“Dulce Rosa,” an opera with music by Lee Holdridge and libretto by Richard Sparks, premiered Saturday at the intimate Broad Stage in Santa Monica. On the plus side was the fact that the lyrics, sung in English, were easily understood in the small auditorium, although augmented by subtitles. However, because of the stage limitations, photographed images were projected onto a basic set, changing every minute or so. It was very disconcerting.
The opera, based on a short story by Isabel Allende, has a prolonged first act with about 45 minutes devoted to the expressions of love between Dulce Rosa and her father. Suddenly the mayhem begins and there is a change from sweetness and light to darkness and murder. The small South American town of Santa Teresa now experiences acts of violence from a guerrilla army, backed by a greedy, ambitious politician. The second act is more exciting as Rosa, abused by the guerrilla leader, is torn between love and hate, as well as a desire for revenge. The music sets the tone for the story. Fortunately, the ubiquitous Placido Domingo was on hand to conduct the orchestra and give the fledgling opera a glorious sendoff.
The cast was splendid, starting with Greg Fedderly, the Los Angeles Opera veteran, as the father. Maria Antunez sang beautifully as the eponymous heroine. Others who contributed fine singing were Benjamin Bliss as Rosa’s sweetheart, Peabody Southwell as the housekeeper, Alfredo Daza as the guerrilla leader and Craig Colclough as the politician.
The costumes by Durinda Wood were very South American with a plethora of serapes. Jenny Okun was responsible for the projections, which were clever and colorful but too plentiful.
Richard Sparks directed. The question is, will Rosa ever make it to the Music Center?