其他機(jī)構(gòu)步履蹣跚，大都會卻欣欣向榮

司馬勤

直到去年夏天，很多人都還在猜測大都會歌劇院不可能按時推出2021-2022年度演出季。大都會與合唱團(tuán)及后臺工作人員的勞資談判一直持續(xù)到去年6月，跟管弦樂團(tuán)的藝術(shù)家們的合同談判更是拖延至去年8月底。很多反對者——甚至大都會歌劇院內(nèi)部的一些人——提出了一個令人信服的觀點，歌劇院于2020年3月因新冠肺炎疫情關(guān)閉之后，不可能于這么短的時間內(nèi)做好準(zhǔn)備，在2021年9月就重開大門迎接觀眾并恢復(fù)現(xiàn)場演出。坦白說，我也覺得那些反對者言之有理。

但是，大都會歌劇院的確迅速地恢復(fù)了活力——2021年9月11日舉辦了一場紀(jì)念“9·11事件”的音樂會，演出威爾第《安魂曲》；9月27日開啟新演出季，搬演特倫斯·布蘭查德（Terence Blanchard）的歌劇《骨子里的烈火》（Fire Shut Up in My Bones）。幾周后，甚至推出了第二部新歌劇——馬修·奧庫安（Matthew Aucoin）的歌劇《優(yōu)麗狄茜》（Eurydice）——更不用說還有多部大家都耳熟能詳?shù)慕?jīng)典劇目上演。

而最引人矚目的焦點是：自2021年9月演出季開始，大都會歌劇院就沒有取消過任何演出。

讓我們退后一步，考慮一下這意味著什么。在過去的兩個月里，因為不同種類的新冠病毒變異毒株的出現(xiàn)，亞洲與歐洲的不少演出場所為了配合防疫措施又暫時關(guān)閉。在紐約市，奧密克戎變異毒株也給演出界帶來很大損失。紐約市立芭蕾舞團(tuán)每年一度的年末大戲《胡桃夾子》在去年年底的最后幾天被迫取消。無線電城音樂廳（Radio City Music Hall）最著名的“圣誕節(jié)特別秀”（Christmas Spectacular）也宣布停演。那么紐約市演藝事業(yè)皇冠上的寶石——百老匯又怎樣呢？請不要忘記，早在2020年，正是百老匯帶頭宣告停演，紐約市內(nèi)的各個演藝機(jī)構(gòu)才隨即叫停。在2021年年末的最后兩周——那是傳統(tǒng)意義上每年商業(yè)演出生意最興旺的時段——列出百老匯仍在上演的演出要比細(xì)數(shù)因疫情臨時取消的制作來得更容易。

于我而言，這個演出季最令人沮喪的，是原型藝術(shù)節(jié)（Prototype Festival）的取消。這個一年一度舉辦的藝術(shù)節(jié)展示的是當(dāng)今最前沿的歌劇與音樂戲劇制作，其中包括兩部后來獲得普利策獎的歌?。憾彭嵉摹短焓怪恰罚ˋngel’s Bone）以及艾倫·里德（Ellen Reid）的《棱鏡》（prism）。2022年的原型藝術(shù)節(jié)本應(yīng)帶來音樂劇場作品《山海經(jīng)》（Book of Mountain & Seas）的美國首演，是作曲家黃若與導(dǎo)演兼木偶藝術(shù)家貝西·特維斯特（Basil Twist）的作品，以當(dāng)代角度改編這一中國的古老神話，大家都很期待這部重頭戲。《山海經(jīng)》的其中一個委約方是香港新視野藝術(shù)節(jié)，這也是我特意返回紐約的原因。只可惜現(xiàn)在演出遙遙無期。

