(Preamble: This review was written for The Opera Insider; unfortunately, their site is currently experiencing technical difficulties and will not launch in full until later this year. Due to the time sensitive nature of concert reviews, I am temporarily posting here.)
Politicians speak in musical rhythm, or so composer Curtis Hughes asserts in his new opera Say It Ain’t So, Joe – a one-and-a-half hour light tragedy showcasing the 2008 vice presidential debate. Written for four singers and four instrumentalists, Hughes explores the musical rhythm of political speech – specifically, that of Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. While there is much to be said about Sarah Palin, one thing is certain: she has a very specific twang to her speech. Hughes’ setting captured this characteristic with ease, splitting the difference between straight speech, a sort-of sung musical theater style, and the Schoenbergian concept of Sprechstimme, a specific vocal technique in which singers dramatically speak-sing. Jennifer Ashe’s version of the former vice presidential candidate’s vocal characteristics sounded authentic and captivating, always presented with a lilting smile that hinted at the perhaps slightly clueless nature of her character.
The two-act opera alternated scenes between fully sung personal interviews, first with Palin and later with Joe “the Plumber,” and relatively strict, speak-sing settings of the debate. The stage direction by Nathan Troup served as a creative aid to understanding the theatrics through the use of props and one captivating video camera angle. The camera – which projected circus-like multiples of Palin and friends onto a screen located upstage left – dramatically highlighted the media influence on political spectacle while enhancing the musical punches Hughes added to the dialogue. Further, Troup placed white human-shaped cutouts capable of standing and sitting on their own throughout the Boston Conservatory’s Zack Box Theater. The cutouts served as a sort of metaphoric commentary on the American public as they mutely watched the story unfold from the sidelines.
The instrumentalists were precise; I took special notice of Rane Moore as she doubled Biden’s and Palin’s speech rhythms in mockery of political games. Her bumbling, low clarinet tone added the perfect punctuation to Hughes’ rhythmic vocal settings of the debate. Kent O’Doherty also stood out on saxophone as he stealthily stole long, beautiful notes from Aliana de la Guardia’s version of Palin, making it seem as though her voice reverberated forever until a sudden swelling crescendo brought it to my attention that I was now hearing a saxophone and not a singer.
Honestly folks, this production is the whole package: amazing singing and acting, smart stage direction that captivates, musical precision, and one darn good composition. Bravo to Guerilla Opera for commissioning the work and performing it with such gusto! For more information, visit http://www.guerillaopera.com/
*Say It Ain’t So, Joe picture by Rudolph Rojahn
-E
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