The stage opened to a roaring symphony and stars cast across the background. Sharlene Wells (Oracle) walked out on stage and opened the scene, quoting Martin Luther King Jr.

This is the world premiere of the Utah Opera’s rendition of Beethoven’s “Fidelio.” With 950 students in attendance and the final dress performance underway, this singular opportunity was one for the taking. 

A continuation of the opera made for the people

This performance was something different and exciting, but with a natural lead. The director, Tara Faircloth, had a vision to create a story that could be stylized and realistic. Faircloth changed details to suit a modern telling of this Beethoven classic but kept true to the message. Something that would be relevant to all audiences, but especially a Utah audience. 

The Utah Opera is one of the only fully produced companies in the West. They build, design and produce everything from within. Along with that, for this show, the cast and creatives are locally connected, Wells having grown up in Utah, as well as the costume designer, Fan Zhang, who is currently a professor at Utah State University. Zhang’s vision coincided with Faircloth’s, and they created an image of colors that told a big, dramatic and important story with an influence from the characters of “Dune.” The colors were simple but gave a contrast of darkness to a passionate story of love and hope. 

From countless hours of welding, sewing, designing and returning to the chopping block again and again, the presentation differed from what I understood previously about the story and Beethoven’s work. Faircloth and Zhang agreed that the design of the show tells you where you are. The set itself is minimalist, but the melodramatic additions of the projections and props add another layer to the story.

The power of words realized

The Opera made it clear to audiences to have no preconceived notions about what this story was going to be on their stage. They had previously produced “Fidelio” in 1999 and 2011, but this time, they took a risk. With a focus on the basic human relationships unfolding onstage, Faircloth’s direction took a path of extra dialogue. A character was inserted into the story, who could relate with the audience and extract meaning from each scene with powerful words quoting Mahatma Gandhi, John Steinbeck, Martin Niemöller and others. Faircloth made it this way so that the script could relate to any moment in time. This character is the Oracle, written for Sharlene Wells.

Wells said this was the first time she performed in an opera. She has a background in theatre, but “nothing more than an extra in the background,” she said. “Now I’ve got responsibility.” The role of the Oracle is to tell the story from the perspective of the audience. This role was previously extra dialogue cast on a screen for people to read, but for this show, the role has been realized.

“Fidelio” opens on Jan. 17 and runs through Jan. 25. It has a run time of about two and a half hours, and experiences feelings of love, justice and hope, which is timely in the current climate we are in. Tickets are on sale now and can be found at their website here.

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