The agony, ecstasy and inherent sexual innuendo of today?s soap opera plots seem almost tame compared with the bleak story line of Benjamin Britten?s “The Rape of Lucretia.”
Yet in the hands of Roger Brunyate, the director of Peabody?s Chamber Opera, there is a lot less finger-pointing and moral indignation.
His newly conceived adaptation of the story premieres this weekend at the TheatreProject.
“The Rape of Lucretia” was adapted by Britten from the play “Le Viol de Lucrece” by Andre Obey. Drawn from ancient history, the story is about Lucretia, the virtuous wife of a Roman general, who kills herself after being raped by Sextus Tarquinius, the son of the despot king.
Two of the prominent roles in the opera are the Male and Female Chorus, who serve as narrators in the Greek tradition.
“I have set my production like a CNN news shot of Baghdad today,” Brunyate said.
“The two chorus members are presenters reporting from wartime [Baghdad],” he said.
In the original opera, according to Brunyate, the chorus was written as “vaguely monastic,” and their pronouncement on the events morally and ethically damning.
These two chorus members, instead of rebuking and casting judgment on the action, find their own faith and beliefs being tested.
Brunyate fashions parts of the text to pose questions rather than providing the answers.
Kyle Malone, a tenor and second-year master student in voice at Peabody, performs the major role of the Male Chorus.
“Brunyate spent a lot of time discussing what the piece needs,” he said. “His take fits into the original framework, but with a different moral feeling.”
Leah Serr, the opera?s Lucretia, is a senior voice major and mezzo-soprano.
She agrees with Malone about the opera?s direction, adding that the production?s complexity and allegory requires great emotion in both singing and acting.
“This is my own personal challenge,” she said, “a good learning tool.”
If you go
“The Rape of Lucretia,” Peabody Chamber Opera
» Venue: Theatre Project, 45 W. Preston St., Baltimore
» Times: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday
» Tickets: $24,$12 for seniors, $10 for students with ID
» More info: 410-752-8558
