Modern-day Mozart: Pittsburgh Opera debuts ‘afterWARds’

Romeo and Juliet, meet Idamante and Ilia, by way of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and David Paul.
Now that we’ve established a basic premise for Mozart’s 1780s opera “Idomeneo,” let’s fast-forward to 2019 and Paul’s “afterWARds: Mozart’s Idomeneo Reimagined.”

Elettra (Caitlin Gotimer) seethes with jealousy that Idamante (Antonia Botti-Lodovico) is falling for Ilia (Ashley Fabian). (Photo courtesy of David Bachman Photography)
“It’s pretty much the same story, and the same things happen,” soprano Ashley Fabian explained. “The difference is that we’re looking at it through a modern lens.”
The Baldwin resident is singing the role of Ilia, Princess of Troy, in Pittsburgh Opera’s production of “afterWARds,” with Paul directing the show, which debuted on Jan. 26 with followup performances Jan. 29 and Feb. 1 and 3.
The setting for the production is the Mediterranean island of Crete and the court of King Idomeneo following the Trojan War.
“Ilia is a very tortured soul. She just lost her entire family and everyone she’s ever known in this war,” Fabian said. “At the same time, she’s been rescued by Idomeneo’s son, who is her sworn enemy.”
And so arises the Montague-Capulet situation:
“On one hand, she wants to be faithful to her family. On the other hand, she’s powerless against the love that she found with Idamante.”
Plus there’s the plot point that the king’s son also is the object of Princess Elettra of Argos’ affections.
“There’s a little bit of everything in this show,” Fabian said. “It has all the romance and the drama and the tragedy. It’s a really good show, so I’m glad we’re able to do it.”
Along with Fabian, “afterWARds” performers are Terrence Chin-Loy as Idomeneo, Antonia Botti-Lodovico as Idamante and Caitlin Gotimer as Elettra. All are in Pittsburgh Opera’s Resident Artist Program, which provides professional development for singers during two-year sessions.

Ashley Fabian (Photo courtesy of JWPhotography)
The lengthy and lavish “Idomeneo” typically is performed only by the world’s largest opera companies, and never in Pittsburgh. While pared to 85 minutes, Paul’s adaptation retains all of Mozart’s music, and the lyrics are from the original Italian libretto.
The adaptation is intended to draw parallels to the plight of modern-day eastern Mediterranean refugees fleeing the brutal conflict in Syria, according to information provided by the Pittsburgh Opera.
Another component addressed a decided contemporary issue.
“Basically, I think that what the director has played around with is the idea of exploring the same emotions that Mozart wrote about in the modern ideas of mental health,” Fabian said. “I think it’s important that this production looks at it in that sense, because we’re dealing with the same emotions. We’re dealing with the same mentalities. But now we have a better understanding of it.”
A Charleston, S.C., native who came to Pittsburgh Opera in 2017 after earning her master’s degree from The University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, Fabian wraps up her residency in May. In the meantime, she is scheduled to perform in Pittsburgh Opera’s production of Tom Cipullo’s “Glory Denied,” also featuring resident artists, starting Feb. 23.
For more information, visit www.pittsburghopera.org.