值得稱道的是，原型藝術(shù)節(jié)的工作人員已經(jīng)盡了最大努力。可能是因為這次的藝術(shù)節(jié)是他們的10周年紀(jì)念季，因此各個演出場地或者制作人都竭盡全力堅持排演，其間，原型藝術(shù)節(jié)的各個單位沒有劇組人員感染新冠病毒（相對來說，紐約市立芭蕾舞團(tuán)、無線電城音樂廳以及至少十來個百老匯制作都有相關(guān)人員感染病毒）。但是，為了安全起見，藝術(shù)節(jié)不斷更新并加強(qiáng)防疫措施，最后更要求觀眾在演出前24小時之內(nèi)進(jìn)行核酸檢測并獲得陰性報告，到達(dá)演出場地觀演時必須佩戴KN95口罩。即便如此，不幸的是，整個藝術(shù)節(jié)最終還是逃不過被新冠病毒“扼殺”的命運(yùn)，其中幾檔節(jié)目將延遲至今年年末演出。（同樣值得稱贊的是，原型藝術(shù)節(jié)仍然會給演員、主創(chuàng)與制作團(tuán)隊付出總計約20萬美元的一切勞務(wù)費(fèi)用。這一舉動要比大都會歌劇院慷慨得多。）

至于在疫情背景下成功保持歌劇院日常運(yùn)作，大都會在這一輪勝出。

某些觀察者認(rèn)為，大都會歌劇院在整體防疫措施方面掌控得十分成功。院內(nèi)員工一律接受定期核酸測試——每周三次，而不是大部分機(jī)構(gòu)規(guī)定的每周兩次——這一舉措成效很好。再加上排練期間，每個人都必須佩戴口罩，確保大家更安全。院方一直鼓勵歌唱家保持社交距離——連謝幕都不宜拉手！——任何人感到一丁點不適的跡象，一律禁止進(jìn)入歌劇院。

但是，這種成功很大程度上還應(yīng)該歸功于大都會的自身運(yùn)作模式。這類同時準(zhǔn)備多臺劇目、定期更換演出的劇院當(dāng)然占據(jù)優(yōu)勢：正因為每天都要進(jìn)行劇目交替，任何一個制作遇上困難的話，大家可以有幾天的時間去解決當(dāng)前的困難，然后再次搬演該作品。

除此之外，大都會的自身規(guī)模也是一個明顯優(yōu)勢。在美國，沒有任何一家表演藝術(shù)機(jī)構(gòu)——放眼全球也只有幾家——能擁有像大都會這樣每天都可以調(diào)動的廣泛資源。每個制作都配有多個演員陣容，更有在緊急情況下隨時候命的替補(bǔ)演員。因為每周都有多部制作輪流演出，院方具有龐大的人才庫，便于隨時招募額外演員或指揮，所以安排替補(bǔ)任何一位藝術(shù)家的流程十分簡單：快速定下臨時計劃，然后立馬打電話找?guī)褪帧?/p>

讓我舉個例子。正如《紐約時報》報道的那樣，大都會去年年末的兩個制作——縮小規(guī)模、合家歡版本的《魔笛》與馬斯內(nèi)（Massenet）的《灰姑娘》——都啟動了院方應(yīng)急管理機(jī)制，因為《魔笛》的指揮與飾演灰姑娘惡毒姐姐的一位演員新冠核酸檢測都呈陽性。女高音凡妮莎·貝塞拉（Vanessa Becerra）本來屬于《魔笛》劇組，立刻被調(diào)至《灰姑娘》，拿著樂譜在臺側(cè)演唱，而臺上飾演惡毒姐姐的竟是已退休了6年的前大都會首席舞者琳達(dá)·格麗納斯（Linda Gelinas）。格麗納斯花了一整天觀看演出錄像，以便將舞臺調(diào)度牢牢記住。

大都會的防疫措施和應(yīng)急機(jī)制真正引起公眾注意，是由于巴特利特·謝爾（Bartlett Sher）導(dǎo)演的新版《弄臣》——其中一部分原因是該新制作很早就已經(jīng)吸引觀眾與媒體的關(guān)注?！都~約時報》首席樂評人安東尼·托馬西尼（Anthony Tommasini）特別強(qiáng)調(diào)了奎因·凱爾西（Quinn Kelsey）首次擔(dān)綱這個威爾第宮廷丑角的出色表現(xiàn)?！耙恢币詠恚瑧{他那粗壯的、透徹的音色與氣勢磅礴的臺風(fēng)，凱爾西是引人注目的藝術(shù)家，”托馬西尼在報道中寫道，“但是，這個角色展示了凱爾西整個人在歌唱造詣或戲劇表演的深度。我從來沒有聽過他的演繹傳達(dá)這般的雅韻與柔情?！?/p>

