Eugene Onegin
By Kyla Cook - Chugiak High School
The idea of opera is often intimidating to the average person. The thought of watching someone sing for three hours, especially in a foreign language, sounds, to many, closer to torture than art. But on February sixth at eight o’ clock, Anchorage Opera challenged that stereotype with its first Russian opera, “Eugene Onegin.”
The storyline was simple enough: when she loves him, he’s not interested; when he loves her, she’s already taken. The sets were minimal, yet effective. What really energized this opera was the stellar performances. The individual talents of each actor were uniquely captivating and awe-inspiring . Particularly notable was Janice Meyerson (Filipyevna), Veronica Mitina (Tatyana), and, of course, Anton Belov, as Eugene Onegin.
The setup of the show was well designed for the typical observer. Two intermissions made for a comfortable experience, although the second act seemed oddly short. English supertitles ensured even non-Russian speaking patrons could follow the story. This latter asset had its downside though. At times the words were out of sync with the action, and quite often the wordings just didn’t make sense.
Overall, Eugene Onegin is an opera anyone can enjoy. Additional performances are on February 10th 12th and 14th at 8:00.
Eugene Onegin
Anchorage Opera
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Discovery Theatre
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