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Garner' returns, MOT heads for Chicago

By D. A. Blackburn

DETROIT
Margaret Garner, the fugitive slave made famous in Toni Morrison's "Beloved," died some 150 years ago. This month, with a little help from the Michigan Opera Theatre and Chicago's Auditorium Theatre, "Margaret Garner," the opera created by Morrison and composer Richard Danielpour, takes a major step towards immortality. It returns to the Detroit Opera House Oct. 18-25, before heading to Chicago's Auditorium Theatre Nov. 1-9.
The production, which received its world premiere just three years ago here in Detroit, was one of the greatest critical and financial successes in MOT's 37-year history. It has since been staged by four additional opera companies, including a wholly new second production at the New York City Opera. But it's not this record that motivated MOT general director Dr. David DiChiera to bring the show back so soon.
"I was concerned that if I waited too long, the buzz about it and the impression it made might get forgotten," said DiChiera. "The other part was that we had a wonderful opportunity to take the production to Chicago, and I thought that was a great opportunity for our opera company to be seen in one of the great urban centers of America."
Moreover, it's hoped that taking the production to Chicago will open new doors to the work. Since its premiere, opera companies throughout the United States and Europe have expressed interest in staging it, but so far, only two outside of the production's co-commissioners have taken up the baton.
"A lot of people have been talking about doing it for the last two or three years, but haven't done it. You know, people in Atlanta, people on the West Coast, people in Paris," said director Kenny Leon. "I don't think it's really received its ultimate due. I'm waiting for it to go to a lot of the major opera houses and the major cities, and I think Chicago's a step towards that."
Since its inception, the collaborators involved with the production have felt a commitment and an obligation to bring the Garner story to the masses, believing that the story of a fugitive slave deciding to kill her children, rather than return them to a life of slavery, could have a profound impact on audiences of all ages, races and backgrounds. But bringing the work to the stage has not been an easy, or cheap, task.
The Chicago engagement will mark the first operatic production at the Auditorium, a house designed for the medium, since 1941. Though they are a major presenter, hosting major ballet companies and touring productions, they are not an opera company. As such, a Chicago-area orchestra had to be contracted, and MOT's chorus will have to travel for the production. By sharing the show's all-star cast – which includes Denyce Graves, Gregg Baker and Angela Simpson – and the expenses of rehearsal and staging, the two companies have entered into a symbiotic relationship. The will evenly split the $1.8 million burden, making it possible to stage a top-notch production in both markets.
Of the financial partnership, DiChiera said, "It was an important one, because we are sharing the rehearsal expenses, so they get the opportunity to have a full production of the opera, which would be very difficult for them to have otherwise. It gives us some financial support and gives the opera exposure in a very important market."
A good showing in the Windy City could be a major step towards bringing "Margaret Garner" to a larger audience, and in the mean time, Detroiters get five more chances to see one of the most talked about operas in recent history.

PREVIEW:
'Margaret Garner'
Michigan Opera House, Detroit Opera House, 1526 Broadway, Detroit. Oct. 18, 19, 22, 24 & 25. Tickets: $28-$120. For information: 313-237-7464 or http://www.michiganopera.org.

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