Second Opinion: WNO Norma—Good Opera, Bad Theater

Many thanks to Robert R. Reilly for this review from The Kennedy Center.

Tuesday evening, the Washington National Opera presented a vocally splendid but dramatically inert version of Vincenzo Bellini’s Norma. The production seemed to harken back to an earlier era of opera when the star singers simply planted themselves down-stage and sang with minimal regard for acting or the other dramatic