UM-St. Louis Opera Theater hosts a night of opera, love and…humor?

A quick word association game: make a mental list of all of the things that come to mind when you think of opera. Done? If the word “funny” did not make your list, you probably are not alone.
For many a casual observer, the broad expression, intense discipline and superb art of opera are often stereotypically associated with melodrama and tragedy. While these calamitous emotions made appearances during University of Missouri-St. Louis Opera Theater’s “An Evening of L’Amour,” the overall tone of the evening was one of levity, infatuation and the lighter side of love.
The Touhill’s Lee Theater played host Thursday and Friday to student performers in a creative intertwining of 20 pieces, spanning a range of operatic material from an 18th century composition by Mozart to a 20th century Stephen Sondheim piece.
Students sang in all vocal ranges, multiple languages and mixed ensembles. There were romantic pairings, comedic group pieces and a show-stopping group finale.
The show began with a lone violinist playing Gugliemi’s “La Vie En Rose” while the stage slowly filled with the performers who would be trading spots throughout the evening. The first few pieces were brief and distinct—not disjointed, but clearly separated pieces of different tone and mood, though all fairly light-hearted. Ravi Raghuram’s surprisingly funny, crowd-pleasing cupid exemplified this spirit, stealing scenes even though that character did not sing.
Donizetti’s “Only One Moment Adina,” however, from “The Elixir of Love,” proved a more in-depth piece that set itself apart from the previous performances. It was longer and had more time to sink in than the previous performance, and its casting allowed for perfect romantic and comedic timing, letting the duet weave its delights. A song from Verdi’s well-known “La Traviata” rounded off the first half of the show, leading into what the program humorously listed as “Le Pause.”
The second half of the evening saw longer, more individualized performances. The show found its pace and gave itself the kind of breathing room that truly allows opera to achieve what it is capable of and what the first half hinted at, particularly through tenor Keith Boyer and sopranos Jennifer Brown and Audreia Norman.
Donizetti’s “Lucia Sextet” drew the audience into the second half of the show’s potential, featuring stand-out performances from all of its performers including mezzo-soprano Blair Brown, bass-baritone Bradley Hult and soprano Lauren Weber. Clever comedic performances of Stephen Sondheim’s “Remember” and Arthur Sullivan’s “Madrigal” rounded out the evening.
The entire evening’s performance proved the diverse talents of the entire cast and the ability of our student performers and faculty directors to put on a splendid, moving, funny and overall first-rate show.