Photo by Timothy Moder
Next Act Theatre’s production of William Luce’s Bravo, Caruso! is a charming foray into the humanity of one of opera’s greatest tenors, Enrico Caruso. Edward Morgan’s staging invites the audience into the role of reporters conducting a dressing room interview with the star before what would turn out to be his final performance at the New York Metropolitan Opera. The year is 1920, it is Christmas Eve, and Caruso and his longtime valet, Mario Fantini, maintain staunch optimism in the face of Caruso’s rapidly deteriorating health. Sharing everything from the troubles of celebrity and opera gossip to his own humble origin story, Caruso is a gregarious host assisted by the put-upon but wholeheartedly dedicated Fantini.
David Cecsarini, reprising the title role after 12 years, is masterful. He nails the nuanced nature of extreme celebrity, giving us a Caruso who is at once thoughtless and gracious, self-absorbed and compassionate. One moment he is insisting Fantini iron his costume for the fourth time, and the next bestowing generous gifts on him.
Christopher Tramantana, last seen in Next Act’s Back of the Throat playing a man accused of terrorism post-9/11, delivers a strong performance as another character who masks refined opinions and high intellect with a polished veneer of submissiveness. Although Tramantana’s Neapolitan dialect slips at times, his likeable characterization and ability to juggle deferential dialogue with revealing facial expression more than make up for it.
A sumptuous set (Rick Rasmussen) and costumes (Dana Brzezinski) full of rich fabrics and luxe furnishing in inviting earth tones create a dressing room so posh it could pass for a parlor. Michael Van Dreser’s lighting plot is sensitive and completes the pervading warmth. Cecsarini's sound design stands on original recordings from the historic Caruso, who was among the very first singers to cut records. It is a bit of a letdown that a play about a renowned vocalist contains no live singing, although it is textually justified (“I never sing for free.”) and the inclusion of Caruso’s antique recordings is certainly fitting tribute.
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At its heart, Bravo, Caruso! is about the two men and their relationship. The star wanders far back into his memory to discuss his adored mother for whom he was always “a little divo,” a Neapolitan beggar boy who reveled in simply “having the sun,” and the mother of his own children who left him for a servant. Fantini is there to catch him and correct the numerous errors in dates Caruso makes. He has clearly heard all these stories many times—he can even be called upon to tell them—but he always puts Caruso’s dignity first. Pompous though he is, the star loves Fantini in turn. As he poignantly notes, “A brother of choice is stronger than kin.”
Through Dec. 6 at Next Act Theatre, 255 S. Water St. For tickets, call 414-278-0765 or visit nextact.org.
