Maroon Horace Mann sweatpants, furry off-white vests and bro tanks are not costume pieces usually associated with a 19th-century satirical opera.
But in "Patience," Gilbert and Sul- livan's first production of the semester, director Andrea Vela '13 wanted to cast the show in a modern light, allowing students to be able to relate to the opera, she said.
"When people hear opera, they assume it's stuffy and old-fashioned," Vela said. "I wanted to create some- thing to break those stereotypes."
The opera was written in the time of the aesthetic movement, valuing the arts above all else. the show centers around the chorus maidens' love for Bunthorne, the town poet played by Matthew Jaroszewicz '12. He sets his sights on the town milkmaid, Patience (Betsy Carter '16), but is met with resistance. the dragoons - the chorus of men - aim to show off their masculinity to the maidens but to no avail, as the maidens are in love with the poet. the chorus is stirred when Patience's first love Grosvenor (Johnny Abrams '15) returns to town.
Vela said her vision for the show was based on the creation of identity and the implications that accompany donning false identities to get the attention of others. this theme comes across clearly as the characters alter their personalities and outward appearances in hope of attaining the one they love.
With the idea of making the op- era more approachable, Vela kept all original dialogue and lyrics from the production but changed the costumes and scenery. Set in a modern urban neighborhood, the grey, spotted set reflects a concrete park, with a large, vintage Pabst Blue ribbon billboard sitting on the far end of the stage.
The costumes aim to create a duality of stereotypes between "the hipsters and bros," assistant director Buck Greenwald '15 said. the chorus of women could come straight out of the Rhode Island School of Design, dressed in blue leggings, tie- dyed shirts, gaudy earrings and cross necklaces. Elizabeth Adler '15, who plays Angela, wears a shirt that reads, "normal people scare me!"
The "bros" are the chorus of men, the dragoon guards who all wear gold chains, polo shirts with popped collars and bro tanks.
Despite creating the duality between the hipsters and jocks, the costume choices at times come across as confusing. the dragoons constantly refer to themselves as "military men" in song with characters such as the Duke and Colonel, which is hard to align with the costume choices. the characters that do not fall into either category - the two romantics, Patience and Grosvenor - are not put into modern day clothing, adding to a time period confusion. Patience wears overalls and a flowing white blouse, while Grosvenor wears a shimmering maroon velvet suit throughout most of the show, something that isn't quite modern. But providing him with an electronic tablet harkens back to to- day's modernity.
The ensemble's performance is the highlight of the production with the resonating voices harmoniously intertwining. Greenwald noted that supertitles would be projected during the show's run, making it easier for the audience to follow along with the Sondheim-esque rapidity of the lyrics.
Reflecting Brown's artistic culture, the chorus of maidens constantly raise their hands in approving snaps as they listen to the poems of Bunthorne.
"It's the subtleties that make these characters really special," Vela said. Carter hits all her high range notes with perfection, but her lines often seem forced and rushed. Jaro- szewicz fills Alumnae hall with his capacious voice, both in songs and script, emulating a melodramatic poet. his duet with Jane, played by Elizabeth Gurin '16, is the highlight of the second act, as they play off of each other's voices and eccentric gestures.
With a small cast of 11, Vela enjoyed the "tight-knit community" formed by the cast. the odd number lends itself to leaving one character without a partner at the end of the opera, someone the audience will have to wait to discover - with patience.
"Patience" is playing nov. 16 at 8 p.m., nov. 17 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and nov. 18 at 3 p.m. at Alumnae hall.
