or if they were distracting,' McBeth said. 'In truth, if you''re going to tell a story, you''ve got to understand what the words are.'
Supertitles aid the audience so that they may fully immerse themselves in the story and experience.
'It brings every art form together in a beautiful way, each art form complimenting the next,' Utah Opera Director of Marketing Spencer Clark said.
Opera is still generally seen as entertainment for the rich, old and stuffy.
With 'Julius Caesar' lasting about three hours, the patience of most dedicated television aficionados will likely wear thin.
'It''s an investment of time ... and I don''t think we''re taught to concentrate on something for that long of a period of time,' McBeth said.
The director has gone to great lengths to keep up the momentum by employing set and lighting designers to create scenes in front of the curtain while the sets are changing behind it. This way, the music never stops and the action keeps on moving.
In spite of all the traditional challenges, those at Utah Opera feel strongly about what they provide the public.
'We hope that they feel it enriches their lives to the point that they want to see it happen again and again and give us reason to continue doing what we do,' McBeth said.
Slug: Julius_Caesar_Opera
358-1992
13.3 inches