What’s more delightful than discovering an amazing artist you’ve never heard of? Case in point: French composer, musician, singer, and saloniére Pauline Viardot (1821-1910), whose short opera Cinderella is being presented by Resonance Works this weekend only. Charles Dickens considered her a “genius”; Clara Schumann considered her to be brilliant; Hector Berlioz considered her one of the greatest artists in history.
Based on the evidence of Cinderella, she also had a fabulous and cheeky sense of humor, one that is beautifully honored by Ben Robinson’s translation and director Emily Pulley’s yinz-centric adaptation. In this version, “Pauline Viardot” (played by Pulley) serves as both narrator and fairy godmother, turning back the clock to convince her younger self to marry for love rather merely for financial security. The young Pauline (Shannon Jennings) is a put-upon servant in the household of the pompous Baron Pictordu (Patrick McNally) and his two self-centered daughters Maguelonne (Katy Lindhart) and Armelinde (Gillian Hassert); there is no evil stepmother in this tale, only a callow father eager to keep climbing the social ladder.
Elements from other stories are dragged into this tale as well: Prince Charming (Donovan Elliot Smith) dresses as a beggar and knocks on the Baron’s door, where he is treated kindly by Pauline and callously by the Baron and his girls; and his assistant Count Barigoule (Gabriel Hernandez) pretends to be the Prince in order to deliver the obsequious Baron’s comeuppance. The mishmosh of tales also becomes something of a running joke in the show, as magical creatures or elements that don’t belong in Cinderella keep popping up in the narrative. The production knows that we know how the story goes, and takes that as an opportunity to continually make fun of its own conventions – as, for example, when the older Pauline helps the younger Pauline get dressed for the ball: “Don’t forget the shoes – they’re very important to the plot.”
Pulley directs with a light and playful touch: comic highlights include a slow-motion macarena during the Prince’s ball and an extended series of very bad puns around a condiment that is never named but rhymes with “lines” (and for which “the management,” in the form of artistic director Maria Sensi Sellner, feels compelled to issue an apology). Damian Dominguez’s costuming captures both the fairytale spirit and the gentle self-mockery of the adaptation, and Nicole White makes effective use of the space’s limited lighting capacity to make all of the magical transformations happen off stage. And while the storytelling does not take itself seriously, the music – conducted by Sellner and orchestrated by Robert Frankenberry (who also plays piano and embodies the elder Pauline’s friend Frédèric Chopin within the frame story) – does. Frankenberry is joined by violinist Maureen Conlon-Gutierrez and cellist Elisa Kohanski, and they brilliantly play not only Viardot’s compositions but also excerpts from a number of works by Chopin. The vocalists are all terrific, and it is, as always, a treat to hear such beautiful singing in Resonance Works’s signature intimate, chamber arrangement.
LOL humor, great music, what more could you want? Oh, maybe some food and drink? Resonance Works has you covered: Cinderella is not just an opera, but also a “royal soiree.” Dress up, arrive early, and nibble on delicious hors d’oeuvres (LadyFingers Boutique Catering) and cake (Grandview Bakery), sip beverages (Bar Marco), and enjoy cabaret performances before this exceedingly entertaining show.
The Pittsburgh Tatler 