New Opera “The Letter”: Review
Thom Thomas, whose play “A Moon To Dance By” will be done by George Street Playhouse in November, has just returned from the Santa Fe Opera, where he saw the new work “The Letter,” based on the 1940 movie with Bette Davis, which in turn was based on a play by Somerset Maugham. Thomas filed this report: ‘Believe me, the memory of Bette Davis’ brilliant performance is not sullied. Patrica Racette (pictured, with James Maddalena) in the role of Leslie Crosbie has a terrific voice but, to put it mildly, is much too robust. Since we know from the beginning in this adaptation that Leslie just murdered the man she loved, the rest of her performance is flat and has no tension.
‘The most dramatic scene from the film between the Chinese Woman and Leslie is non-existent. That’s the scene where the Chinese Woman demands that she deliver the letter personally to Leslie and drops it as she hands it to her so Leslie must lower herself to retrieve it. Gone.
‘To give some surprise to the ending for those who idolize the film and have seen it countless times, Jonathan Kent, the director, has Leslie commit suicide by plunging a dinner knife into her abdomen. The music by Paul Moravec
was unexciting, the libretto was so on the nose that many times the
audience laughed. Period costumes by Tom Ford were fine for the
gentlemen, but outlandish for Leslie. Her first appearance when she
shots her lover made her look like a drag queen. The one redeeming
element was the scenic design by Hildegard Bechtler. The scenes
opened up on that magnificent stage like a book and was a constant
revelation.
‘But the Santa Fe Opera house is fabulous. And it was a perfect night
with a blaze of a sunset at curtain.’
