Union Avenue Opera is closing the summer season with another biblical epic—this time, a three-act production of Samson et Dalila. The show opened this past Friday, August 14, and The Arts STL was on the scene for opening night. The players will be back for the final performances of the season this weekend.
Samson et Dalila is based on a story from the Old Testament’s Book of Judges. Samson (played by Jonny Kauffman) was one of the “judges”—heroes to the Jewish people who performed feats of supernatural strength, endurance, and wisdom. Their role was to judge the Jewish people’s worthiness before the establishment of the Kingdom of Israel. Samson, a sort of Jewish Hercules, was the strongest of all. He once defeated 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of an ass—which means he is either one incredibly powerful man, or that was one incredibly powerful donkey bone. The Philistines, his sworn enemies, are a pagan tribe at odds with the Israelites. They are determined to find the source of Samson’s strength, neutralize him, and regain control of the land for their people and their god, Dagon.
The tension is ratcheted up when Abimelech, Satrap of Gaza (Fitzgerald St. Louis), shows up to taunt the enslaved Israelites and is promptly cut down by Samson. The High Priest of Dagon (Elian Ramos) then hatches a scheme with the infamous beauty Dalila (Melody Wilson), who despises Samson for killing her kinsmen. It might not shock you to learn that while the Bible has plenty of oddly specific details—usually involving the exact number of animals or Philistines slaughtered by Samson—it does not offer much in terms of backstory, particularly for Dalila. In the text, her connection to Samson is somewhat murky, as are her motives, and readers can only speculate on what happened to her after the final curtain. The opera, however, suggests that her life ends in the exact same moment of triumph and tragedy that ends Samson’s.
This operatic version was created by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns and librettist Ferdinand Lemaire. It’s the only widely performed opera made by this team, but it remains one of the most popular French operas of all time. The second act, which features an intense exchange between the title characters in Dalila’s tent, is one of the all-time classic tragic love scenes, boasting some of the most famous arias for a mezzo-soprano.
The French public, who had a notoriously complicated relationship with organized religion, was not interested in another biblical epic in the 1870s, so the opera instead debuted in Weimar, Germany. It had the enthusiastic support of composer Franz Liszt (who inspired so much fanatical devotion among female concertgoers that the obsessive mental disorder “Lisztomania” was named after him). The show was a critical and commercial success, though it didn’t gain widespread international popularity until the 1890s. Today, it is performed primarily in the original French.
Much like Salome—a grand spectacle originally conceived as a one-act play by Oscar Wilde—Samson et Dalila takes some creative license to enhance the storytelling and keep the narrative grounded. Because readers have to do quite a lot of interpretation with most Bible stories, what audiences are left with here is arguably the most compelling version of this classic allegory of faith and self-sacrifice.
UAO transports audiences 3,000 years into the past thanks to their exquisite costume and set design. The large ensemble takes turns playing Israelites in simple hempen robes, Philistine soldiers in studded armor, and courtesans with floral crowns and white muslin gowns. Dalila is, of course, the loveliest of all. She creates an interesting visual contrast with the beefy, bearded Samson, who is decked out in a simple tunic and sandals. The High Priest, with his tall mitre and leopard-skin cloak, has significantly more drip… but without blessed hair, the most he can hope to win is a fashion war.
The play features a few scenic changes, moving from the streets of ancient Gaza to Dalila’s tent, and finally to the Temple of Dagon. However, the company generally opts to reuse the same set pieces, instead relying on lighting and sound to establish mood—such as the thunderclaps during Samson and Dalila’s battle of wills, acting as a sort of celestial warning. The backdrop for most scenes is an ornate collection of curtains and tapestries, pulled down by Samson in the finale to represent the temple’s crumbling pillars.
Audiences may already know what happens, but knowing why and how is just as important. The ominous, intensely emotional climax, in which a blinded, tortured Samson is brought before Dalila and the High Priest for ridicule, leads to one of the most abrupt and satisfying finales in opera history. Now that’s what I call “falling action.”
Melody Wilson’s Dalila alternates beautifully between sly seductress and cruel tormentor. She is the very embodiment of desire—her desire is for vengeance, while Samson’s desire is for her. Together with the High Priest, she believes she must take drastic action to protect her people from a great threat. However, their collective arrogance ultimately becomes their undoing. Never reduced to scene-chewing, mustache-twirling villains, these antagonists are portrayed as savvy political players navigating a dangerous world.
They are matched in their boldness by Jonny Kauffman’s Samson, who is agonizingly torn between his devotion to his people and his lust for the cunning Dalila. Kauffman’s vulnerability in Act II feels deeply authentic, and by the end of the story, he embodies the archetypal tragic hero—a man of immense power and potential who is blind to his own faults until it is too late for change. But unlike most tragic heroes, Samson decides exactly how his story ends. His ultimate defeat secures a lasting victory for his true loves: the people of Israel and his God.
With Samson et Dalila, UAO has created yet another timeless evening of high culture that remains surprisingly accessible and affordable. Their latest season was a highlight of the St. Louis summer arts calendar, and this production proves why. Spatial economy (not hair) is the group’s true secret strength. This midsize ensemble once again summons up the massive theatrics required for a biblical epic, all while deftly navigating the logistical challenges of performing in a retrofitted church with virtually no backstage. It’s a feat of theatrical perseverance that brings to mind another famous Old Testament tale: David and Goliath. Hopefully, next year’s slate can match—or even outdo—this incredibly memorable summer of classic show tunes, comic flights of fancy, and unbridled operatic passion. | Rob Von Nordheim
