New York City Opera performed “La Traviata” at BAM Sunday afternoon.
That’s who, what, where and when. But this was a performance without a “why.”
There are lots of reasons for an opera company to schedule “La Traviata” — an exciting diva with a golden voice, an offbeat new production or maybe a scholarly musical approach that restores the 15 minutes of music that’s usually cut.
But NYCO’s season opener offered none of these, least of all a viable singer for the iconic role of the tragic courtesan Violetta.
True, Laquita Mitchell looked glamorous, projecting the stage presence you’d expect from an actress who’s co-starred with Tyne Daly in the drama “Master Class.”
But her chronically pitchy soprano could barely approximate Verdi’s melodies, with the many high B-flats and C’s that decorate the score emerging as desperate yelps.
A listless borrowed production — originally directed by Jonathan Miller — offered grimy gray walls and a few sticks of furniture that looked like a clearance sale at Laura Ashley.
Worse, the staging drained the blood from one of opera’s most surefire melodramas. The scene when the jealous lover Alfredo angrily hurls money in Violetta’s face felt as prim as a tea party on “Downton Abbey.”
Not that it was easy to work up much passion for Alfredo (Canadian tenor David Pomeroy).
His voice was accurate but cool, and his behavior onstage suggested less a headstrong young lover than a middle-aged substitute teacher.
A few bright spots relieved the gloom, notably stalwart NYCO baritone Stephen Powell as Alfredo’s stern father. He won the afternoon’s biggest ovation for his stylish performance of the aria “Di Provenza.”
Even if conductor Steven White offered a chopped-up version of the score, he led what was left with a delicate touch. His sensitive reading of the last-act prelude hinted at the grace and pathos otherwise missing from this production.
After a year of budget cuts, labor disputes and the loss of a permanent home theater, NYCO had a lot to prove with this “Traviata.” But all the company demonstrated is that it can just barely get a show onstage, with no energy left for excellence.
Sadly, the only “why” that should be asked about NYCO right now is “Why bother?”