Page 24 - Classical Singer Magazine November/December 2019

Dorothy Danner
Danner directing actors in the Duluth Playhouse’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar, 2015
the foreign language, or whatever it takes.
How do you feel about the prevalent trend of displaced time and location settings versus traditional settings for operas?
I try not to judge it. I say, “That’s where their head is”—it’s very courageous! I worked a lot with Jonathan Miller at Glimmerglass, and in his book S ubsequent P erformances, he o ers a sort of rule: “If a piece takes place at the time it was written, it
should never be changed. But if the piece was written about an earlier time, then one has the freedom
to alter the setting.” Time settings impact me in a di erent sort of way because, as a dancer, I work physically with people. I want to see their shapes and the lines of their bodies.
For example, I once did a Gianni Schicchi, which is meant to be set
in 1299. Well, the costumes of that medieval time period are lumpy and formless, baggy—and everyone’s bodies were all smothered in the
same shape—and yet the story is lled with such disparate and amazing characters. So, I decided to update that show to the 1940s. I also once updated L’italiana in Algeri to the 1930s.
La Calisto was my rst Baroque piece, and my wonderful conductor Gary Wedow, who is renowned for his Baroque music work, said, “We get to shape it. Let’s do it like a Broadway show!” We had a grand time, and
it certainly gave the show a fresh timelessness. I have admired many
24 Classical Singer | November/December 2019
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