Passion - Theatre Latte Da

Passion is a little done Stephen Sondheim/James Lapine work, but one of my favorites if not my favorite. The last production I saw was at the Minnesota Opera back in 2004 at the Ordway. While it was gorgeous, the space was far too big for a very intimate show like Passion. The original Broadway production in 1994 won the Tony Award for Best Musical, and had an amazing cast with Marin Mazzie as Clara, Donna Murphy as Fosca, and Jere Shea at Giorgio. It was also filmed and I have watched it a number of times. The Broadway production was played realistically, as it was happening in front of us, and I thought it worked very well. This production at Latte Da, directed by Justin Lucero with music direction by Jason Hansen and movement direction by Emily Michaels King, is played as a memory play and works very well. It allows for us, the audience, to make sense of aspects of the story, like Clara reading one of Giorgio's letters while walking through a scene between Giorgio and Fosca. The set is bare, showing the whole space which I loved. It reminded me of the Southern and all the exposed walls (and that would be another great location for a production). A small orchestra, led by Jason Hansen, is set up on the right side of the stage, and there is a raised platform covering most of the center of the stage. 

The show opens with Giorgio (Dylan Frederick) in the center of the platform on a bed with sheer white curtains on all four sides, opening a box of letters and memorabilia. He opens a letter and is transported back to a stolen afternoon with Clara (Isa Condo-Olvera), his married lover. 100 min later, he is back in bed, recovering from a nervous breakdown caused by the events we just witnessed...yet he has also realized his truth of what love is. Is it an afternoon tucked in a room with a lover, or is it the passion that he experienced for the first time from someone, Fosca (Erin Capello) who may not seem like the ideal mate, but has consistently shown devotion and love. Giorgio also realizes how easy it is to give love, but how difficult it is to receive love. He has finally fully experienced receiving love and how that love will continue to be a part of his life. 

I find the score to be one of the most beautiful written by Sondheim. There are gorgeous songs that he has written for other works, but I think this is the most romantic score throughout. The setting is a military base, secluded in the mountains of Italy. The majority of the cast are male with the exception of Clara & Fosca. This allows for gorgeous male choral harmonies, but also sets apart the voices of Clara and Fosca so we naturally pay a bit more attention to them. Even during a flashback scene which tells us of how Fosca came to live at the base with her cousin, Colonel Ricci (Eric Morris), her mother and another female character are played and sung by one of the guys. This specific scene is played behind one of the curtains so it is shadowy and wonderful. Curtains are used throughout the show to set scenes and locations. It is a wonderful use of the empty space, yet also keeps things intimate. From the start when we see Giorgio in bed through the curtains, they are there to always make us wonder if we are seeing the story clearly or if we are just seeing a glimpse. The curtains also remind us that this is all memory, so a bit hazy, not always clear.

The show is based on the film Passione d'Amore by Ettore Scola, which you can find to watch online. The film was based on the book Fosca by Iginio Ugo Tarchetti. I have not watched the film yet, or read the book so I am not sure how close it sticks to either. There is a lot about reading in this show and maybe my love of the written word is part of why I love this work. What I find interesting is that only one book is actually mentioned, a novel by Rousseau named Julie; or, The New Heloise. Sondheim loved puzzles, and I feel like this is one of those nuggets of info that he drops into a work that some people may make the connection to, while others may gloss over it, and still others will do some digging and find out what is what. Like all the many names he drops in "I'm Still Here" in the show Follies. You don't need to know all the connections, but it adds depth if you do. Since I am in that later bracket, I did my research and this is what I found. Julie is a novel that is epistolary - like the novel Clarissa, or the History of a Young Lady written by Samuel Richardson. The beauty of this nugget is that the Rousseau novel is told in letters, and the primary aspect of Passion is all the letters and writings. I find it fascinating...like the lead character in a show featuring pointillism is named Dot. Does it deepen the story in any way? Not really, but it is a clever additional layer to have in mind. Is the novel Julie the inspiration for Fosca to have Giorgio write that first fatal letter? At the same time, Fosca stated that the character of Julie is "a great mystery." And isn't Fosca the same way? Also, at the start of the show we hear Clara sing "I pitied you, how quickly pity leads to love." Is this the same thing that Giorgio is dealing with? Does he pity Fosca, which then leads to love? Or is that how Clara first saw and fell in love with Giorgio, while Fosca shows him a different type of love?  I feel the whole show is about the different types of love and how love changes, and grows, or shrinks away.

The casting is fantastic. The military men all have strong gorgeous voices. It is always a joy watching Bradley Greenwald in anything. His character of the Doctor is troubling because it feels that he initiates the relationship between Giorgio and Fosca with good intentions, but keeps it under the table so all the fault lands on Giorgio in the end. Eric Morris as Colonel Ricci is strong, protective of his cousin, and sings the role beautifully. Clara is wonderful. She has a great voice, and you truly feel the love that she feels for Giorgio, but also the conflict she has between what she wants, the expectations placed on her, and her status in society. Fosca...what a role. You get complex, beautiful songs - you feel her pain and desire, but are also put off by her obsessive qualities. Vocally Erin is fantastic. She plays all the aspects of the character, and makes us feel her desire, and her reasoning behind her love of Giorgio. Finally Giorgio - it is his story, his memory we are watching and he is actively there every moment. He is intently listening to the music of the story, the songs being sung to him, staying in and feeling every moment of this memory. And what a voice. It is another difficult role as we need to see the slow shift in his outlook on his circumstance, and his perception of love. Dylan clearly shows that through with everything in his toolbox - his body, facial reactions, vocals...everything. It is a strong performance in a gorgeous production. One I wish I could see again. This is one of a handful of Sondheim's that I will see any time I can. A stunning score, a difficult but moving story, and if you get a chance to see a production, I urge you to go do it. Experience this in person.