Tufts Opera Ensemble takes on Boston-area premiere of 'Our Town'

    When most people think of opera, they don't think of America. Most recognizable Western operas were written a very long time ago in Europe, and only a select few were written in English.
    It is perhaps largely because of this fact that most Americans view opera as an inaccessible art form. What does a Midwesterner know about the Paris of "Tales of Hoffmann" or the average Southerner care about the Rome of "La Tosca?"
    The Tufts Opera Ensemble hopes to change students' conception of the art form as it opens its second full-scale production tonight in the Distler Performance Hall of the Granoff Music Center with a performance of an American opera.
    "Our Town," the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Thornton Wilder, is an iconic American production. Following the lives (and deaths) of some of the inhabitants of the fictional New England town of Grover's Corners, "Our Town" is famous for its simplicity and insight into American life.
    So how does this show translate into opera?
    "It's maybe not a show you would conventionally think of as an opera," said junior Jenna Reece, who portrays the town busybody, Mrs. Soames. "At first it would seem odd to mix opera, a kind of ornamental media, with ‘Our Town,' the most famous minimalist play ever written. But the music and the story really work the two together really well, and it's a fun show."

"Our Town"
    The show, composed by Ned Rorem with libretto by J. D. McClatchy, is a faithful adaptation of its parent play, cutting characters and plot only where necessary and often leaving whole lines intact. Rorem was asked to compose its music because of his status as an iconic American songwriter, one who would be able to make the play accessible to the general public. The music is largely recitative with simple, easy-to-understand lines that move the story along. Written by a composer primarily famous for his songs, though, there are some melodies worth remembering.
    "There are some really good moments in the piece," Carol Mastrodomenico, the opera's director and a lecturer in the department of music, said. "Some duets especially are very pretty. Once you've listened to the music a few times, you also start to pick out some really clever themes, such as these three transition chords that Rorem uses throughout to denote passing of time or emotional development in the characters. It's very interesting."
    Mastrodomenico has also capitalized on several moments in the score by adding physical touches or meetings of the eyes synchronized with effective chords. These moments add beautifully to the show by relating the feeling evoked by the music to gestures that appear in everyday life.
    Though most of the music in the opera is newly written, Rorem also incorporated some traditional church hymns into his score. These hymns set the tone for the dramatic moments in the opera, such as the wedding between George and Emily, and manage to blend in seamlessly with the rest of the new music.

A modern classic
    "Our Town" has also infused new life into an old classic with additions to the script using modern technology. For the first time ever, a projection screen will be used on the Distler stage. Throughout the opera, scenery and information will be projected behind the actors, with the words entering into a dialogue with on-stage proceedings. It is an innovative move, one that is different enough to be compelling yet doesn't compromise the intended simplicity of the story.
   The lighting in the space has also been changed to add drama to the show while making the small stage seem larger and more open, as the original set was supposed to look.
    The Tufts production of "Our Town" is exciting because it is the Boston-area premiere of the work. Written three years ago, the rights have only recently been released, and it's a tremendous opportunity to practice a classic art form while working with fresh, new material.

Finding a dynamic
    Many of the students in the production have never sung in an opera before and have found the experience both challenging and compelling.
    "I've done a lot of music theatre, and working with [student theatre organization Pens, Paint, and Pretzels] in the past," senior Jonathan Carlson said. "But this is my senior year, and I thought, you know, why not? This is the first time I've been in an opera, and it's been really interesting."
    The cast is moderately large, and the group's camaraderie is definitely perceivable. The silliness and comfort the cast members display with each other in the dressing room translates to beautifully acted relationships on stage that are a pleasure for audiences to watch. The range of class years also makes for an interesting, diverse production.
    "The great thing about the opera, this year as well as last year," Mastrodomenico said, "is that the underclassmen seem very excited by it. We do have more seniors than we did last year, but ... it's a really a big draw for underclassmen and the new students."
    One of the freshmen in the cast, Bryana Marrero, decided to audition to experience something new at Tufts.
    "I did a lot of choir and musical theatre in high school, but this is the first time doing an opera," Marrero said. "I came to one of the open houses during orientation, and I saw the opera as one of the ‘things to do' in the music department. I thought it would be a really good opportunity to get involved."

Engaging with the audience
    Underclassmen aren't the only people at Tufts excited to participate. Many voices from the faculty and administration — including Provost Jamshed Bharucha and Dean of Undergraduate Education James Glaser — will also make appearances in cameo roles. This continues a tradition started last year when University President Lawrence Bacow and his wife Adele made appearances as inebriated sailors in the production of "Dido and Aeneas."
    A spike in interest from the student body in the opera program has allowed three of the larger roles to be double-cast, and the Tufts Opera Ensemble has been able to expand the scale of its first production last year. Though the physical constraints of the hall do not allow for a large number of musicians, it is still able to accommodate the 22-piece orchestra written for the show and comprised almost entirely of Tufts undergraduate students. Conducted by Steven Morris, who is also the musical director for the opera, this orchestra will be larger than that of last year's production by 17 pieces.

Room to grow
    Because this year's production is much larger than last year's, the cast has been rehearsing three days a week since the beginning of the school year. This dedication to the program shows up clearly in the acting but also in the production's behind-the-scenes activity. Student costume design, for example, has been a source of professional yet affectionate discourse among the cast and its directors.
    The Tufts Opera Ensemble has been establishing itself as an exciting and innovative program in the music department, and "Our Town" has proven that the quality and enthusiasm behind it is not going to disappear soon.
    "Our Town" opens tonight and will run through Sunday. Tickets are on sale now at the Granoff Music Center Beelzebubs Box Office and are $10 with a Tufts ID and $7 without. Tickets for tonight's show are cheaper, however, including only $1 with ID. Come down to Granoff to experience a New England classic infusing new talent and technology with an old art form.