by Cami
The week before opening night when Jack found out
there were still tickets available and that there was a
dinner with the cast afterward (it was sold out by then
but that never stopped Jack before!). He arranged
everything and surprised me with the whole wild weekend.
The opera was astonishing to me. As big a fan as I am of
Andrea, having seen him stand without moving a muscle in
concert while he sings for more than an hour, I had
serious doubts about his ability to actually move around a
stage, let alone act...let alone do it at the same time as
he was singing!! He had said he suffers from stage fright
of mythic proportions and this would only be his second
opera. But he moved on that stage as if he had been
sighted all his life, and it seemed to me nothing short of
miraculous. The man has courage and determination that
goes straight to my heart like an emotional cruise
missile.
One cannot ignore the power that is in his voice when you
are in front of him. There were so many compellingly
beautiful moments when his voice held those high, sweet,
silvery notes. It was obvious to me that those in the
audience recognized and connected with the beauty of his
voice as well. At times you could have heard a pin drop
when he held us all in thrall.
We did go back November 12. I am glad, because I was more
relaxed . . . and so was Andrea I think. In several places
it seemed to me I could hear more intense emotion in the
singing. Also the interaction with Denyce was more intense
and natural. I think our boy is in danger of becoming a
ham! Clearly he is a natural actor. I find it interesting
that he has said in several interviews that the acting and
movement of his body was very difficult for him, as if
there was some barrier of fear that he had to overcome in
the beginning. But overcome he did!
And then when the magic was over and we were home once
more. I wrote a long letter to the Detroit News in
response to the very nasty Mr. Lawrence Johnson's review.
But I think the critics will not make any difference.
Andrea bypasses them and goes straight to the hearts of
anyone who hears him. I am happy to have been there at the
beginning.
by Eileen
Andrea was wonderful. He was beyond wonderful. I cannot
even begin to communicate to you the magnitude of his
accomplishment. In the opening scene, when I saw this man
sitting so majestically and proud upon that horse, I
thought my heart would stop. He literally LEAPT off of it
with such ease and grace, but the impact when he landed
upon the stage reverberated right out into the theater
with such a force... it was truly, truly a moment I will
never forget! I just knew, KNEW then and there that all
was going to be fine.
He seemed a little tight and uncertain at first. But with
each passage of music, he became more comfortable and
fluid. By the second act, he was in full stride. He was in
wonderful voice and hit all the high notes beautifully and
added such lyrical tenderness to all the arias. With all
my heart I regret not staying for a second performance, as
all my friends did, because I must say that I was truly in
a daze and fear that I can't sufficiently recall all of
the wonderful details. But here are a few memorable
moments: at one point, Andrea was so overcome by his grief
when he realizes Charlotte is betrothed that he literally
threw himself down on the stage and laid there prone and
sobbing. Another moment, when he and Charlotte have a
heated exchange and he leaves her room in amorous
frustration, he picked up a chair and HURLED it across the
stage... Andrea did it with such force that it splintered
in two! I felt so sorry for the baritone playing Albert,
because he had to ad lib picking up the pieces when he
entered in the next scene... it was one of those
unexpected moments that make live theater so interesting
and exciting.
But truly the element that will emblazon this performance
in my heart and mind forever was the chemistry between
Andrea and Denyce... it literally sizzled and leapt off of
the stage. You could just sense the deep empathy and trust
built between them over these last weeks. And I have to
take a moment to give Denyce Graves her rightful dues...
she was MAGNIFICENT! I simply cannot adequately express
the caliber of her performance. And it was so evident that
she and Andrea were real partners in every musical
passage, throughout every difficult scene...it was really
something to behold. By the time the fourth act came and
he was lying in her arms, kissing her tenderly, and then
breathing his last...my heart just simply broke. It was
the most breathtakingly beautiful performance I have ever
seen and one I shall never, never forget.
Afterward, I had the good fortune to be able to attend the
candlelight dinner with the stars of the opera. Andrea
entered with Enrica and looked so happy and so
confident... you could just sense that he was pleased with
his performance. He was so relaxed and animated and
graciously made himself accessible to everyone. I shook
his hand and told him that his performance was
extraordinarily wonderful. He thanked me with such
sincerity, as if he had never heard this before, and
leaned down and gave me a kiss on both cheeks. Such a
small moment in his life, but of course, one of the most
momentous in mine. And I am convinced that this is what
sets this extraordinary man apart... his complete
unawareness of his effect on people, his true humility. At
the end of the dinner, Dr. DiChiera, General Director of
MOT, gave a wonderful speech and stated that what struck
him so profoundly about this production of Werther was the
atmosphere of love and concern and caring that flowed
between the cast and crew... a true phenomenon that he
stated he had never witnessed before in all his career.
But of course this is what Andrea is capable of doing...
of bringing out all the best in those around him, of
creating a synergy of commonality in those who would
otherwise be divided. And then Andrea himself took the
microphone and spoke at length. He thanked the cast and
crew for all of their support, for making him feel so
comfortable. He stated that never in all his dreams did he
ever hope to be accepted with such warmth and affection by
his audience. And that because of this, he will surely
return again and again. Amen... so be it!