Opera, like theater, is often overlooked among audiences in today’s culture as boring, long and incomprehensible. With the popularity of film, television and video games, it is more important than ever to choose a piece that audiences can connect with.
PHOTO BY LUCID FRAME PRODUCTIONS
Wayne Tigges as the Dutchman in Virginia Opera’s “The Flying Dutchman”
Sara Widzer, the director of Virginia Opera’s touring production of Richard Wagner’s “The Flying Dutchman,” hopes to do just that.
The myth of the Flying Dutchman has likely been circulating since as early as the 16th century. Wagner was inspired to write his own rendition when he went on his own very stormy sea voyage. In this version, the Dutchman (Wayne Tigges) has sold his soul to Satan and is forced to live at sea. He can only return to land every seven years to find a woman who will be with him until death, it is only then that the Dutchman is able to break the curse and find redemption.
“There’s not any discussion in this version of the epic … [of] how long he has been travelling the seas in limbo, but we have talked about that it has at least been a couple of hundred years that every seven years he’s thrown back upon land,” Widzer explained. “The other element that we have talked about in this production is there is no discussion about how old he was when the Dutchman made this pact and died and became part of this undead looking for release. This particular production approaches the story as if the Dutchman died young man and so it makes the falling in love with a young woman that much more palpable, that much more realistic, that much more accessible.”
From the beginning, the concept of this performance of “The Flying Dutchman,” which will be at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts this weekend, was accessibility. The production team tapped into this through researching the Dutchman in pop culture. Widzer, who started on as the assistant for the opera, researched the Twilight series because of the character, Senta (Christina Pier), a young woman. She grew up with an often absent sea captain father. So storytelling was in her blood, in her culture. A family friend and possible caretaker, Mary, told Senta this story and Senta is obsessed with a painting she owns portraying the myth. She carries it everywhere.
“…For this particular production, there’s a lot of discussion about teenage obsession, because again it’s a theme that everyone can relate to. Whether it’s the Dutchman is a rock star and we have a poster of Judas Priest or Axl Rose or Keith Richards on our wall,” Widzer said. “In the case, Francesca [Zambello, the original director] was very interested in some of the research that I did of the Twilight series. Stephenie Meyer’s characters were such strong archetypes that relate directly.”
Specifically, Widzer started to look at the relationship between the main character of the novels and her best friend, Jacob.
“Because the other character I haven’t talked about is Erik who is Senta’s beau, he’s a hunter, he’s grounded in truth. He’s very strong and earthly and all of the things, if you are looking at Stephenie Meyer’s books, that Jacob the werewolf is. He’s a great choice, he’s not without his faults and not without his flaws as is everyone, but it’s very hard to compete with an obsession,” she said. “If that obsession appears in your room or appears in your house, what do you do when a fantasy becomes a reality? It’s something that so many of us dream of, have hypothesized about, have fanaticized about, but what do you do when that dream, all of the sudden you are awakened and that’s there?”
Obsession, youth, love, are just some of the themes and ideas that the production touches on. Widzer also discussed how she encouraged the actors to relate to the piece. They connected with the wandering aspect of the show, frequently on the move without a place to call home, like the Dutchman. In order for audiences to connect with these emotions, however the idea for the opera was also to make it very open.
“I think it’s more that we have dug into the beat, the heart of the text and the essence of the story because it is such an every man’s story, it’s such a universal tale that to allow these actors to dig in deep and find their own points of connection was really important because this set is so stunning. There’s this single unit set that James Noone our set designer, created with these steel tresses that have a very industrial, factory like experience and then there’s these ropes that hang and this deck, but it’s very open and very naked and very exposed,” Widzer said. “There is no scenery or props or anything for the actors to hide behind and it’s very exciting to see them be naked and vulnerable on stage but that means they have to dig into their own truth and their own sense of understanding of this piece.”
And of course the music helped, she continued, “The music is amazing in the sense that it tells you the drama, Wagner put it all out there for you and then I feel like it is my job to help facilitate the physical storytelling and help you know draw out the nuances of emotional storytelling all set forth in the music.”
In every way it seems, attention was made to appeal to both regular opera goers and the not so regular. Widzer was sure to direct in a way in which touched on the humanity of the characters, they are all supposed to be empathetic in some way. But also it’s exciting, with rope swinging, tattoos and a huge sense of adventure.
“…It’s a very physical, very exciting, there’s not a moment where the chorus is standing still. The chorus is all again playing on the humanity, playing on the individuality of everyone. It is expected that the chorus bring their own personality and to show up and bring, to help create a town, a community. It is a very community driven piece; it is an ensemble. You are not going to see a block chorus standing there and singing and it’s exciting to see. There’s nothing hidden, like I said, the set is so exposed that you get to see everyone doing everything and in a very sexy, enticing, costumes. And then the story that they tell and the music by which they tell it, you hope catches them and taps into their heartstrings.”