Grounded (opera)
Grounded | |
---|---|
Opera by Jeanine Tesori | |
Librettist | George Brant |
Language | English |
Based on | Grounded (a play by George Brant) |
Premiere | October 28, 2023 Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C |
Grounded is an English-language opera in two acts with music by
Background
The opera originated as a
On the announcement of the production by Washington National Opera, the opera's 'presenting sponsor' was listed as
![Photograph of Jeanine Tesori.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/Jeanine_tesori_2023_1.jpg/220px-Jeanine_tesori_2023_1.jpg)
Roles
Role | Voice type | Premiere cast – October 28, 2023 Conductor: Daniela Candillari[8] |
---|---|---|
Jess | mezzo-soprano | Emily D'Angelo |
Eric | tenor | Joseph Dennis |
Commander | bass | Morris Robinson |
Trainer | tenor | Frederick Ballentine |
Sensor | baritone | Kyle Miller |
Also Jess | soprano | Teresa Perrotta |
Sam | child's voice | Willa Cook |
Kill Chain: Mission Coordinator | tenor | Michael Butler |
Kill Chain: Ground Control | tenor | Joshua Dennis |
Kill Chain: Joint Terminal Attack Controller | baritone | Rob McGinness |
Kill Chain: Safety Observer | baritone | Jonathan Patton |
Kill Chain: Judge Advocate General | bass | Sergio Martínez |
Synopsis
The opera features the story of an American
Act One
Jess, a
Jess can either keep the baby or keep flying. Despite appeals from her Commander that she is invaluable to the squadron, she accepts the status DNIF, or "Duty Not Including Flying", and she and Eric soon welcome their daughter, Sam.
Eight years pass. Longing for the sky, Jess returns to her Commander, who, instead of sending her back to her beloved F-16, assigns her to pilot drones remotely, from a trailer near Las Vegas. Jess protests. But the Commander counters that since operators work 12-hour shifts and return to their families each night, Jess will get "war with all the benefits of home". She, Eric and Sam move to Las Vegas.
In the trailer, Jess adjusts to her new team: the Sensor, a teenage, former gaming champion who controls the drone's cameras; the Kill Chain, a chain of command that, via headset, assigns missions and approves strikes; and two stoic Observers. Initial tedium gives way to unexpected adrenaline rushes as Jess launches strikes. Meanwhile, Eric gets a job as a blackjack dealer. Jess begins encountering an eerie Drone Squadron and a second, dissociated version of herself.
Act Two
Jess and Sam are in the mall, surrounded by the free-sample-wielding Mall Squadron. In the dressing room, Jess fixates on who might be watching them through the mirror – and suddenly she is back in the trailer, only this time, her screen shows dying American soldiers. Noting her mounting distress, Eric encourages her to "clap off the game", a gesture he uses at the casino when clocking out.
On the one-year anniversary of Jess' arrival in the trailer, the Commander assigns her a high-profile mission: track the car suspected to hold target number two on the kill list, and once he steps out and is identified, strike. Jess' relentless pursuit of her target and the intense strain of the mission blur the already faint lines between war and her personal life; she believes a sleeping Sam to be dead, refuses to take off her flight suit after work, and mentally splits into herself and a split personality named "Also Jess" during sex with Eric.
Finally, Jess tracks her target to his home – but he does not leave the car. As he drives off, a girl runs from the house, and the target springs from his car, waving her away: a positive identification. The Kill Chain orders the strike. But Jess, seeing Sam in the girl's place, intentionally crashes a Reaper drone. She is prosecuted and imprisoned after a court martial.
Performance history and reception
The opera premiered at the
In a review for the
Writing in the Washington Classical Review, Charles T. Downey called Tesori's music "disappointingly thin and lackluster", with the exception of the male chorus. Downey praised Emily D'Angelo as "radiant", and also drew positive attention to Willa Cook as Jess's young daughter Sam. He described Morris Robinson as "stentorian" in his performance as the Commander. Deriding the fact that the opera contains an aria about the making of a PowerPoint presentation, Downey stated that both acts "dragged".[11]
Kate Wingfield was more positive in her four-star review for Metro Weekly, stating that, despite issues with the adaption and libretto, "the production is driven by a wonderfully cohesive cast". Wingfield drew out Morris Robinson for special praise as an "utterly convincing presence".[12]
In a review for BroadwayWorld, David Friscic was appreciative of Tesori's music, calling it "alternately sweeping, plaintive, elegiac, whimsical, satiric, mocking, poetic or emphatic". Friscic praised the sensitivity of Daniela Candillari as conductor, and was complimentary of the support cast, staging, and lighting. Friscic reserved the highest praise for lead Emily D'Angelo, referring to her "breathtaking vocal control and tone". His assessment of the opera overall was as "ground-breaking" though he stated that the audience's reaction would be "a matter of taste and aesthetics".[13]
References
- ^ Gardner, Lyn (August 4, 2013). "Grounded – review". The Guardian. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
- ^ Soloski, Alexis (April 27, 2015). "Grounded review – Anne Hathaway goes full throttle in one-woman show". The Guardian. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
- ^ a b Ruf, Jessica. "A New Opera Examines the Perils of Modern Warfare". Washingtonian. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ Cooper, Michael (September 23, 2023). "The Met Is Creating New Operas (Including Its First by Women)". The New York Times. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
- ^ Fairman, Richard (April 1, 2023). "Composer Jeanine Tesori: 'I want to write about subjects missing in the operatic canon'". Financial Times.
- ^ Hernandez, Javier. "A Drone Opera, Brought to You by General Dynamics? A Company Clarifies". The New York Times. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ a b Woolfe, Zachary (October 29, 2023). "Review: An Opera About Drones Brings a Pilot's War Home". The New York Times. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
- ^ a b "Washington National Opera Presents 'Grounded'". Kennedy-center.org. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
- ^ Salazar, Francisco. "Washington National Opera to Open Season with Grounded". Operawire. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- Washington Post. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
- ^ Downey, Charles (October 29, 2023). "Despite radiant D'Angelo, WNO's "Grounded" misses the target". Washington Classical Review. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
- ^ Wingfield, Kate (November 4, 2023). "Grounded Review: Operatic Soar". Metro Weekly. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
- ^ Friscic, David (October 30, 2023). "Review: GROUNDED at Kennedy Center". broadwayworld.com. BroadwayWorld. Retrieved February 10, 2024.