A new Seattle opera company is launched with extraordinary "Return ...
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Stephen Stubbs
The return of Stephen Stubbs to Seattle has reached a climax with the launching of his new company, Pacific Operaworks. Those who witnessed the maiden voyage Wednesday night of Monteverdi's opera, "The Return of Ulysses," will be congratulating themselves for years to come.
Stubbs has been home from his star-studded career in Europe for a couple of years now, but those years have been building up to this project. And the staging of this particular opera is an event in itself. It comes from South African artist William Kentridge (who also has an exhibit at the Henry Art Gallery), and is directed by Kentridge's frequent collaborator, Luc De Wit. It also employs the skills of the Handspring Puppet Company of Cape Town.
The mix of arts is extraordinary. Every character has three bodies: the intricately carved wooden puppet, the puppeteer, and the singer. The instrumentalists perform on stage, blending with a beautiful wooden gallery, and behind the whole thing is a movie screen on which Kentridge provides a constant flow of images.