As the curtains rose and the lights dimmed, students and family members listened and gazed onto the stage for the semester’s firstopera at the Moores Opera House.
Thursday night was the opening of “The Consul” at the Moores School of Music. With passion and drama, the singers played dramatic roles that emphasized the lives and struggles of individuals during the post-World War II era. Guest artist Raymond Harvey conducted the school’s orchestra, which added intensity and emotion to the characters’ image.
“The music is really dynamic, and they’re very good players,” said music senior Rey Gonzalez. “The whole production to me seems flawless, and I’m actually really impressed. I can’t wait to see future productions of this.”
Not only did the music and singers have to get into the story, but the setting was displayed as the story went along. Walls were shifted around to change an apartment to an office, while a kitchen table and oven were quickly swapped for an office desk and benches. Second doctoral candidate in vocal performance Gwendolyn Alfred played the main character, Magda Sorel, who was one of the individuals in the story struggling to save not only her husband, but also herself.
“I feel as it was a great role and it was very touching and heart-wrenching,” Alfred said. “I really had to set myself aside because I had to get into character and put myself in that situation. I had to think for myself as if it was really happening to me.”
Although the ending of the story was unexpected, the audience whistled and cheered as the cast took their bows on stage. The cast even invited Harvey and stage director Lynda McKnight to take their bows as well. McKnight was easily touched by how well the cast’s performance went and hoped that the audience was impacted by it.
“In a way it is very depressing, because it doesn’t have a happy ending, but in a way it does,” McKnight said. “There’s hope at the end — it’s not hopeless.”