Opera by Request will be presenting Giancarlo Menotti’s The Consul, an opera premiered in 1950 during the Red Scare, a time with significant parallels to our own.
I asked William (Bill) Shookhoff, the Artistic Director of OBR, about the project.
Here’s the caption Bill put on a picture he posted on Facebook of himself with Ken Baker:
“Reviewing the role of Mr. Kofner with Ken Baker, who last sang it a mere 47 years ago. Preparation for OBR’s performance of The Consul on Saturday, October 25th, College St United Church. Without changing a note of the score (only the language of the Foreign Woman), our concert performance will be clearly set in the present, in a country just to the south of ours. Proceeds will go to human rights organizations.”
*******
Barczablog: How would you summarize the basic conflict of The Consul?
Bill Shookhoff: The hounding, by the authorities, of John, the revolutionary, and the pressure brought on his family. The constant attempts by his wife, Magda, to find safe haven in another country, and the constant bureaucratic obstacles encountered at the Consulate. Magda is definitely the central focus.
BB: Why is that of interest to you ?
Bill Shookhoff: Menotti wrote this during the Cold War and the parallel Red Scare in the US. By keeping the references to specific locales ambiguous, he allows his audience to fill in whatever gaps seem appropriate. The piece has always struck me as extremely powerful, and in today’s world, it resonates even more powerfully.
BB: Remind me, what’s your background .
Bill Shookhoff: I was born in the US and my family and most of my childhood friends still live there. Fortunately, today’s technology allows us to stay connected, but the reluctance to cross the border (from both sides) is a definite heartache.
BB: Who will be singing in OBR’s production .
Bill Shookhoff: It’s a large cast:
Brigitte Bogar,
Sebastien Belcourt,
Karina Bray,
Zoe Clarke,
Brittany Stewart,
Lucas Kuipers,
Julia MacVicar,
Monica Zerbe,
Kenneth Baker,
Taylor Gibbs,
Joshua Read.
BB: Does this feel like an elbows up moment?
Bill Shookhoff: Definitely. It was actually a Facebook post suggesting how appropriate this opera is today that prompted me to remount it. Without detracting from the original piece, we will be adding some contemporary references via supernumeraries and projections.
BB: Do you have any favourite political operas/ works?
Bill Shookhoff: There are a few: Fidelio, The Crucible, Death of Klinghoffer, Andrea Chenier.
Several others, while still operatic masterpieces, unfortunately lose the political power of the historical events and/or dramas upon which they’re based (Tosca, Maria Stuarda, Un Ballo in Maschera, William Tell). Don Carlo, Luisa Miller, undoubtedly others, manage a bit of both: operatic romantic drama with historical/political overtones.
BB: If you get the right signal in response, do you think you might do other operas with political overtones?
Bill Shookhoff: Definitely. Perhaps will explore the contemporary layering of this production, depending on the reaction.
BB: What’s next for Opera by Request after this?
Bill Shookhoff: Salome and Cendrillon are definitely on the books for this season. A couple of bigger projects, still dependent on funding, are in the works. A new commissioned work, for OBR’s 20th Anniversary in 2027, is currently in development.
*******
OPERA BY REQUEST presents Giancarlo Menotti’s THE CONSUL
College Street United Church, 452 Bathurst St (College), Saturday, October 25th, 7:30pm.
Admission is by donation at the door. All proceeds will go to Human Rights organizations.
barczablog 