HHS Student Takes On Shakespeare

While it is often said that William Shakespeare's works have a timeless, universal quality, Mary Elizabeth O'Neill's recent operatic performance literally catapulted the bard into the 21st century.

The Huntington High School junior is  pursuing her passion for opera in The Julliard School's Pre-College Division, where she is in her second year. This past summer O'Neill studied voice in France at the Academie Internationale d'été de Nice. A member of the high school drama club, she recently played the 'Judy Garland' role  in Huntington High School's production of "Meet Me in St. Louis."

On Friday, O'Neill performed in Northport's annual 'Opera Night in Costume' held at St. Paul's United Methodist Church. The young soprano sang a French aria drawn from Charles-François Gounod's opera based on the Shakespearean romantic tragedy of star-crossed lovers from the rivaling Capulet and Montague families. O'Neill created quite a sensation and the reason, in part, was the costume designed for her by Mike Krasowitz, a visual artist from Huntington Station.

For her performance, O'Neill assumed the persona of Romeo's page, Stephano, and the part was a 'trouser' role, Opera Night director/founder Isabella Eredita Johnson said.

"In opera, this term is used to describe instances in which a male part is sung and played by a female who dresses the part," Eredita Johnson explained, acknowledging that, for a few stunned minutes, many did not recognize Opera Night's youngest star performer.

Krasowitz, who works in a variety of media, including photography, printmaking and painting, clearly enjoyed taking poetic license with O'Neill's character, pulling all the stops in giving the role a uniquely modern spin, Eredita Johnson said.

With her hair tucked boyishly under a cap, O'Neill skateboarded down the center aisle, handling out flyers proclaiming, "Montague Rules." Then, with her sneaker-clad feet planted firmly on the spray-painted and stenciled skateboard, O'Neill delivered what accompanist James Besser called a "mocking serenade" about the Capulets and their efforts to extinguish flames of young love.

It was the second year in a row that Krasowitz designed a costume for O'Neill.

My paintings tend to be abstract and ethereal, Krasowitz said, adding that costume design is a departure for him because he generally works within a 'stream of consciousness' framework which doesn't follow a linear narrative.

In his design, Krasowitz sought to convey the innocence of a 13-year-old caught up in an age-old adult conflict, while giving the story a contemporary twist.

Krasowitz complimented O'Neill on her 'stagecraft,' adding that the theatrical flourishes were all her own.

She used the skateboard as a soapbox and then she brandished it like a sword, Krasowitz said of the astounding nuances that O'Neill, who is only 16 herself, brought to the role.

 O'Neill said that Krasowitz's creativity clearly augmented her performance.

"I translated the song [from French], and saw how it fit into the context of the opera," O'Neill said. "Mike's costume gave me a lot to play with."