Winter Opera Saint Louis concluded its 2023-24 season with a delightful production of Naughty Marietta. Local audiences are indebted to Winter Opera not only for presenting Victor Herbert’s classic operetta but also for making it presentable.

Naughty Marietta has a wonderful score and a dated libretto. Because the work is out of copyright, Winter Opera was free to replace the libretto with a revision by David Taylor Little. Last year, Little provided an impressively updated libretto for Winter Opera’s staging of The Desert Song. He has done the same for the company’s Naughty Marietta, eliminating elements of the original that would be unplayable today.

The clever plot summary in the program also is Little’s work. He made it fun to read by writing it as a series of breathless entries in the title character’s diary.

The operetta’s setting is 18th century New Orleans. Marietta is one of two characters with a secret identity. In reality, she the Contessa d’Altena, who fled from her native Italy to avoid an arranged marriage. After arriving in New Orleans, she eludes discovery by pretending to be a marionettist’s daughter.

The other character with an alter ego is Etienne Grandet, the governor’s son. In secret, he is Bras Pique, the pirate who has been terrorizing ships on their way to New Orleans. The ship carrying  Marietta was guided safely into harbor by the dashing Captain Rick Warrington. He and Etienne become rivals for Marietta’s affections even though Etienne is already involved with Adah, a bar maid in New Orleans who loves him.

These four characters were portrayed by excellent performers at Winter Opera: Brittany Hebel as Marietta, Zachary Devin as Captain Rick, Michael Colman as Etienne, and Melanie Ashkar as Adah. Their singing was splendid in both their solos and the second act quartet.

The fine supporting cast included Marc Schapman as Simon O’Hara, Gary Moss as Rudolfo, Grace Yukiko Fisher as Lizette, Joel Rogier as Sir Harry Blake, Jessica Barnes as Nanette, Caitlin Hadeler as Fanchon, and Emily Moore as Florence. The orchestra under conductor Mark Ferrell and the chorus under Jesse Cunningham performed beautifully.

Stage Director John Stephens elicited highly enjoyable performances from the cast in a broad style that recalled the period in which operettas flourished.

The production as whole and the second act ball in particular had an abundance of sparkle thanks to Scott Loebl’s scenic design, Rachel Bodi’s choreography, Jen Blum-Tatara’s costumes, Michael Sullivan’s lighting, Laura Skroska’s props, and Jessica Dana’s wigs and makeup.

Now that the production has closed, it is not a spoiler to mention its reference to the Mel Brook’s movie, Young Frankenstein, which borrows from the operetta’s great number, “Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life.” The break in the theatrical illusion brought the house down.

—Gerry Kowarsky

Photo by Peter Wochniak, ProPhoto STL