Daily Press: Virginia Opera presents ‘Carousel’ in Norfolk

Matthew Worth has tackled some demanding roles in his operatic career, including the philandering “Don Giovanni” at Virginia Opera and Father Flynn in Minnesota Opera’s world premiere of “Doubt.” This month he returns to the Virginia Opera stage in a classic of another genre, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel.”

The young baritone admits to being a huge fan of Richard Rodgers’ music. Last summer he sang the role of Curly in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” with Central City Opera.

“The vocal line lies something between a baritone and a tenor, so it’s perfect for my voice,” says Worth.

Here, he gets to play another philanderer as Billy Bigelow, a carnival worker in a Maine coastal town in the 1870s. It’s a more complex role than your typical musical theater hero. Billy falls in love with and marries Julie Jordan but struggles to give up his old ways.

“Billy Bigelow is as close to an anti-hero as exists in the musical theater canon,” says Worth. “He’s a womanizer who preys on women and wins them over with his sexuality. Audiences find his actions rather despicable, but we still want to root for him.”

Bigelow’s violent streak — he hits Julie and later tries to rob the mill owner in order to support his new family — adds to the complexity of playing the role, says Worth.

“He’s a multi-faceted personality, so it’s a tough role to play,” says Worth. “What we find out is that he hits Julie, but he doesn’t beat her. He gets physical in a loving way.”

“Carousel” was written in 1945 when attitudes about spousal abuse were different than they are today. Worth also echoes a line of thought suggested by Greg Ganakas, the show’s director, that Bigelow’s anti-social behavior may have been brought about by the times.

“The musical is set in 1873 when all of the men were coming back from the Civil War,” says Worth. “A lot of them were social recluses. It was very hard for Billy to relate to the community.”

Joining Worth in this production will be Broadway singers Patricia Noonan as Julie and Lora Lee Gayer as her confidante, Carrie Pipperidge. Ganakas, who made his Virginia Opera debut directing an earlier version of “Carousel” in 1996, is collaborating with Adam Turner, the company’s resident conductor and chorus master.

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© David Nicholson, Daily Press 2013