Suor Angelica

OPERA OMAHA’S NEW PRODUCTION of Puccini’s Suor Angelica was full of intense emotion that left the audience in tears but exhilarated (seen Feb. 24)! Despite getting the show off to a slow, static start, director Ketura Stickann wisely allowed principals Elaine Alvarez (Suor Angelica) and Ronnita Miller (La Principessa) to exploit their own fierce dramatic skills.

At the top of the show, Alvarez’s diction was difficult to understand and the tone was swallowed, but as her voice warmed up and her tone brightened Alvarez began to shine and captivate the audience. “Senza Mamma” was a dexterous balance of overt passion and controlled intensity that drew the audience into Angelica’s pain without melodramatic overacting or dramatic platitudes. In the Angelica’s final moments, the madness that overtook the young nun was so genuine that when Angelica realized what she had done the audience’s empathy doubled.