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The truth will set you free

First of all, gratitude. Gratitude to Opera Parallèle for its consistently high quality productions of contemporary works, and for their extensive educational outreach program; more specifically, for its new production of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking, featuring revised scoring for smaller orchestral ensembles—a revision that loses nothing and makes the piece more accessible for smaller companies. The venue was big enough to encompass its large cast, yet sufficiently intimate so that each nuance may be seen, heard, and appreciated. The orchestra played elegantly under Nicole Paiement’s leadership; director Brian Staufenbiel guided an enormously talented cast.

One of the greatest satisfactions of this production was the high quality of the leads, demonstrated by fine voices and convincing portrayals throughout. A few of the stand-outs were Catherine Cook as Mrs. De Rocher, Talise Trevigne as Rose (whose large, warm honey-smooth sound made her second act duet with Helen memorable), Philip Skinner as George Benton (who created a warden of real interest). Even Robert Orth, the father of the murdered girl, burned with intensity without over-singing or over-acting, making his ultimate softening completely convincing.

Jennifer Rivera handled her role as Sister Helen with authority and liquid beauty, though I would have appreciated a greater variety of vocal color to support the many facets of Helen’s personality. I find, however, no fault with the complexity of her suffering in De Rocher’s confession scene. Indeed, what a fine rendering it was, with Michael Mayes expressing Joseph’s defiance, bravado, quandary, and agony at a stunning level of intensity, believability, and beauty.

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A scene from Dead Man Walking. Used with permission from Opera Parallèle.

My attention was captured by how richly, responding to Heggie’s setting, the cast worked the word “sister.” It was alternately a word of endearment, hope, derision, scorn, disgust and love. The handsome and flexible set facilitated the perfectly rehearsed choreography of the suspended panels; Helen’s walk through the rows of cells was particularly memorable, as the panels around her were constantly reconfigured to create a gauntlet of terror. Projections, another major element, transformed the space in magical ways, with Helen’s long drive evoked by visuals of speeding pavements.

However, even in a production so deserving of praise, there were inevitably some things that worked better than others. Unfortunately, the projections were sometimes distracting, particularly with the use of the road’s dotted white line at slower speeds; the alternating flashes repeatedly pulled my eye up to the screens and away from the action. Moreover, the costuming—though it accurately reflected the time, place, and period—was occasionally odd. Why was Helen dressed so differently from the other nuns, and in a dress that did little to support her character? It was also confusing that family members always wore the same clothes, though the opera spans a period of several months.

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Used with permission from Opera Parallèle.

Two choices were particularly disturbing. Why, in the large and gorgeous ensemble after the Pardon hearing, would one stage the singers in an (admittedly staggered) line facing out to the audience? It is true that they are singing their inner thoughts, but those thoughts are based on their relationship to others. Their motivations could so easily be kept alive by grouping the characters so that they faced each other ever so slightly. The other choice that did not work so well was Staufenbiel’s decision to have the murdered boy and girl appear repeatedly throughout the piece. Most often the logic was clear, even if their presence was distracting, but sometimes the reasoning seemed obscure. For instance, I could understand why the boy and girl might be riding in the back seat of Helen’s car, as they were on her mind. I was even mostly okay with the boy representing a hitch-hiker. But why did the girl exit, following the cop after he let Helen off with a speeding warning? Was she no longer part of Helen’s motivation for continuing toward the prison? More distressing was the boy and girl’s presence in the execution scene. Yes, it was appropriate that they escorted De Rocher to the land of death to which he had consigned them, but it was much too self-conscious to be worth it.

Even so, these quibbles are minor. I could only wish that every composer had his opera realized with such understanding, clarity, and beauty, and that every audience could have opera-going experiences as fulfilling and stimulating as this. The biblical quote Sister Helen used to unlock de Rocher’s confession, “the truth will set you free,” was also applicable to the production itself. It manifested the freedom made possible by a commitment to quality—the freedom to create, and the freedom to enjoy and be moved by such a production.

Image Credit: “Theatre Royal Panorama, Brighton, UK” by Ian Mattoo. CC BY SA 2.0 via Flickr.

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