Over the past two weeks, I've had the great pleasure of being invited by the Opera Theatre of St. Louis to live tweet two of their highly anticipated' productions for the 2017 Season, "Madame Butterfly" and a premier of a shortened version of "The Grapes of Wrath." Both productions were performed and executed beautifully!
Madame Butterfly
The timeless, tragic story that is Madame Butterfly, written by Puccini, tells the story of a young Japanese woman named Butterfly who falls in love with and marries an American military man in the early 20th Century, only to be abandoned by him and long for the day of his return. Don't worry, I didn't spoil it for you. The set design and music of this performance was beautiful. And the costumes were beyond beautiful and made it easy to transport the audience to this time and place.
The acting was also excellent, especially the performances of Rena Harms, who portrayed Butterfly, and Suzuki, who played Butterfly's servant Renee Rapier. Bravo!
Although this is a tragedy, not-to-mention the same one that the musical Miss Saigon is based on, it is still a raw and beautiful depiction of the beauty of a young woman in love and the depths of desperation that she endures to hold on to her dream. Definitely worth checking out!
The Grapes of Wrath
Now for the piece de resistance! This theatre's production of The Grapes of Wrath will easily go down as not only the best operatic performance I have ever witnessed live, but also one of the greatest live performances that I've ever seen! I had never read the classic 1939 Steinbeck novel that this was based on, or the 1940 Henry Fonda movie film of the same name, so I came to this opera having no prior knowledge of the story. I'm really glad that was the case as I got to enjoy every moment for the first time, without the anticipation of scenes to come.
The story of the opera is that of the Joad family, who are farmers from Oklahoma that were affected by the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression and made the decision to migrate to California after being evicted from their home. Their journey is far from perfect as they encounter many losses of loved ones, homelessness, unemployment, violence, and setback after setback. Still, in spite of these hardships, the family's matriarch Ma Joad, played superbly by Katherine Goeldner, keeps the family together and does her best to keep their hope alive during a time when it seems like all hope is gone.
From what I've gathered from various synopses of the novel, the opera follows the book very closely, and unlike the film, also depicts the poignant final scene in which Rosasharn selflessly offers to nurse a stranger dying of starvation. It is truly an EPIC and BEAUTIFUL work! The entire cast did a phenomenal job. And the orchestration, staging, direction, music, and choreography (wonderfully executed by Sean Curran) all were perfection! Special kudos go to Geoffrey Agpalo, who played the role of Jim Casy, Deanna Breiwick, who played Rosasharn, and Tobias Greenhalgh, who portrayed Tom Joad.
This production made me not only want to buy the cast recording on CD, but also made me want to watch the film AND read the book! It was just that good. I am seriously considering going to see it again. I've been a fan of Steinbeck's since reading a few of his novels in high school, but after seeing The Grapes of Wrath, I can't help but admire his work and genius even more!
While watching this performance, I couldn't help but see the similarities between the hatred that the Californians had against the Okies during this migration, and how certain groups of people in the US have the same type of hatred toward immigrants and Muslims today. The parallels were deep and I couldn't help but be saddened by the desperation of certain people just trying to survive and the unkindness dealt to them by others.
Aside from this revelation, before seeing this opera, I had never really seen the effects of the Dust Bowl, or the true impact of The Great Depression. After watching this, I truly don't believe that I could have survived those kinds of conditions. I'm not built for it Lawd! Seeing what the Joads went through made me think of my grandparents and what their lives might have been like during those trying times. I'm grateful for their perseverance to get through those times, and to all who survived that time in our nation's history.
Getting back to Opera Theatre of St. Louis, you should definitely check an opera there, if you haven't already. All of the performances are sung in English and there are also subtitles in English on the walls so you have no excuse not to go there! They also serve refreshments, boxed lunches, desserts, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, which can all be enjoyed in the garden prior to showtime. You can also bring your own food and drink there as well!
Opera Theatre of St. Louis is performed at the Loretto-Hilton Center at Webster University's campus, at 130 Edgar Rd, St. Louis, MO. For tickets, schedules, and more information, go to www.opera-stl.org.
Professional photos courtesy of Opera Theatre of St. Louis.
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