By Kai Curry
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
If you don’t go, you won’t know. This was the sentiment expressed during the Asian Weekly’s discussion with William Guanbo Su, the bass vocalist from Seattle Opera’s “The Barber of Seville.”
“By the end of the opera, you come out with a smiling face. Because it’s funny, it’s something different. It can give you that impact to your brain and your imagination. I think all that is very important,” reasoned Su as to why opera can be a vital pastime for Asians and Asian Americans.
William Guanbo Su plays “Don Basilio” in Seattle Opera’s “Barber of Seville.” (Photo courtesy of William Guanbo Su)
“The Barber of Seville” performs May 4 through May 19 as part of Seattle Opera’s 60th anniversary season. It is known as one of the most famous and most entertaining operas out there, good for professional opera goers and those new to the genre.
“With zany antics, eye-catching costumes, and singing that will knock your socks off, ‘The Barber of Seville’ features the best of everything opera has to offer,” said Seattle Opera in a press release. “‘The Barber of Seville’ offers a perfect balance of delights,” added General Director Christina Scheppelmann. “It’s funny without making you roll your eyes, it has some of the catchiest tunes you’ve ever heard, and it has a cute story that reminds us that opera isn’t always tragic and serious.” You may recall, for instance, the famous “Figaro, Figaro, Figaro!” aria (not sung by Bugs Bunny this time).
Su likened viewing the opera to a supplement that you take.
“It’s good for your health. Most Asians know to take vitamins, to drink tea,” but if you don’t also take care of the soul, then “you’re neglecting a huge part of your life,” Su insisted.
According to Su, “Barber” has a good story where “you want to know what’s happening…what’s going to happen next and you want to know the end of the story.” Worried you won’t understand? Opera has come a long way from how some people might think of it. Now there are resources in-show, including a translated script, to help.
“All operas portray humanity, our everyday emotions, and also not-so-common emotions,” explained tenor Duke Kim, who will be playing the romantic role of Count Almaviva.
Duke Kim plays “Count Almaviva” in Seattle Opera’s “Barber of Seville.” (Photo courtesy of Duke Kim)
“We all experience the things that go on in opera. The only thing that may feel like a barrier is the language, but you can always read the titles. You can just come, witness, and enjoy the emotional roller coaster that is the opera, along with beautiful music, scenery, and spectacle on stage.”
Both Kim and Su (who plays Don Basilio, a guardian of sorts to Almaviva’s love interest) started out in life with different expectations of what they would do for a living. Su, who hails from China originally, and Kim, who grew up in Korea and Germany, were sportive kids who early on developed a liking for singing. Kim started around 7 or 8, taking lessons from a member of Frankfurt Opera. He knew early on that opera was an interest, whereas Su harbored a more general love of singing and did not settle entirely on opera until he was older. Both hoped, understandably, with the influence, for instance, of K-POP, to pursue careers in pop music. Su realized his voice was too deep to do that (except maybe through country music, which does have a bass tradition). Both excelled at opera and stuck with it.
Kim has been in “Barber” before in snippets. This will be his first time performing the entire opera.
“I like the role because you get to be romantic and funny. Usually it’s either/or.” Almaviva disguises himself while courting Rosina, which gives Kim the chance to portray different people, and explore different ways of acting and singing. Almaviva does this because he wants to make sure Rosina loves him for the right reasons.
“He hides his identity to know if Rosina loves him for who he is and not for what he has got,” Kim explained. While humbly insisting he does not have that kind of star power (yet!), Kim relates to the role.
“Technically, it’s lying. But I understand why he did it. As we become more successful and have more things to offer to the world, we are also uncertain why people are nice to us, or we worry about those things. I think that’s a very human aspect of his character.”
Su, who is debuting with Seattle Opera, has a long history with “Barber.” It was the first opera he saw while still in China (he came to the U.S. during high school to pursue the arts), and it was his first professional production. He names it, therefore, his favorite opera.
“I fell in love with the production. I fell in love with the art form,” he recalled. The challenge of Basilio for Su is finding the character’s motivation. In large part, it’s Basilio who complicates things for the would-be lovers, otherwise their courtship would be much smoother. Su likes to change up the motivation and support a different side each time. The difference might be subtle to the audience, yet it’s what’s going on inside of his portrayal of the part that makes it interesting for him.
“I went to University for singing,” Kim told the Asian Weekly. “I love singing of all kinds but the point I fell in love with opera was when I first got to sing with a full orchestra. I still remember that feeling…like you’re in the middle of the ocean, floating, tranquil, and peaceful.” Both Kim’s and Su’s parents have been supportive of their chosen paths.
“They were glad that I found passion in something and they continued to believe in me,” Kim said. Su especially praises the impact of his mother.
“She’s been the perfect mother and hero that will support me to do whatever I want to be, whatever my passion is.”
The average opera goer is over 50 years old and white. While companies have made strong efforts to diversify their performers on stage, not as much attention is paid to diversity in the audience (Broadway has more). It’s just as important to see variety in front of the stage as it is to see it on the stage. In Su’s experience, once an Asian person tries opera, they usually stay. As he explained to the Asian Weekly, it’s a way to patronize the arts, to become a part of the bigger arts community in your city, and to feed that side of ourselves that nothing else quite does.
For Su, and many who enjoy the arts, every art form, including opera, has a reason for existence that encompasses the culture behind it and the people that continue to embrace it.
The May 19 performance will feature presentations in Korean from local artist Yeonji Lee. In addition, Kim, chorus member YeonSoo Lee, and Yeonji Lee will participate in a post-show conversation. For more information and tickets, go to www.seattleopera.org/barber.
Kai can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.