Review: Ellen West at Prototype Festival

Gunn, not part of the Saratoga cast, brought his Grammy Award‑winning, rich voice to the weighty role, or rather, roles since he takes on three: Poet‑Frank, Dr. Binswanger, and Ellen’s husband. A lesser artist could easily stumble moving from one to the other, or perhaps worse, not progress at all but remain mired in any of them; Gunn executed the singing and acting required to differentiate each. As the Poet‑Frank, the depth of feeling with which he imbued his poetry, and the physical toll it exacted was visceral. ‑ Chris Ruel (OperaWire)

When asked what she wanted audiences to take away from her experience with the opera, Zetlan’s replied that, to her, an extremely successful evening of live theater or opera was one in which the audience leaves feeling their soul touched, adding “… I hope our audiences will find themselves deeply moved by Ellen’s story, and by that of her doctor. I hope this can be one experience in their lives that makes them consider their own ‘enough-ness.’”

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