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The Girl of the Golden West, a first person perspective

Art

The Girl of the Golden West, a first person perspective

This week, Opera Coeur d’Alene presented “Girl of the Golden West” at the Schuler Performing Arts Center at NIC. Directed by Aaron St. Clair Nicholson, “Girl of the Golden West” is a unique blend of 1800s American Wild West culture and 19th century Italian opera. It’s a seemingly bizarre combination, leaving most viewers unaware of what to expect going in.

Coming from a student who admittedly knows very little about opera in the first place, and discovering the strange mixture of thematic elements to be seen in the show, I had no idea what to think walking into “Girl of the Golden West”. In fact, I was slightly turned off by the idea.

My expectations were exceeded absolutely.

The opera tells the three-part tale of a love triangle that centers around Minnie Falconer, beloved dame of the California Sierras. Minnie runs a saloon visited by most of the men in town, who adore her and treat her like a queen. She is stuck between two men; one, a sort of scum of the earth; the other, a mysterious man with a secret to hide.

The entire show is sung in Italian; but don’t let that scare you. The performance is dubbed with subtitles that hang from the top of the stage on a projector, making it easy to read and watch the show simultaneously.

From the very beginning, one is drawn in by the absolute beauty of the set. I give huge props to stage managers Keira Kindsfather and Leah Madison for executing a breathtaking stage that drew me in as soon as the curtains were drawn. The stage had depth, texture and life. Lighting designer, Jay Carkhuff, did a beautiful job as well. Physically, the show was absolutely beautiful and engaging to watch.

And yet the actual performances were even more stunning. Every member of the cast was overwhelmingly talented, with a few people standing out to me, including Max Mendez, director of choirs at NIC, who, though his role was brief, had a voice that was clearly nothing less than excellent. Roger Honeywell and Jason Stearns are obviously extremely talented in their roles as the other two members of the love triangle. And of course, Jill Gardner absolutely stole the show as the leading lady. She was a siren, not just to her character’s admirers, but to the viewers. Her voice easily guided the audience through the entire show from beginning to end. Her performance was incredible.

The show is broken up into three acts; each one rich with incredible orchestration, directed by Eckart Preu, voice, and visuals. What I loved about the show was the unique cultural blend. Something about the entire performance being sung in Italian gave it a kind of classic, romantic air, yet the western setting drew me in through familiarity. Nothing about it seemed foreign, and there was hardly a dull moment.

I would obviously recommend the show to anyone who enjoys opera, but for those of us who have never considered opera in our lives, I recommend it to anyone looking to immerse themselves in pure, live, raw talent. The show was so professionally and beautifully done. My review is nothing less than glowing.

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Taylor Nadauld is the Lead Reporter for the Sentinel. This is her third semester at NIC where she is pursuing an A.S. degree in Journalism.

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