Photo by Jill Anna Ponasik - Milwaukee Opera Theatre
Milwaukee Opera Theatre "Preludes" rehearsal
Milwaukee Opera Theatre "Preludes" rehearsal
Some of the most imaginative musical theater in town during this century has been staged by Milwaukee Opera Theatre. This weekend MOT will perform Preludes by Dave Malloy, whose Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, a musical setting for a segment of Tolstoy’s War and Peace, went from Off Broadway to a year-long-run on Broadway. MOT’s production of Preludes was delayed since 2020 because of the pandemic and will finally debut at the Woman’s Club of Wisconsin.
The elegant 19th century setting is ideal for Preludes, whose subject is the psyche of Sergei Rachmaninoff, the Russian Romantic composer of—yes—preludes as well as symphonies, concertos, operas and other works. Rachmaninoff composed a trio élégiaque to honor Tchaikovsky’s death; the debut of his First Symphony was ruined by the drunken conducting of Alexander Glazunov; he argued with Leo Tolstoy (who thought art should be kept simple); and premiered much of his work under the gaze of Tsar Nicholas II (Rachmaninoff’s music was later banned by Stalin). Tchaikovsky, Glazunov, Tolstoy and the Tsar are among the production’s walk-on characters from Russian cultural history.
Artistic Director Jill Ann Ponasik explains that everything MOT has done was similarly “animated by the questions, ‘Why make art?’ and ‘What do the pieces of the past have to tell us today?’” MOT’s entertaining spin on Mozart from 2019, Zie Magic Flute, is one example. They had fun with the Singspiel while honoring its eternally meaningful story of good triumphing over evil and the future over the past. “Preludes happens to play with those questions in a way I haven’t encountered before, by using the lens of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s hypnotherapy sessions to see our own relationship to creativity,” she continues.
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MOT’s Music Director Ruben Piirainen will play Rachmaninoff, often seated behind a nine-foot concert grand piano. Malloy’s piano score, augmented by synthesizers and electronic sound, will “create the soundscape of Rachmaninoff’s mind,” Ponasik says. “We chose the ballroom of the Woman’s Club of Wisconsin for this piece because of the beautiful piano they have, and because this story sits so well in that building. We’re bringing lighting and sound equipment, but everything else we’re using; furniture, textiles, etc. are from the club’s inventory.”
Most of Preludes’ cast—including Joe Picchetti, Jenny Wanasek, Natalie Ford, Gage Patterson and Joel Kopischke— are from the original production planned for March of 2020. “They feel like MOT family at this point, and it was so meaningful for us to be reunited this spring,” Ponasik says.
MOT brings an additional thrill count to Preludes as their first live show since the pandemic. “Oh boy, I can’t possibly put my thoughts and feelings about returning to live performance into a few words,” Ponasik says. “Not being able to work in this way has felt like a loss of self for so many of us. We’re just beginning the process of putting ourselves back together. And it is so moving to watch singer actors using their full power again. Each minute of rehearsal is truly a gift.”
Milwaukee Opera Theatre will perform Preludes on April 1-2, April 4-5 and April 7-9 at the Woman’s Club of Wisconsin, 813 E. Kilbourn Ave. For more information, visit milwaukeeoperatheatre.org.
