By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Nick Kottman, as one of the Montague clan in the Toledo Opera’s staging of “Romeo and Juliet,” lurks on the edges of the action. He and Romeo and the rest of the Montague gang sneak into a mask ball at their rivals’ the Capulets. And, as needed, Kottman adds his voice to the chorus.
It’s a great way to experience the production, and when asked what’s so special about the show, his response is simple: Just listen.
At a rehearsal last Friday night what he meant was clear. Juliet played by Kathryn Lewek entertains the guests at the masked ball with thrilling voice, full-body yet imbued with the girlish ebullience of her character. Then her Romeo, Zach Borichevsky, strides out. When he opens his mouth, the powerful sound matches his towering frame.
Lewek and Borichevsky are married, and both have graced the stage of the Metropolitan Opera.
“They blend so beautifully,” Kottman said.
The Toledo Opera is staging Charles Gounod’s “Romeo and Juliet (Roméo et Juliette)” on Friday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m. at the Valentine Theatre, 400 North Superior, Toledo. Click for tickets.
[RELATED: Toledo Opera brings ‘Romeo & Juliet’ to Valentine stage]
Kottman, as Benvoglio, is one of three Bowling Green State University graduates who have named roles in the production. Julia Gries plays Stephano, and Luke Serrano plays Count Paris.
“Everybody has so much commitment to the process and understanding all the minutia about their characters,” said Serrano about the production. All these people bring life to these characters and bring life to the story.”
Despite the familiarity of Shakespeare’s tale, he’s learned more about it.
“It is a great production with some of best singers in the world,” Gries said. “That’s the great thing about Toledo, we get to work with these world renown singers and learn from them.”
All three singers have ongoing relationships with the company.
Gries was a resident artist for the company last spring, and toured with the Opera on Wheels’ “Pirates of Penzance” for young audiences.
She’s also been in the chorus for other shows, and performed in the chorus with the Toledo Symphony for “Messiah” and Mahler’s Third Symphony.
Stephano, Gries said, is a “pants role” – a part of a very young man that’s performed by a woman. Gries has done these roles before. It’s a challenge” because she’s a self-described “girly-girl,” but it’s fun to have to tap into such a different character.
Stephano, Romeo’s page, is a troublemaker. A Montague, he taunts the rival Capulets, and initiates the deadly fight that leaves two characters dead and forces Romeo into exile.
Gries graduated with her master’s in vocal performance in 2020. She’s able to make her living by teaching and performing. “It’s a grind,” she said. “If you love it, you make it work.”
Serrano, a 2019 BGSU graduate, had worked for the opera before graduating. He had a minor in music industry and did an internship with the opera, serving as an assistant to Jim Norman, then co-artistic director and recently named executive director. When he graduated, he asked Norman if there were any openings. There weren’t at the time, so he moved back to Cleveland where he performed and taught, both voice and piano, and did the music ministry at his parents’ church.
During the pandemic he also worked as a residential house painter.
Serrano was preparing to apply for graduate school in late 2021 as the pandemic eased, when Norman called and said there was now a position for him. So, he moved back to Toledo in early 2022. His duties include box office, production, and some finance.
“This is an excellent place to be,” Serrano said. I love to be behind the scenes and see exactly what it takes to direct a show. I get a lot of insight about what it’s like to bring opera to life from the bottom up.”
He’s also had an on-stage role in every production since he’s returned. He has to audition just like anyone else. He sings his selections, then shuffles off to help run the process.
Before studying music at BGSU, Kottman worked as a correctional officer for nine years. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 2019 and master’s in 2021. Now he teaches GED at the Toledo Correctional Institution and is pursuing his principal’s license. He hopes to start a music program at the prison.
While he sees earning his living as an educator, he’s committed to continuing to perform.
He’s appeared in several other opera productions.
The role of Benvoglio is “not that demanding,” he said.
“What I do enjoy is that I get to spend time with the principals, spend time forming this familial bond, and have this friendship.”
As Benvoglio he and Greis’s Stephano are inseparable on stage.
Kottman returned to the BGSU stage earlier this year to perform the role of Archie Beaton in “Brigadoon.” They needed someone older, he said, laughing. So, he colored his hair grey.
It was Kevin Bylsma, the musical director of the show who recruited him. Kottman said he always loves working with Bylsma and Geoff Stephenson, who directed the musical.
Bylsma is the link between BGSU and the Toledo Opera.
A member of the university music faculty, he was recently named the opera’s artistic director, after several years of sharing that role with Norman.
He’s why Kottman is here. “He just makes it feel like family.”
“Kevin has so much depth of knowledge and understanding,” Serrano said. There’s “just the empathy that flows out of Kevin Bylsma. He knows exactly what to tell you in just the way you need to hear it.”
Gries added: “He’s the heart of opera in Toledo.”
