South Florida Classical Review

Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Consul was presented by  Frost Opera Theater. Photo: Gonzalo Mejia

Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Consul is one of the greatest operas ever penned by an American composer. The tragic tale of a family in a dictatorial state, Menotti’s musico-dramatic canvas teems with expressive power tempered by subtlety and tender emotion.

On Wednesday night, the University of Miami’s Frost Opera Theater opened a two-night run of this searing American classic at the Clarke Recital Hall in the Weeks Center on the Coral Gables campus. This intimately scaled production offered a thrilling presentation that benefited from the closeness of the audience to the singers.

The cast was dominated by soprano Zaryah Gourgel as the ill-fated heroine Magda Sorel. Her large, multi-textured voice could ring out in fierce defiance one moment and register a soft incantation the next. She captured Sorel’s desperation and despair as her attempts to obtain a visa at a consulate to leave the country with her political dissident husband prove futile. When she threatened the secret-police agent, who hounds the family, with a knife, one could believe she was ready to kill him, such was the immediacy of Gourgel’s performance.

The culmination of her portrayal, appropriately, was the aria “To this We’ve Come” which Gourgel sang with tonal luminance and heartbreaking intensity. She received a well-deserved show-stopping ovation and cheers at her curtain call. This young singer is clearly gifted and highly promising.

Yuhao Sun brought a booming, voluminous baritone to the brave John Sorel. With a strong stage presence, he registered the hunted activist’s plight. His initial scene with Gourgel radiated sparks, with their chemistry vital and immediate. Slightly more nuance in his beautiful vocal instrument would have made his characterization even more effective.

As John’s mother, Alexandra Cirile’s warm-hued mezzo was deployed with skill, particularly in her attempt to comfort Magda’s child. Cirile gave moving poignancy to the infant’s death scene.

The role of The Secretary at the consulate is difficult to bring off. She represents the cold, uncaring face of bureaucracy. Lauren Richards (who last season gave a commanding performance as the Refugee in Jonathan Dove’s Flight) was properly icy as the consul’s gatekeeper. Her attractive light mezzo and fine diction suggested a modicum of humanity beneath the impervious exterior.

David Dai Han Lee’s Secret Police Agent encapsulated a scary aura and the epitome of inhumanity as he interrogated Magds while puffing on a cigarette. Buttressed by a deep bass-baritone, he clearly represented the villainy of an oppressive state.

Menotti cleverly created a light-hearted, comedic interlude with the scene of The Magician at the consulate. Brandon Flores’ fine-grained tenor and charisma made the performer’s magic tricks and biographical recitations genuinely delightful. He was aided by Arabella Arado in the silent role of his assistant whose vaudeville dances and antics lit up the stage.

Grace Mineo projected austere snobbery as the wealthy Vera Boronel (the only character who succeeds in getting a visa), with a strong mezzo. As the Foreign Woman, Veronica Garcia’s light soprano sound nicely contrasted with the other female voices. Alan Izquierdo as Mr. Kofner, Emily Auten Cross as Anna Gomez and Sean Quinn as John’s accomplice Assan all offered rounded portraits and vibrant voices in supporting roles.

The two-piano reduction of Menotti’s orchestral score worked remarkably well. Pianists Ellie Lee and Kevin Knowles’ musicianship and varied touch captured the work’s ominous undercurrents. Diego Hernandez, a student of Gerard Schwarz, conducted a taut, well-paced reading, coordinating the singers with sharply defined focus. Music director Jenny Snyder deserves great credit for the overall quality of the performance.

The limited stage space of the Clarke auditorium poses a problem for any director mounting an operatic presentation. Jeffrey Marc Buchman managed to make the most of the small performing venue with a production that fully encapsulated the opera’s mounting sadness. At the conclusion, Magda’s suicide had potent power. Rosa Mercedes’ choreography for the magician’s partner was funny and showbiz tinged but her macabre dance of death by all the characters, apparently Magda’s hallucination, had theatrical impact aplenty.

 Celso Peruyera’s lighting gave atmosphere to the protagonists’ story and Carla Cid de Diego’s costumes effectively delineated the individual personas.

Despite its modest scale, this version of The Consul was one of the Frost Opera Theater’s best offerings of recent seasons.

The Frost Opera Theater repeats The Consul  7:30 p.m. Thursday night at the UM Clarke Recital Hall in Coral Gables.   Nadia Lischke plays Magda Sorel.  music.miami.edu

Posted in Performances

One Response to “Frost Opera Theater delivers an intimate yet effective “Consul””

1. Posted Nov 14, 2025 at 6:30 am by Lara T

   What a beautiful production! Agree that the two piano reduction worked so well for this. Kudos to the production’s music director Jenny Snyder, who wrote this arrangement. Added so much depth.

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