Chatham Life & Style

by Lauren Lisinski, staff writer

Raleigh Memorial Auditorium

Raleigh, NC

October 27-29, 2023

Learn more at ncopera.org/2023-2024-season

North Carolina Opera’s 2023-2024 season opened on a high note with its performance of Verdi’s La Traviata. Set in Paris circa 1850, the show opens to an extravagant party hosted by Violetta (Vanessa Vasquez), our leading lady who enjoys the party lifestyle. There she sees Alfredo (Jonathan Johnson), who professes his love for her. From there the audience is taken on the journey of their love, loss, and short-lived reunion as Violetta deals with the heartbreak of sacrificing her happiness for the sake of Alfredo’s family, and then eventually her death.

As far as performances go, Vanessa Vasquez truly shined and carried the lead role well. Her aria “Sempre Libera” at the finale of act one was a showstopper and a clear display of her talents. Jonathan Johnson made for a good Alfredo, but was marred by several voice cracks throughout, something that would seem out of the ordinary for someone with such an extensive resume. Andrew Manea was a strong Giorgio, Alfredo’s stern but compassionate father. The rest of the main cast did their jobs well, and the ensemble sounded great despite a few logistical hiccups. The only thing I would say is that Vasquez’s performance was starkly on a higher level than everyone else on stage, perhaps making them pale in comparison.

Aside from the strong performances, the design aspects of the show were fantastic. The set, costumes, and props were all provided by Nashville Opera, and each scene was essentially color-blocked. Act one was the fiery red of passion, act two was a dreamy white, followed by a sad blue, and act three was morose gray. Each color corresponded well to the tone of the scene, and made for a look that was visually appealing without being distracting.

North Carolina Opera has taken to providing a consistent standard of high quality, but not overly-exceptional, work. That said, I think that they started their season strong and will continue that through The Barber of Seville in early February. -- L. Lisinski

Lauren Lisinski (she/her), staff writer, has lived in the triangle for close to a decade and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned Bachelor's degrees in Music and Communications. She is a classically trained lyric soprano, but sings and has performed both opera and musical theatre. Lauren is the associate music director of a church, and was previously a voice teacher for four years. She covers a variety of performing arts for Chatham Life & Style, where she has been writing since 2019.