A Siegfried for closed eyes @ Dorothy Chandler

 

Sunday afternoon I gave up on LA Opera's Ring Cycle. The staging and visuals of Siegfried presented positive obstacles to following the story and getting into the drama. Achim Freyer has the cast sleepwalk nonstop, carting symbolic props, but whenever a thing is mentioned in the libretto, Freyer has no time for it. 

The stage picture was hideous. Freyer had an army of ninja-clad goons messing with light tubes that change color--the Concept of The Production, I guess. It was lame and ugly. The Lazy Susan gizmo squeaked loudly. 

And why did Siegfried look like a Smurf?

It's a shame, because the music, the playing and singing, were terrific.