‘Marnie’ at the Metropolitan Opera
Christopher Maltman was superb as Mark Rutland, who catches Marnie stealing from his company and blackmails her into marrying him: he even managed to be sympathetic.
The backbone of the opera is her icy relationship with Rutland, the man who blackmails her into marriage. Christopher Maltman, always superb, plays him as an entitled whiner, and tries to kindle whatever chemistry might exist between them.
Christopher Maltman was vocally impressive as Marnie’s husband, Mark Rutland, his baritone powerful and oaky as ever.
Listening to baritone Christopher Maltman, as Mark, was one of the best parts of the evening. His clear, full voice gave his character menace — an important quality, given the real danger he poses to Marnie and the violence he inflicts on her.