BARN OPERA’s “The Letters of Charlotte” mines humanity in Massenet’s Werther
https://www.rutlandherald.com/features/vermont_arts/the-letters-of-charlotte-barn-opera-mines-the-humanity-in-massenet-s-werther/article_98e550d1-1b9d-574c-9e4b-0df25b0f61ed.html
February 18, 2023 - The Rutland Herald, Rutland (VT)
Joshua Collier, founder and artistic director of Barn Opera, isn’t happy with how many productions of Jules Massenet’s opera “Werther” reduce the characters and plot to black and white.
“Lazy directors want you to cheer for the relationship between Charlotte and Werther, but I don’t,” he said. “Do you think the audience is stupid so that they cannot understand some emotional nuance? I really don’t want Albert to be a bad guy. I want people to understand why she married him. I get it that he’s a good guy. This type of humanism is something that really interests me to play with.
“These are not archetypal characters.”
Barn Opera will present “The Letters of Charlotte,” Collier’s adaptation of “Werther,” at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 24 and 25, at the Barn Opera House in Brandon. Performances will be fully staged, sung in the original French with English supertitles and English narration.
In this version, it’s Christmas time, and the aging Charlotte is reminiscing about her time with her first love, the poet Werther. Told through a series of letters and flashbacks, Goethe’s story is a tremendously tragic love story made even more powerful by the rich and passionate music of Massenet. The characters of her youth appear before her, with the story spiraling toward its inevitability.
Collier directs this streamlined production, with Liya Nigmati on piano. Brenda Scott narrates as old Charlotte; mezzo-soprano JoAnna Pope sings young Charlotte; tenor David Rivera Bozon is Werther; baritone Bryan Murray, Albert; and soprano Hanna Madeleine Goodman, Charlotte’s sister, Sophie.
French composer Massenet completed “Werther” in 1887. His libretto, by Èdouard Blau, Paul Milliet and Georges Hartmann, is based on Goethe’s novel “The Sorrows of Young Werther,” which is based on fact and on Goethe’s own early life.
The passionate young poet Werther escorts Charlotte to a party, immediately falling in love with her. However, Charlotte is engaged to the staid Albert who returns from a business trip during the party. Werther is in despair.
Condensing a lot, after Charlotte marries Albert, she discovers she has feelings for Werther. While Albert is away, Charlotte and Werther meet. Werther declares his love, and after nearly giving in, she sends him away. This being grand opera, we know no good is coming.
“You know it’s going to happen from jump,” Collier said. “You know something bad is going to happen because of Charlotte being engaged to Albert and having this infatuation, this love triangle with Werther. You know that it’s not going to go well. We don’t know what’s going to happen, we just know that it’s going to happen.”
Collier’s adaptation focuses on Charlotte’s internal struggle.
“What I’m trying to do is to tell a different story,” he said, “to tell that story retroactively with a narrator who is reliable from her historical position, that interests me. As opposed to Charlotte in the opera, here she is conflicted all the time until the very end — and even then, still she’s very conflicted.”
Finally, Charlotte is traumatized.
“‘My choice was taken away,” she thinks.
This poor woman goes through the wringer, put there by herself, and by Werther. Collier thinks Albert gets a bad rap.
“What interests me is Charlotte had two really viable options and she has to make the decision between safety and security — although maybe a little bland — and explosive passion, which is really precarious,” he said.
Charlotte is a lot like “Marian the Librarian” in “The Music Man.”
“She’s a wonderful woman in town who helps everybody, tutors the kids. She’s just a great wonderful wholesome person,” Collier said. “The ability to marry Albert is the really stable and secure one.”
In Collier’s version, Albert is away a lot.
“In the second act, Charlotte’s been by herself for a long time,” Collier said. “She’s waiting around, and Werther shows up and she gets into it — not quite an infidelity — with Werther. He is too aggressive, and she says ‘no.’ He goes crazy and pushes her away. He’s entitled.”
Charlotte hasn’t had time to recover when her husband comes home and finds her crying.
“Albert knows exactly why because he talked with Werther,” Collier said. “They’re married three months and Werther is still moping about. Albert says, look, I know why you’re in love with her, I’m in love with her, but she’s mine. I think that’s such a mensch thing to do.”
In Collier’s version, Older Charlotte is looking back at her life, experiencing these times again.
“It’s not just about narration, but more Charlotte’s grappling with the reality of her memories that maybe until this moment she hadn’t confronted.”
jim.lowe @timesargus.com / jim.lowe @rutlandherald.com