Mary’s Wedding: Something old, Something New -John Threlfall
Mary’s Wedding
Something Old, Something New
Is there anything riskier than commissioning and mounting a brand new opera? Getting married pops to mind, as does heading off to war. Pacific Opera Victoria tackles all three at once with the world premiere of the ambitious Mary’s Wedding, an opera based on the universally acclaimed play of the same name, adapted here by original playwright Stephen Massicotte—who also provides the libretto. And there’s no coincidence to the timing of Mary’s Wedding, which had its world premiere on November 10, the night before Remembrance Day; it also just happens to be the 10th anniversary of the play’s debut. (Alas, our WWI centenary is still three years away—savvy Canadian opera companies, book now!)
But while it’s something old for Canada—our national coming-of-age in what was once considered the Great War—Mary’s Wedding is brand new for POV, the culmination of three years of hard work and constant risk . . . especially given the crumbling global financial situation and ever-dwindling arts funding over that same three-year period. But fortunately, the effort and dedication of everyone involved shines through in every aspect of this production. Dynamic, compelling, exciting and dramatic, only one thing kept me from joining in opening night’s partial standing-O—and it wasn’t the cramped space at the McPherson Playhouse. (Honestly, how did they squeeze that entire orchestra in?)
A heart-achingly simple story, Mary’s Wedding revolves around just that—on the eve of her 1920 wedding night, young English émigré Mary has a dream about Charlie, her first love, who left her in 1914 to fight in the First World War. A born-and-raised prairie lad, Charlie is innocent Canada, as much in love with the idea of glory for Empire as with Mary’s own mother-country beauty. Unfolding in a series of dreamlike non-linear flashbacks, we see their love grow synonymously with Charlie’s wartime experiences, juxtaposing romantic horse rides with deadly cavalry charges. A third principal, Sergeant Flowerdew, is added for this production, offering Charlie a compassionate commander and composer Andrew Paul MacDonald a third voice with which to work.
Belfry artistic director Michael Shamata is in the director’s chair here (a nice ode to the Belfry itself, who staged the play’s local debut back in 2002); having helmed POV’s impressive La Bohème last season, Shamata seems the ideal choice for Mary’s Wedding—his cast is so fluid that the moments of stillness (in love, in death) stand in stark contrast to the movement that breathes such life into this production. Not only does he manage to fit a cast of 23 onto the Mac’s tight stage—POV eschews their traditional Royal Theatre setting here in a move that was likely (and wisely) more financial than artistic—but Shamata manages to actually make the space work; the crowd scenes feel crowded, while the prairie moments seem spacious. And the seamless transitions between rural life and trench warfare are remarkable to behold; best of all, Shamata’s battle scenes are actually exciting to watch.
England expects every man to sing his part, and tenor Thomas Macleay (making his POV debut as Charlie) gives it his best shot. His voice and presence evoke the right sense of rural simplicity, but there were many times when he seemed overwhelmed by both the orchestra and soprano Betty Wayne Allison’s Mary. Last seen in POV’s La traviata, Allison is absolutely the star here, and not only because she plays the title character. Breathing real life into Mary, Allison hits all the right notes—literally and figuratively; her emotionally complex character is as enjoyable to watch as is her powerful, yet fragile, voice. Also well worth noting is the booming bass of Alain Coulombe (Norma, Rigoletto), who brings both humour and a commanding stage presence to his turn as Flowerdew—an actual historical character. In Massicotte’s original play, Flowerdew and Mary were played by the same person; it’s a treat to seem him so fully developed.
For his part, Massicotte does an excellent job of adapting his own play, maintaining the heartache, humour and horror of the original. The story still drifts like a dream, and his libretto manages to both simplify and preserve the original dialogue; even the essential historicity of the story remains intact. (“A week of battle, 12,000 men gone, not a mile gained,” sings Flowerdew.) But if English-language opera isn’t really your cup of Earl Grey (funny how opera can suddenly seem repetitive when it’s in a language you understand), it’s entirely likely the outstanding design work may be the most memorable aspect of this production.
Despite six seasons as POV’s director of artistic administration, this is set and costume designer Ian Rye’s first mainstay opera design—which leads me to wonder, what was he waiting for? Based on a simple three-level design, Ryes’s set manages to evoke the prairies, rolling seas and muddy trenches all at once, and effectively spreads the cast up and out where they can stand in stark contrast to Alan Brodie’s vivid lighting. And the moments where design and light fuse—an all-too-brief shipboard canopy of stars and moon, a wash of ruby light flooding across gently flooding snow, or a sickly twisting cloud of poisonous gas (“Hisses of death . . . our men drowned in their own lungs,” they sing)—are truly worth the price of admission alone. Rye’s earth-tone palate of set and costumes also offers stark opportunities for the scarlet splash of a Union Jack—or blood—or the plain white gown that allows Mary to double as both fated bride and the fabled Angel of Mons, all gorgeously illuminated by Brodie’s atmospheric, evocative design.
Which brings us to the no-man’s land of the piece, composer Andrew Paul MacDonald’s music. Specifically selected by POV artistic director and conductor Timothy Vernon, this is the first full-length opera for the Canadian composer and his score mostly works—and where it doesn’t is likely more a matter of taste than talent. MacDonald has crafted some beautifully yearning string passages and there are moments where the music actually serves to further the story (the opening staccato snare drum foreshadowing the enemy’s machine guns, orchestral rain signalling the start of a storm).
Yet the score, which often favoured music over melody and seemed more suitable to film than opera, only became fully realized in the final number—Mary’s actual wedding. Perhaps this was intentional, but I found it somewhat telling that someone walked out whistling a tune from Carmen, POV’s next opera, and not the production we had just seen. (Of course, if you’re looking for memorable tunes, it’s tough to beat that other WWI Canadian stage classic, Billy Bishop Goes to War.) But extra credit to MacDonald for conceiving the idea of having a 20-person chorus, and to chorus master Giuseppe Pietraroia for another rousing piece of work. As this was recorded for broadcast on CBC Radio’s “Saturday Afternoon at the Opera”, it will be interesting to listen to Mary’s Wedding without seeing it, and hear how that compares.
One of the most highly theatrical operas in recent memory, Mary’s Wedding is to be applauded as much for the idea behind it—the world premiere of not just a new opera, but a new Canadian opera telling an inherently Canadian story—as for its success in crafting this lasting production, and matching the right talent to the project. (Indeed, I doubt the image of the assembled cast singing “Remember me!” as they wave and depart for the War will ever leave my theatrical memory.) At two-and-a-half hours, including intermission, Mary’s Wedding deserves to be seen by anyone with a love of Canada, bold artistic ventures or new opera in general. And best of all, it utterly trumps the memory of POV’s other world premiere, 2000′s disastrous Erewhon.
In his program notes, Timothy Vernon says he wanted to craft an opera that was “modest in scale, with a Canadian frame around a universal experience of love and loss.” Given those terms, there’s no question Mary’s Wedding stands as a resounding victory for Pacifc Opera Victoria.
Video courtesy of Shine*ola Communications
—John Threlfall
Read more about John Threlfall HERE
Mary’s Wedding
To November 18
McPherson Playhouse
MORE INFO/TICKETS: CLICK HERE
[...] on local CBC morning show On The Island, a review—by yours truly—for the local online arts mag Culture Vulture Victoria (“Allison is absolutely the star here, and not only because she plays the title character. [...]