Passion, Shame and Loss (Kentucky Opera)

La Traviata

Music by Giuseppe Verdi

Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave

Conducted by Emily Senturia Directed by Sable Strout

Review by Jeanne-Marie Rogers.

Entire contents are copyright @2025 by Jeanne-Marie Rogers. All rights reserved.

“La traviata” (the woman who strayed) tells the story of Violetta, a woman who has built a lavish life for herself by trading companionship and sexual favors for gifts and financial support. She embraces the pursuit of pleasure, even telling her admirer Alfredo that she doesn’t know how to love. Alfredo believes that they can be happy together, and is shocked to learn that Violetta is selling her possessions to finance their lifestyle. Alfredo’s father Giorgio enters the scene to insist that Violetta end her relationship with his son to restore honor to his family. These interactions of these three characters

form the nucleus of the tragic tale of passion, shame and loss.

The Kentucky Opera’s production of “La traviata” is an immersive experience that begins when entering the Kentucky Opera Center for Cultural Health. Members of the cast mingle with the audience, and patrons are invited to have a picture taken, get a drink at the bar, or relax on red velvet chairs. Piped-in music features jazz, standards and 1950’s rock.

After a solemn opening, the chorus enters and the action begins. The chorus members, prepared by Lisa Hasson, sing precisely and thrillingly as they portray a wild party in full swing, just a few feet away from the audience. While Violetta is costumed in red, the rest of the cast is dressed in black and white to convey a 1950’s noir setting. The costumes by Holly Jenkins-Evans are sumptuous, with the exception of Giorgio’s distractingly bad suit. The delicate sounds of the accompanying ensemble, performing a reduction by Jonathan Lyness and conducted by Emily Senturia, are well balanced in the space.

As Violetta, soprano Abigail Rethwisch was adept at the vocal fireworks of the opening arias and brought a warm and resonant tone to the later scenes. Tenor Victor Ryan Robertson is charming and vocally persuasive in the role of Alfredo, moving from tender pleading to passionate outbursts with ease. Robert Kerr sang the baritone role of Giorgio Germont with authority and fervor. Rachael Bell was literally the life of the party as Flora, and Louisville natives Dylon Crain and Rebekah Bortz Hardin make the most of their smaller roles.

The stage director, Sable Strout, specializes in non-traditional and immersive settings of opera, making her up to the challenges of the wide open space of the Opera Center. Using a long central corridor, with raised platforms on either end and screens displaying English supertitles above, she fills the room with swirling sound and movement. The audience is seated on either side, bringing them closer to the action, but making it difficult to follow the story at times due to awkward sightlines. Perhaps this approach will never replace the traditional opera staging, but it brings immediacy and intimacy to a well-worn operatic classic.

La Traviata Kentucky Opera November 7, 2025 | 8pm

November 9, 2025 | 2pm

November 11, 2025 | 7:30pm

November 13, 2025 | 7:30pm

November 15, 2025 | 2pm

The Kentucky Opera Center for Cultural Health

708 Magazine St. Louisville, KY 40203 https://kyopera.org/traviata/