36 / 76
34
|
January 28 - February 24, 2017
A T A L K W I T H T H E D I R E C T O R | L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O
Kevin Newbury answered questions
posed by Lyric dramaturg Roger Pines.
What particular qualities give this production its strength
and individuality?
Our
Norma
production embraces the elements of timeless
fantasy, looking at rituals from the Iron Age. With
Game of
Thrones
and all the fantasy novels, TV shows, and films so in
vogue now, I think this production will resonate with people
who respond to fantasies set in the distant past.
Norma
is a
visually sumptuous and a dramatically interesting piece that,
I hope, really comes alive in this approach.
What attracts a first-time operagoer to
Norma
at Lyric?
First of all, it stars Sondra Radvanovsky, one of the finest
singing actresses in the world, with an incredibly gifted
supporting cast. The story itself is very rich, dealing with
questions of sacrifice, fidelity, family bonds, and community.
It’s a very
accessible
story with big emotions. I think it’s a
fantastic first opera!
Visually speaking, what inspired you and your team?
We were inspired by Druid rituals and folklore. For example,
the Druids were always building beautiful effigies and burning
them in rituals. In our production, the community cuts down
trees in the forests outside, using the wood to construct a kind
of Iron Age war machine. At the time of our work on
Norma
,
we were also watching
Game of Thrones.
What does
Norma
have to say to a contemporary audience?
The opera’s community feels like a lot of the cults and sects we
read about in the news today. We wanted to make sense of the
rituals, creating them within a world in which we see everyone
constantly preparing to defend their territory and their honor.
Norma
tells a story of the toll that violence and war take on
a society. In the text, Oroveso and Norma may be priest and
priestess, but they’re really leaders of a devout religious sect
that’s at war with someone who doesn’t agree with them. This
is a story of human emotions and bonds in the face of war.
How do you direct numerous scenes in which, at first glance,
comparatively little is going on visually?
We don’t want to distract from what’s happening onstage but,
as with
Anna Bolena
[which Newbury directed at Lyric in 2014-
15], I like to keep things moving and shifting. There’s a giant
metal and wooden door operated by a pulley system, which
also contains several smaller doors that are continually opening
and closing to reveal the magical forest outside. As an aria is
finishing, maybe the giant garage door is opening up so that
the forest is slowly revealed. I’m a big fan of long lighting cues:
for a beautiful duet sustained over, say, three minutes, the light
often changes color and we iris in on the couple singing. It’s
very simple and elegant, but it helps focus attention and reflect
the emotions.
The reality of
Norma
is that it’s such a big sing for the
three leads, they can’t be running around the stage, climbing on
things, or doing an elaborate dance! They have to be where we
can hear them and they can see the conductor. We’ve created
an environment around them that reflects the action and the
music but doesn’t distract, and lighting is a big tool in that.
What sort of approach have your designers taken?
We wanted everything to feel like the world was rooted in an
Iron Age architecture and constructed from wood and iron.
I encouraged everyone to think outside the box, to make this
a bit strange and otherworldly. Jessica Jahn, our costume
designer, came up with wonderful arm and face tattoos, with
hair piled up and matted so it looks like something out of a
fantasy TV show.
I felt it was time for a new production of
Norma
that
would feel timeless. I don’t like the word “traditional” – it has
too many negative connotations. This isn’t a contemporary
updating to now, but it’s also not “traditional.” Yes, there are
period silhouettes and iconic shapes and colors, but I want the
production has a cinematic quality as seen through our modern
lens.
What do you think is most profound about
Norma
?
The choice that Norma makes at the end is incredibly moving
– much like
Medea
or Toni Morrison’s
Beloved
. We see Norma
having to reconcile her faith, motherhood, and her love for her
husband with having been betrayed. What does it mean to make
the ultimate sacrifice – to kill yourself in the name of a cause?
To be a martyr? Or to kill somebody else? It actually has a lot
in common with Donizetti’s “Tudor trilogy” – those bel canto
composers were interested in martyrdom and sacrifice.
A Talk with the Director
CORY WEAVER/SAN FRANCISCO OPERA
The final scene of Kevin Newbury’s production of
Norma
,
San Francisco Opera, 2014.