The Eyes Have It

 

Back in February I photographed the dress rehearsal for Opera Southwest's production of Rossini's Le Comte Ory, starring Christopher Bozeka and Lindsay Ohse.  The opera is Rossini's only French-language comic opera, and it is hilarious.  You can read a brief synopsis of the opera here.  Suffice it to say, however, that Rossini's musical brilliance, coupled with a typically French comedy plot, make for a rollicking good show.  

Le Comte Ory is a lecherous but somewhat clueless Count who invents ridiculous schemes to win the preeminent object of his lust, the virtuous Adèle.  In Act I he poses as a phrenologist who offers counseling (and, implicitly, sexual satisfaction) to the women of the town . . . including, he hopes, Adèle.

By the end of Act I, Ory's identity is eventually revealed, much to the disgust of the women he has "counseled."

In Act II, Ory disguises himself and his men as nuns to gain access to Adèle's residence.

Needless to say, after lots of hijinks, things don't go well for the Count . . .

. . . and Adèle is united with her true love, Isolier, the Count's page.

In the course of reviewing and selecting the best images (from over 3,000) to document the performance, I began to notice a common feature of many images that seemed to capture and illustrate the wacky spirit of the opera:  namely, broad facial expressions and, more specifically, the eyes of the performers -- not just the principal singers, but others as well.

These expressions might be visible to people seated in the first few rows, but for those further back in the hall perhaps not so much.  And the looks are fleeting -- they appear and disappear in (dare I say it?) the blink of an eye.

But with my proximity to the stage -- roaming from side to side along the empty front row of seats, immediately adjacent to the orchestra pit -- and my camera's ability to stop time, I was able to capture some of those looks that might otherwise have gone unnoticed and unappreciated.

Some obvious examples:

And some not-so-obvious (and perhaps more interesting) examples.  Check the woman on the far left . . .

. . . and the man standing in the background:

Many looks of astonishment or surprise:

A few sidelong glances:

And lots of other emotions appear throughout:

Last but not least, a crucial ingredient of any comedy:  plenty of faux surprise and faux innocent faces.

Now of course the enjoyment of an opera in real time doesn't arise from stopping to note a gesture or a look. It's a holistic experience that relies primarily on the music and the singing; the action and staging; the costumes; the lighting; and the sets.  As Alexander Pope wrote in his An Essay on Criticism,


                    'Tis not a lip, or eye, we beauty call,
                    But the joint force and full result of all.


After the fact, however, photography gives us the ability to see and appreciate some of the details that contribute to the "joint force and full result of all."

If you would like to see these and many more images from the complete dress rehearsal, please visit my photography website, Todos Juntos Photography, by clicking here.
 
Enjoy!