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Passion
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by James Lapine
Based on the film Passione d’Amore directed by Ettore Scola
originally directed on Broadway by James Lapine
Directed by Gary Griffin
At Chicago Shakespeare’s Upstairs Theater
Navy Pier
Chicago, IL
Call 312-595-5600, tickets $48 - $64
Tuesdays at 7:30 pm
Wednesdays at 1 & 7:30 pm
Thursdays at 7:30 pm
Fridays at 7:30 pm
Saturdays at 3 & 8 pm
Sundays at 3 pm
Running time is 1 hour, 40 minutes with no intermission
Through November 11, 2007
Sondheim’s comment about Passion: “one long love son, one long rhapsody.”
Passion is a hauntingly beautiful chamber operetta
Director Gary Griffin, a master interrupter of Stephen Sondheim’s musicals, has set Passion in the intimate 2 level Chicago Shakespeare Upstairs Theater without amplification. The result is exquisite chamber piece filled with natural rhapsodic, lush and haunting melodies sung expertly. This intimate show has an intelligent book by James Lapine based on the French film directed by Ettore Scole. Passion won 3 1994 Tony Awards including Best Musical. It is a memorable haunting look at love, obsession and, of course, passion.
Set in the 1860’s Italy at a military encampment and dressed in authentic uniforms and period perfect women’s dresses (designed by Paul Tazewell), Passion is about a young, handsome Captain, Giorgio (Adam Brazier) who seems to know what love and passion are as he has a torrid affair going with Clara (Kathy Voytko), a married woman. We see the two singing an in bed duet “Happines” and ode to their sexual pleasure. Giorgio’s transfer to a rural mountain post leads to several love letters exchanges in song between Clara and Giorgio. Brazier and Voytko are good looking lovers whose wonderful voices fill the small stage with positive, sensual tones.
The officer core features Kevin Gudahl, James Rank, Neil Friedman, Larry Adams and Mike Nussbaum aided by Joseph Tokarz as a Sergeant. This group sings harmonies and provides the military flavor with cadence marches. Captain Giorgio doesn’t fit into the military mode since he neither drinks nor gambles. Giorgio is a nature loving idealist who is more a pure romantic than a military man. When he meet the sickly, plain Fosca (Ana Gasteyer), the Colonel’s cousin, Fosca instantly falls in love with the dashing, polite and proper officer.
Passion could be renamed Obsession since Fosca persistently demands love as she unabashedly throws herself at the young Captain. Fosca manipulates Giorgio using her frailty and sickness as tools to appeal to his chivalry. He senses her obsession and attempts to free himself from her grips but Doctor Tambouri (Mike Nussbaum) maneuvers Giorgi toward Fosca in an attempt to extend her life by giving her a reason to live. The doctor understands the redemptive power of love. Fosca comes across a nasty, ugly negative woman without feelings.
We see a flashback that shows Fosca’s ill-fated marriage to Count Ludovic (Jeremy Rill) whose only interest in Fosca was her dowry. Penniless and scared by rejection, Fosca escapes into books and her illness as the Colonel provides her housing. Could Giorgio be her last change at love? Giorgio tries to spend time with Clara while Fosca tries to interfere with Giorgio’s affair. Eventually Giorgio learns that Clara’s love isn’t true since she’ll not leave her husband and child to be with him. Fosca’s intense love is true and unconditional. And that passionate love is what Giorgio realizes is what he really wants.
This romantic journey is filled with Sondheim’s marvelous, almost hypnotic, lush melodies sung wonderfully mostly in duets with stirring solos that depict the wide pain and ecstasy of the yearning for love and the struggle of romantic interludes. Kathy Voytko’s rich soprano voice is a wonder to hear and Adam Brazier combines intensity with his splendid voice to make Giorgio a charismatic and empathic character. Ana Gasteyer gives Fosca a depth and painful presence that eventually explodes into a chilling passion that makes the show so haunting. At first we detest Fosca, but we gradually realize that she understands that to love (unconditionally) is to be alive. We grow to admire her pure passion. We quietly hope she wins Giorgio’s affection. Giorgio learns that love isn’t easy as he matures to discover the nature of love that Fosca possesses
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This journey of discovery has such a beautiful score, on such romantic words, sung with an emotional charged cast, making Sondheim’s Passion a stunning piece of art. This is treasure of a chamber operetta. Romantics, music lovers and the passionate will rejoice in this rapturously haunting music gem. Adam Brazier, Kathy Voytko and Ana Gasteyer render fabulous performances. Their Passion transfers to our Passion.
Highly Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: October 11, 2007
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