[Met Tour] CID:141430



Roméo et Juliette
Boston Opera House, Boston, Massachusetts, Sat, April 6, 1946 Matinee





Roméo et Juliette (185)
Charles Gounod | Jules Barbier/Michel Carré
Roméo
Raoul Jobin

Juliette
Patrice Munsel

Frère Laurent
Ezio Pinza

Stéphano
Frances Greer

Mercutio
Martial Singher

Benvolio
Richard Manning

Gertrude
Anna Kaskas

Capulet
Frank Valentino

Tybalt
Thomas Hayward

Pâris
George Cehanovsky

Grégorio
Louis D'Angelo

Duke of Verona
Osie Hawkins


Conductor
Emil Cooper







Review 1:

Review of Alexander Williams in the Boston Herald

"Romeo et Juliette"

Things have certainly looked up with the Metropolitan since the open*ing night of the Boston season. Yesterday's matinee of Gounod's "Romeo et Juliette" was musically a smooth and creditable production. As an opera I find it ever so much more rewarding than the same composer's better known "Faust." The second and fourth acts are musically much richer than the set pieces with long intervals of tedium in "Faust." Yesterday's performance was ably conducted by Emil Cooper and was altogether a pleasant operatic afternoon in the conventional manner.

Miss Munsel's Juliette from the physical point of view was much more plausible than Shakespeare's Juliet ever is on the stage. Her youth, charming looks and slim figure really give us the illusion of this famous heroine. Her voice was on the small side, but improved as the afternoon wore on so that she was doing very well indeed in the fourth act. Mr. Jobin's looks as Romeo were unfortunately not to be compared with yesterday's Juliet. But he made up in vocal power and ability what he lacked in youthful presence as a romantic hero. His voice is a clear, well handled tenor and put across Romeo's love music yesterday with considerable fervor.

The minor roles were exceedingly well taken yesterday. Chief among them were the Friar Lauent of Ezio Pinza and the Mercutio of Martial Singher. Both were beautifully sung and splendidly acted. In fact it was something of a surprise to get both Pinza and Singher in the same opera. A fine vocal performance was also given by Francesco Valentino as Capulet and Frances Greer in Stefano's aria in the third act, sung to good effect.

The first act music was rather spoiled by a peculiarly sleazy looking and ungraceful ballet. It must be current Metropolitan practice to scrimp the ballet in its budget, and hope the audience won't notice or mind. But operas like this one of Gounod are quite dependent on the ballet when dancing is called for, and so must the spectacle as that in the first act, struck a sour note in what was otherwise an admirable production.



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