The Devils I Know - Number 12
Welcome to “The Devils I Know!” For this spooky time of year, from now till Halloween, I’ll be counting down My Top 31 Depictions of the Devil, from movies, television, video games, and more! Today’s Devil is an operatic villain…literally! Number 12 is Samuel Ramey. (pauses) Just…just Samuel Ramey.
Now, the chances are VERY high that if you’re reading this, your immediate thought is, “Who is Samuel Ramey?” The answer is simple: Samuel Ramey is a performer – a singer and actor – who is probably most well-known to general audiences for his voicework in things like “Over the Garden Wall.” Beyond that, he’s most renowned for his work in opera. Having said this, before I continue talking about this entry, I need to make one thing clear: I’m not a big opera buff. I respect and admire opera immensely, and I don’t believe the old cliché that “opera is boring” has much merit…but the simple and fundamental problem is that most of the great operas are written in any language but English. Which wouldn’t be a problem if it weren’t for the fact that I, personally, don’t understand any language BUT English. Seriously. I’m terrible with other languages; I can’t even speak or understand much Spanish, and I live about a hop skip and a jump away from the Mexican border. I took a French course in High School, and I think I’ve forgotten everything I learned there. It all goes in one ear and out the other. So, unless I’m watching a video with subtitles, and I’m REALLY riveted to what’s going on, I’m just not going to really “get” what I’m watching. Thankfully, I’ve seen Ramey’s performances in such situations. Ramey is a renowned performer with many credits under his belt, but he’s probably most well-known for playing one role, which he has effectively made a career out of, and that is the Devil. More specifically, Mephistopheles in numerous productions of Faust…and with numerous librettos. In the world of opera, you see, there are no less than THREE separate operatic versions of the Faust legend, ALL of which are VERY highly respected and frequently performed. In order of when they were composed, there’s “La Damnation de Faust,” by Berlioz; Gonoud’s “Faust;” and Boito’s “Mefistofele.” All three of these tell the exact same story, with basically the exact same plot, but with obvious minor differences between each one. I like to call them “The Three Devils of Opera.” Ramey has played Mephistopheles in productions of all three of these operas, and in all three cases, he has done so more than once. While the music and lyrics and some scene elements may change, his portrayal of the Devil in each of these is consistent. And when I think of Mephistopheles in ANY of these shows, it’s usually Ramey I think of. Ramey’s Mephistopheles is a figure of true fantastical power; he’s a grand and show-stealing figure who is impossible to take your eyes off of, and the simple fact this actor has played this same role in so many shows for so many years really does help to make him noteworthy. It’s the operatic equivalent of, say, Mark Hamill as the Joker: Hamill has not only played the same character for many years, but in many different adaptations, and every single time he’s awesome. Ramey is exactly the same with his portrayal of Faust’s tempter and deceiver. He’s become so well-known in the part, that Ramey actually went on a touring concert once singing different songs in his repertoire; the concert was appropriately called “A Date with the Devil.” Indeed, one could argue The Beast from “Over the Garden Wall” – his most well-known performance beyond the hallowed halls of opera – is really just another example of Ramey playing the Devil, given the way the fiendish monster is portrayed in the miniseries. If you’re not into opera, watching or listening to any of Ramey’s performances probably won’t change your mind. However, for those who are interested, just to get you started…there are recordings of Ramey’s full performances from productions of “Faust” and “Mefistofele” available on YouTube (as of when I typed this, anyway). The former was recorded and aired on television and in theatres in 1995; the latter came earlier in 1989. In my opinion, these are the two finest examples of Ramey’s work with the Devil. Check them out as soon as you can. :) Tomorrow, the countdown continues with Number 11! HINT: An Eggs-asperatingly Evil Fellow.
