Heartbeat Opera's Radical 'Vanessa' Revival Sells Out at Baruch Performing Arts Center

Heartbeat Opera, a twelve-year-old company known for radical transformations of classic works, has mounted a sold-out production of Samuel Barber's neglected opera 'Vanessa' at the Baruch Performing Arts Center in New York. The show, running through May 31st with added performances, is the fastest-selling in the company's history. Music director Dan Schlosberg reduced Barber's orchestrations to seven instrumentalists, while artistic director Jacob Ashworth cut choral scenes and concentrated the action to five principal roles. Director R. B. Schlather drew out the full implications of Gian Carlo Menotti's libretto, presenting a stark, minimalist staging with dark costumes, no projections, and dry ice for the snow scene. The cast includes Inna Dukach as Vanessa, Freddie Ballentine as Anatol, Kelsey Lauritano as Erika, Joshua Jeremiah as the Old Doctor, and Mary Phillips as the Baroness. 'Vanessa' won the Pulitzer Prize in 1958 but fell out of favor due to its conservative late-Romantic style and the failure of Barber's subsequent opera 'Antony and Cleopatra.' Recent revivals by companies in Washington, Los Angeles, Santa Fe, Monte Carlo, New York City Opera, and a 2018 Glyndebourne production have restored its reputation. The opera's plot follows Vanessa, a wealthy middle-aged woman awaiting her lover Anatol, whose son arrives instead, leading to a complex web of relationships.