Turandot triumphs

Just a few days after its grand opening, the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre staged Turandot, one of the most compelling operas of the famous Italian libretto, Giacomo Puccini.

Set in the ancient city of Peking, Turandot tells a story of passion and love tangled with death and sacrifice. As the curtain rises, we are greeted by an announcer for the Imperial Palace reading the law of the land: "He who desires to wed Princess Turandot must answer her three riddles. If he should fail, he will be beheaded."

As the eager crowd moves close to the Palace to witness the execution, our hero, Calaf, reunites with his father, Timur, the old King of Tartary. Timur tells Calaf that after Tartary had been conquered by the Chinese rulers, only Liu, a devoted slave girl, remained faithful to him.

When the Prince of Persia is brought out to be beheaded, Calaf, along with the people of Peking, curses the Princess's brutality and begs for the Prince's life. Turandot appears with her maids and orders the execution to continue.

Upon seeing Turandot's beauty, Calaf, forgets about her cruelty, falls madly in love with her and decides to vie for the Princess's hand in marriage.

The next part of the story is just like any other fairy tale. Calaf correctly answers all of Turandot's riddles and escapes death with a marriage offering from the Emperor, despite the Princess's opposition.

At this point, the audience learns that it is not that Turandot is picky about her husband; it is that she hates men and wishes to lure all those who desire her beauty to their graves.

Calaf, being the gentleman that he is, decides that he wants none but Turandot's love. He tells her that if she can find out his name by sunrise, he will die and she won't have to marry him.

After a restless night in Peking, the Princess and her guards capture Liu and Timur. Liu tells Turandot that she will never tell anybody Calaf's name and stabs herself. Her body is then carried away without a kind word from Calaf.

After some useless convincing, Calaf kisses Turandot, who feels herself falling uncontrollably in love, exclaiming, "O! What is happening to me!" And the couple lives happily ever after.

With all its popularity, Turandot attracted some thousands of people, from opera experts and theater lovers (the arts center was fully seatedw), and they were not disappointed. The theater put on a grand spectacle. From the extravagant costumes to the lavish stage setting and lighting, everything was just perfect. From the beginning to the end, the show moves with tension and hope, never losing the audience for a minute.

However, the real expectation for the night was the singing. Lori Phillips, in her debut with the Atlanta Opera, sang the title role as the cruel and beautiful Princess. Although she did not sing until the second act, with her first notes the audience was completely mesmerized. The texture of her voice is both smooth and strong, just like the character Turandot herself.

Playing Calaf is another Atlanta Opera debut, Philip Webb, whose deep, steady and powerful voice paired with Phillips' quite nicely. The expectation for Webb rose when he sang Puccini's signature aria, "Nessun Dorma." Although Webb was no Pavarotti (as his voice was a bit reserved), he sang the aria passionately and carefully, fully conveying Calaf's propitious victory.

However, a personal favorite was Angela Fout, who played Liu, the warm-hearted slave girl. The versatility of her voice left the audience speechless, and her depiction of Liu is absolutely brilliant. Fout sang of love and loyalty. Her voice was soft and fragile, but at the same time brave and piercing - no wonder even the ice princess was touched by Liu's character and strength.

By the time Fout finished "Tu che di gel sei cinta," I was already all choked up.The overall experience at Cobb Energy was just stunning. The general atmosphere and the friendliness of the ushers had me wowing from the second I walked in. Sitting in my seat, I imagined that was how Julia Roberts must have felt in the opera scene from Pretty Woman.

If I had anything to complain about, it would not be the show but how the story ended - I felt the ending was too sudden and unexplained. However, that was completely overshadowed by the rest of my experience. I'd encourage everybody to check out the show this month. Although the tickets are a bit pricey, you get every penny's worth. For more information, check out www.cobbenergycentre.com.