'Turn of the Screw' dazzles

The Oakland Opera Theater is performing Benjamin Britten's "Turn of the Screw" at their new 6,000-square-foot Oakland Metro Operahouse at 630 3rd Street.

The building has, in place of permanent plumbing and electricity, two "porta-potties" and a generator located outside the back door. This is reminiscent of an off-Broadway theater in the East Village circa 1962, or of Kabul after the Soviet invasion, depending on your point of view.

And for theater patrons' gastronomical pleasure, there are cookies available at intermission for a mere $4 each.But enough about the amenities...on with the show!

Artistic Director Tom Dean set his adaptation of Henry James' novella on a remote Louisiana plantation, giving it a sort of Tennessee Williams-like ghosts-in-the-overgrown-bushes feel. German soprano Anja Strauss plays a governess who decides to turn the two children in her care over to a nanny. Mezzo-soprano Lori Willis sings the role of Mama Grose, who is taking care of two 13-year olds: Miles (Brooks Fisher) and Flora (Magelaine Mateg). Both child actors are Mill Valley residents.

When Miles returns from boarding school after being expelled, we learn that he and his sister may have been sexually molested by a former groundskeeper. The ghosts of the former groundskeeper and a former governess keep reappearing to further torment the children. As an added attraction, in two of the scenes the ghosts perform a dramatic turn on the trapeze.

While the singing and the stage performances were uniformly top-notch, the 13-piece orchestra conducted by Deirdre McClure is what makes this a production not to be missed.

Featured artists are Loren Mach on timpani drums, Wendy Tamis on harp and especially Skye Atman on piano and celeste.

If the Oakland Opera Theater continues to feature such superior singing and instrumental talent in future productions, they could become the premier Opera Theater company on the West Coast.