“When the moon hits your eye like a bigga pizza pie…” that’s how last night’s full moon over the Hualalai resort appeared on time for the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival’s Pasta alla Puccini. Patrons enjoyed a seven-course meal designed by Chef de Cuisine Michael Haren that included antipasto, handmade pasta in Cacio E Peppe with a roasted garlic cream sauce, and Chef Lisa’s pistachio cannoli and tiramisu.
The Ke’olu Clubhouse venue is luxuriously crafted with dark polished wood and a cascading stone wall fountain at the entrance. Each covered lanai area is surrounded by water – reminiscent of the canals in Venice that added to the festive ambiance. Ronny Michael Greenberg and Parker Konkle accompanied five singers on piano keyboard – Faculty Artists Jennifer McGregor (soprano), Bill Christensen (tenor), and Carl DuPont (Bass-Baritone) and the two lovely ingenues that were reviewed in Opera on the Rocks (Ciara Newman – soprano) and As One (Amanda Staub – mezzo-soprano).
A very clever program resembled a menu starting with “Brindisi,” the fun drinking song from Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata; “Venice & Naples” with Staub introducing Rossini’s “Avanti La Regata” (before the race) and masterfully sang Anzoleta, who watches and cheers on her lover, Momolo, in a Venetian regatta – a gondola race (which delighted this reviewer at the thought of the water canals around the clubhouse). The cascading melody with which the song begins captures the scene of the Venetian canals and the impending contest as she excitedly encourages Momolo to “win or don’t come home.”
Two art songs by Francesco PaoloTosti followed with DuPont singing “Aprile,” and Christensen presented “Ideale.”
Blonde Ciara (see-AIR-uh) Newman and brunette Amanda Staub were bright shining stars under last night’s full moon. Staub finished that first set brilliantly with “Una voce poco fa”; Newman sang two arias from Puccini’s La Bohème – Musetta’s “Quando M’en Vo’’ and Mimi’s “Donde Lieta” with precise diction and full command and power of runs and trills. Their warmth and stage presence captured the audience. The lady at a table across the restaurant was enraptured. This year, Carl DuPont, new to the faculty, was a prince, singing “Vecchia Zimarra” from Puccini’s La Bohème. (singing a benediction over Mimi as she is dying from consumption, DuPont pointed out that you could hear the funeral march in the score.)
McGregor sang Puccini favorite “O Mio Babbino Caro” from Gianni Schichi, which she directed at the Four Seasons in 2011, and Christensen’s “Nessun Dorma” so moved Newman and McGregor that they were obviously smiling and “singing along.”
Perhaps to make up for no encore the other evening, there were 2 “hana hous” (thank you, Ronny Michael) – “Funiculi Funicula” (comparing one’s lover to a volcano and let’s go to the summit), and “O Sole Mio” (this sun, my own sun shines from your face) with a sung competition of one-up-manship between McGregor and Christensen.
The audience was appreciative with a standing ovation and “Bravo”s and “Brava”s – congratulations to the performers, accompanists, and food servers. Everyone enjoyed this soiree, and one can only imagine how much hard work and hours of practice went into making this smooth production.
This was a beautiful concert – short and sweet on an incomparable evening at Hualalai. Mahalo to sponsors Peggy Kent and Deviants from the Norm for making this possible for the residents.
About the author: Rona Lee studied theatre arts and film at SUNY Purchase (Conservatory – College of Performing Arts) and Communications at the University of Arizona. She traveled abroad with Up With People! (1983-84) and moved to the Big Island from New York in 1990.
Photos: Steve Roby
Performance date: 12/July/2022
A full calendar of HPAF events and tickets for all events are available by visiting https://hawaiiperformingartsfestival.org/. Tickets for Kahilu Theatre events may be purchased at https://kahilutheatre.org/ or via phone at (808) 885-6868.