Bernstein’s first opera is a seven-scene satire on a troubled marriage and the American dream. Premiered in 1952, Bernstein listed his demands on the front of the score – simplicity of execution, clarity of diction, swift moving action and no pauses for scene changes. Opera North’s stylish production delivered exactly that.
“Quirijn de Lang and Wallis Giunta, spirited and vocally crisp, led the five-strong cast. A swing-style vocal trio provide a Greek chorus born of the advertising age. This trio, Bernstein instructs, “must be as conventionally handsome as possible, and must never stop smiling”. Fflur Wyn, Joseph Shovelton and Nicholas Butterfield crooned beautifully. Charles Edwards’s fluid designs, switching from radio studio to a domestic paradise of yellow Formica and tubular steel, allowed the action to glide easily through its seven scenes. Ringborg kept the wind-dominated ensemble taut and infectiously jazzy,” wrote Fiona Maddocks, reviewing Trouble in Tahiti on its first appearance at Opera North last October.
In this, Bernstein’s centenary year, you can watch the entire opera exclusively on the Guardian until 10 August. (With thanks to commissioning body The Space.)
Alternative versions also available to view: audio described | BSL with subtitles | BSL with no subtitles
Synopsis
In a radio studio, a jazz trio sings of a dream life in Suburbia.
In their suburban home, a married couple, Sam and Dinah, argue over breakfast. Dinah accuses Sam of having an affair with his secretary, which he denies. She also reminds him that their son Junior is appearing in the school play that afternoon. Sam says that he can’t go to watch because he is playing in a crucial handball tournament at the gym.
At work, Sam deftly handles business by telephone and agrees to lend money to a friend. The Trio extols Sam’s virtues.
In her analyst’s office, Dinah recounts her dream of an untended garden, choked with weeds. In the dream, she hears a voice calling to her, describing another garden – a place of love and harmony. Meanwhile, at the office, Sam interrogates his secretary about his behaviour towards her.
By chance, Sam and Dinah run into each other on the street. Both invent excuses to avoid having lunch together. Alone, they each wonder where their relationship went wrong.
In an Interlude, the Trio extols family life in suburbia.
At the gym, Sam has just won the handball tournament. He reflects triumphantly on the law of men – how they are created unequal: some, try as they might, lose, while others like him win.
Dinah has spent the afternoon at the cinema watching a South Sea romance called Trouble in Tahiti. At first she dismisses it as Technicolor drivel. But as she recalls the film’s story and the theme song, “Island Magic”, she becomes lost in its escapist fantasy. Then she stops herself and prepares dinner.
As he arrives home, Sam reflects on another law of men – that even the winner must pay for what he gets.
The Trio sings of evenings of domestic bliss in suburbia. Sam and Dinah try to talk about their relationship, but the effort quickly peters out. Neither of them has gone to Junior’s play. Sam suggests they go to a movie – something about Tahiti; “Why not?” Dinah says. As they leave, they express a longing to reconnect with each other; but for now they settle for the “bought-and-paid-for magic” of the movies.
Cast and creatives
Sam – Quirijn de Lang
Dinah – Wallis Giunta
Trio – Fflur Wyn, Joseph Shovelton, Nicholas Butterfield
Junior – Charlie Southby.
Conductor – Tobias Ringborg
Director – Matthew Eberhardt
Set designer – Charles Edwards
Costume designer – Hannah Clark
Lighting design – Ben Pickersgill and Charles Edwards
Movement director – Tim Claydon
Associate set designer – George Leigh.
Further reading
Guardian essay: Humphrey Burton on A Quiet Place.
More about the work on the Bernstein official site.
Trouble in Tahiti in a nutshell: Opera North’s introduction to the work.