By John Quinn
Review: 'Margaret Garner'
A night at the opera: A triumph for MOT
Detroit witnessed a bit of theatrical history this past Saturday as Michigan Opera Theatre presented the world premiere of "Margaret Garner." Before one dismisses "opera" as remote and – well – snobbish, fit the art into its proper context. The themes and emotions with which opera deals are so strong, so overwhelming, that they defy portrayal in other genres. It demands a delivery beyond what can be handled by the spoken or written word. You may not be aware – yet – of how accessible opera can be when it grows out of American themes and an American music tradition.
"Margaret Garner," with music by Richard Danielpour and libretto by Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison, is a heartrending story of the dangers of loving too much, set in the days of the "peculiar institution," chattel slavery. If it sounds odd that a thing of beauty can be based on a practice so vile, you're not alone. We have the insight of Morrison to thank; she observes, "No human experience- however brutalizing – was beyond art."
The opera is inspired by the true story of an enslaved family's quest for freedom. Margaret Garner made the horrific decision to sacrifice her own children when facing recapture, rather than see them returned to the bonds of slavery. There was intense debate whether she should be tried for murder or for destruction of property – a debate that directly addressed crucial issues in constitutional law and posed key questions at the core of the rift in the Union.
Danielpour's score is solemn, even moody, rarely breaking out of minor key, and is well complemented by the performers. In addition, theater patrons, treated season after season to orchestras on starvation diets, have here the glory of a 68-piece orchestra in full voice. The pleasure of hearing the deep, complex score properly treated is a joy unto itself.
And speaking of deep and complex, note that the four principle singers are two mezzos and two baritones. The voices are breathtaking alone or in combination.
Denyce Graves is outstanding in the title role, and her contemplative aria on the nature of love, "Only The Unharnessed Heart," is the highlight of the first act.
But Act II brought back-to-back duets of unsurpassed beauty.
The first is a love song between Margaret and her husband, Robert, played by the formidable Gregg Baker. The second, the prayer "He Is By," is sung by Graves and audience favorite Angela Brown. In her role as Cilla, Robert's mother, Ms. Brown lends a gentle dignity in the adversity of slavery. Musically, she owns the voice of an angel. "He Is By" gives us the joy of hearing two performers with full power and control through their entire, astonishing vocal ranges.
I came away from "Margaret Garner" dizzy with the music, but changed by the message. It's entirely possible that Rod Gilfry, in the pivotal role of slave owner Edward Gaines, took the scattered boos during his curtain call as a critique of his performance rather than a somewhat provincial reaction to the reprehensible character he plays. I don't think he was in position back stage to hear the reactions to tenor John Mac Master, who in the role of Casey, the farm foreman, created the most hateful villain since Simon Legree. We of European descent should be identifying with Edward Gaines. Despite his early, twisted view of love, he is ultimately redeemed by his daughter's love.
If we're ever to heal what Danielpour calls "perhaps the single greatest unhealed wound in our country's history," perhaps we can draw inspiration from John Newton, another slaver, who expressed the errors in his ways through the simple lines of an unforgettable hymn: "I once was lost, but now am found, 'Twas blind, but now I see."
"Margaret Garner" Staged by the Michigan Opera Theatre at the Detroit Opera House, 1526 Broadway, Detroit, May 11, 14, 20 & 22. Tickets: $45 – $170. 313-237-7464. http://www.michiganopera.org.
The Bottom Line: "Margaret Garner" is a stunning achievement that enriches the American music repertoire, and sets the benchmark for works to come.
Review: 'The Good Doctor'
In theater, as in life: The devil's in the details
Even one of America's most beloved and successful artists can have their works categorized as "greater" and "lesser," and that most entertaining of modern playwrights, Neil Simon, is no exception. As Simon himself commented, "'The Good Doctor,' of course, is not a play at all. There are sketches, vaudeville scenes, if you will, written with my non-consenting collaborator, Anton ChekhovÉsome of the scenes worked; others didn't."
We have, then, Simon's homage, from one great storyteller to a master. It was Chekhov's gift to find the humor in the human condition, to see the subtle play of emotion in the commonplace. So intricate are the undertones in a Chekhov character study that a whole new "method" of acting had to be invented to deal with them.
In the Flanders Theater Company presentation of "The Good Doctor," we're watching artists faced with the dilemma of playing "lesser" Simon. Do you try to "fix" the weaknesses, or play 'em as they're written? In such an obvious exercise in style, it's most important to play to that style. In exploring the multi-layered subtlety of Simon's work, the artists miss the mark here. This "Doctor" is at its best when the scene calls for broad slapstick, as in the sketch "Surgery," the tale of a new dentist and his wary victim – er, patient.
One may overlook the petty errors in blocking – Russians don't make the Sign of the Cross the same way Westerners do; we can forgive slip-ups in props – a writer who died in 1904 would not be using a quill pen. But ties, people, TIES! Regardless of the familiar image of the collarless Russian peasant smock, a proper Muscovite would wear a tie in public! After all, I wear a tie to the theater, and I expect the male cast to be as equally uncomfortable.
But ultimately, not portraying the bittersweet underlying irony or sadness diverts the production from the playwright's intent.
"The Good Doctor" Staged Friday through Sunday by Flanders Theater Company at Trinity House Theater, 38840 W. Six Mile Rd., Livonia, through May 22. Tickets: $15 – $25. 313-538-5739. http://hometown.aol.com/markgflanders.
The Bottom Line: To twist a joke in the play to my own devices – good, but not Chekhov.