很可惜，跨年夜之后，有段時間里再沒有人能有機(jī)會聽到凱爾西的演出。《弄臣》首演完畢不久，凱爾西發(fā)覺自己身體不適，并開始出現(xiàn)流感癥狀。在核酸檢測結(jié)果還沒有確定之前，大都會就把他與其他演員及工作人員完全隔離 。到了新冠病毒核酸檢測結(jié)果確認(rèn)呈陽性的那一刻，大都會已經(jīng)安排好替補(bǔ)演員邁克爾·奇奧爾迪（Michael Chioldi）上陣。（讓我在這里記錄下來，以備后查：據(jù)報道，凱爾西在通知大都會歌劇院之前，私下已跟奇奧爾迪聯(lián)系過。）

這宗新聞十分高調(diào)，所以替補(bǔ)演員奇奧爾迪從臺側(cè)走向臺前，正式接替主角的那場演出，《紐約時報》再次安排樂評人到場。（雖然奇奧爾迪的“強(qiáng)烈共鳴、令人信服”比不上凱爾西的“突破”，但大多數(shù)替補(bǔ)演員從未得到過樂評人的任何評價。）凱爾西于1月15日重返舞臺，大都會在前一天（即14日）在《紐約時報》登了一整版廣告，重點介紹了對凱爾西跨年夜首演的極佳好評。麻煩處理者往往會形容這種情況為“雙贏”。

我們也可能會迎來另一場“勝利”，起碼在醫(yī)學(xué)診斷方面。很多人都猜測，感染了新冠病毒痊愈后的歌唱家們，會給嗓音帶來后遺癥嗎？凱爾西在這么短時間內(nèi)重返舞臺，也許會驅(qū)使某些觀眾再一次來看演出以做出比較。

無論結(jié)論如何，可能這只能算是醫(yī)學(xué)的小注腳罷了。真正的重點是，大都會歌劇院在此期間又成功地搬演了十幾場演出。

As late as last summer， a lot of people were convinced that the Metropolitan Opera wouldn’t open on time. Last year’s labor negotiations with the chorus and stagehands had stretched into June， and contract talks with the orchestra musicians kept dragging on till late August. Many nay-sayers—some even within the company—made a convincing case that， after being dark since March 2020， the company would never be ready to return to in-person performances in September. And I have to confess， I tended to believed them.

But the Met did indeed snap back—first with a special September 11 performance of Verdi’s Requiem to commemorate the World Trade Center attacks， then on September 27 with its regular season， starting with Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones. They even had second new opera， Matthew Aucoin’s Eurydice， a few weeks later， tucked in among the reliable classics.

And here’s the key point： the company hasn’t closed since.

Let’s step back a moment and consider what that means. In the past couple of months， various Covid variants have shuttered arts venues throughout Asia and Europe. Even in New York， Omicron has taken its toll. New York City Ballet’s annual holiday production of The Nutcracker had to close on the actual holidays. Over at Radio City Music Hall， the “Christmas Spectacular” likewise came to a screeching halt. And Broadway， the crown jewel of New York City’s arts industry？ The sector that actually led the initial season of Covid shutdowns back in 2020？ In the last two weeks of 2021—traditionally the most lucrative time of year for commercial theatre—it was easier to cite the Broadway shows that were still open than to list the closings.

For me， the season’s saddest cancellation was the Prototype Festival， an annual showcase of cutting-edge opera and music-theatre that has generated at least two Pulitzer Prize-winning works： Du Yun’s Angel’s Bone and Ellen Reid’s prism. This year was supposed to feature the US premiere of Book of Mountain & Seas， a contemporary adaptation of 4th-century Chinese myths by composer Huang Ruo and the director-puppeteer Basil Twist. The piece was co-commissioned by the Hong Kong New Vision Festival and was， unfortunately， the main reason I flew back to New York.

