Dagmar Pecková - "WANTED"

I have always felt in the past that Dagmar Peck was a conservative representative of the opera scene who would never be able to break out of her genre's shell. With some uncertainty, I watched the marketing preparation for a series of performances called "Wanted", which premiered on 12 April 2017 in Lucerna, Prague. Two days later, I experienced "Wanted" in person.

About nine hundred spectators watched the curtain open on a circular set dominated by a tilted bed and a bar backdrop, evoking the setting of a German brothel, at the opening of the show. On the wall of the bar, one can watch translations of the lyrics, which are sung not only in German but also in French and English, throughout. The individual songs are linked by an accompanying word, which is usually spoken by the protagonist. Dagmar handles the demanding performance excellently, both vocally and as an actor. The listener believes her loving confession during the masterfully lived-in Surabaya Johnny, a touching Youkali, and equally accepts the seafaring charade of Pirate Jenny. The cabaret-like delivery with elements of shantanu suits the operatic diva like a glove, and in the few movement creations with the dancers of the Rapid Deployment Unit, she doesn't lose her breath or her panache. Dagmar here capitalizes on her experience with challenging roles such as Bizet's Carmen. Even the clown insert with the falling stilt is not distracting. The costumes mostly underline the visual renditions of the individual songs, and are designed with visible thought and knowledge of the period. The ruffled skirts of the dancers representing the sailing ships in the aforementioned Pirate Jenny are amazing. Dasha is comfortable in men's clothes and the combination of jacket, glasses and hat suits her well. She has already tried male roles years ago in a special themed concert ensemble. Mackie Messer's Morytát Mackie, Weill's probably best-known song from The Beggar's Opera (libretto by Bertolt Brecht, 1928), is even heard twice in the performance, first as the opener of the second part of the show, in an arrangement similar to the original, and at the very end as a duet with Jiří Hájek, with added modulations and Czech text by Jiří Suchý.

The choice of the large hall of the Lucerna reveals the directors' (M. and Š. Cabani) effort to complete the atmosphere of the performance not only by ordinary stage methods, but also by less usual means, such as the interior of the auditorium and adjacent spaces. In this respect, perhaps it is just a pity about the ordinary plastic cups for champagne. The printed programme, which is available free of charge at every seat, contains a wealth of information to help navigate the timeline of the story. "Wanted" is more or less a theatrical piece that uses Kurt Weill's life story for its storyline. This German composer of symphonic and theatrical music, who lived exactly through the first half of the twentieth century, embodies everything that was happening in Germany at that time. The stages of his life form a good leitmotif for a song recital. The fate of a Jewish immigrant with extraordinary talents, whose work was banned by the Nazis and who found a new home in the USA, deserves attention. Dagmar Pecková chose correctly not only the theme but also the way of projecting her own extraordinary singing abilities, spiced with a touch of irony and detachment. Together with excellent musicians, dancers, an excellent "friend from the night shift" Jiří Hájek (baritone) and conductor Jan Kučera, she has created a unique theatrical unit that makes one think, is of high quality, but above all entertains.

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