To their credit， the folks at Prototype did their best. Probably because this would have been their 10th anniversary season， both the venues and producers went through hoops to remain open. And unlike City Ballet， or Radio City， or at least a dozen Broadway shows， they didn’t even seem to have any Covid cases in their ranks. Still， they kept updating and strengthening their Covid protocols， eventually stipulating that audience members needed a negative PCR test within 24 hours of their curtain time and arrive at the performance venue wearing a KN95 mask. Then they finally announced the festival’s cancellation， postponing several productions till later in the year.（Also to their credit， Prototype promised to honor their financial commitments—more than US$200，000—for the artists and creative and productions teams involved， which is certainly more than you can say for the Met.）

But as for actually staying open？ The Met won that competition hands down.

Some observers have credited the company’s success in that regard with finding the right combination of Covid protocols. And it’s true that regular testing—three times a week instead of the standard two—plus mandatory mask-wearing during rehearsals goes a long way. Singers are constantly encouraged to keep social distance—no handholding during curtain calls！—and anyone showing any signs of sickness is quickly barred from the premises.

But much of the Met’s success also comes from， well， being the Met. In a repertory company， which by definition means alternating productions daily， any problem with one show has a few days grace period to solve before it comes around again.

Beyond that， there’s also the simple matter of scale. No other performing arts organization in America—and few in the world—have the sheer range of resources that the Met wields on a daily basis. Each production has not just multiple casts， but also understudies （or“covers”） who remain on call in case of emergency. With multiple productions alternating each night of the week， and unparalleled access to additional singers or conductors， replacing any artist is merely a matter of fast planning and picking up the phone.

For example， as the New York Times reported， both of the Met’s holiday productions this season—scaleddown， family-friendly versions of Mozart’s Magic Flute and Massenet’s Cinderella—had to rush into damage control when the conductor for Flute and one of Cinderella’s wicked stepsisters tested positive. （For Cinderella， soprano Vanessa Becerra took a break from Flute to sing Massenet’s music offstage while Linda Gelinas， a former Met principal dancer who hadn’t performed with the company for six years， binged on videos of the production to memorize the movements and physically acted the role onstage.）

It was with Bartlett Sher’s new production of Rigoletto， though， where the Met’s Covid strategy really got attention—in part because the show had generated plenty of attention already. Times chief music critic Anthony Tommasini had particularly highlighted Quinn Kelsey’s role debut as Verdi’s court jester. “With his brawny， penetrating voice and imposing presence， Kelsey has always been an arresting artist，” he wrote.“But this role shows off his full vocal and dramatic depth. He sang with an elegance and tenderness I had not heard from him before.”

Unfortunately， no one got to hear him for a while afterward. Shortly after the production’s opening night on New Year’s Eve， Kelsey began showing flu symptoms. The Met moved to isolate him from the rest of the cast and crew even before the test results came back. By the time his condition was confirmed positive， the Met had already activated Kelsey’s understudy， Michael Chioldi. （For the record， Kelsey reportedly warned Chioldi himself， even before alerting the company.）

So high-profile was the situation that even Chioldi， the understudy waiting in the wings， had another Times critic in the audience. （Chioldi’s “solidly resonant and credible” doesn’t quite live up to Kelsey’s“breakthrough，” but most understudies never get a review at all.） The day before Kelsey was scheduled to return to the role on January 15， the Met took out a full-page ad in the Times highlighting reviews of his opening night. This is the kind of situation troubleshooters call “win-win.”

We may have another “win” coming， at least on the diagnostic front. Much speculation has surfaced about how Covid affects the singing voice， and Kelsey’s relatively quick return to the stage may prompt some listeners to go back to compare.

The results， though， will probably remain a medical footnote. The real point is that the Met had already chalked up more than a dozen performances in the meantime.