PHILADELPHIA (AP) 鈥� Kiera Duffy is disturbed by 鈥�10 Days in a Madhouse鈥� as much as an 1887 public was outraged by the squalid surroundings exposed by trailblazing reporter Nellie Bly.
鈥淭he idea of the hysterical woman trope really does persist today,鈥� the soprano said ahead of Thursday night鈥檚 premiere of Rene Orth鈥檚 musical adaptation at Opera Philadelphia. 鈥淢y sister at the age of 34 had a heart attack at a gym and was conscious and telling the emergency personnel, `I think I鈥檓 having a heart attack.鈥� She was having all of the classic signs and they dismissed it and told her you鈥檙e probably having a panic attack and gave her the wrong medication and she died.鈥�
Siobhan Duffy Gaffney鈥檚 death in December 2018 was on Duffy's mind as she rehearsed the lead role of Bly. The complex work is based on the reporting of the New York World reporter, who feigned derangement and fooled doctors to gain admittance to the Blackwell鈥檚 Island insane asylum for women on what is now New York City鈥檚 Roosevelt Island. Bly uncovered abusive overcrowding, lack of heat, shared bath water and discrimination, leading to a grand jury investigation and reforms.
An all-woman creative team was commissioned to develop the work by Opera Philadelphia and Toronto鈥檚 Tapestry Opera. Bly disclosed that many detainees were sane and held only because they were poor, spoke little English or had run afoul of a man.
鈥淚 have a lot to say about women鈥檚 rights being taken away and how women are treated,鈥� director Joanna Settle explained. 鈥淚f Britney Spears can be put in a conservatorship performing nine shows a week in Vegas at the highest level, it鈥檚 unbelievable that someone that legibly competent can lose her freedom. So, it鈥檚 not such an old issue, which is why we all respond to the story.鈥�
Orth composed the 80-minute work for 12 musicians plus electronics. Acoustic generally accompanies reality and harsher electronics and drums for delusion. With a compelling and unique style, the 38-year-old composer mixes in a waltz and hymn for a chorus of inmates.
鈥淚 would love it if somebody walked out of the theater and said: `I want to see that again,鈥樷�� Orth said, 鈥渙r if they also feel there鈥檚 a social justice message to society: We need to do better for women.鈥�
Librettist Hannah Moscovitch was paired with Orth in what Moscovitch calls a 鈥渂lind date鈥� by Opera Philadelphia general director David Devan after her work on 鈥淪ky on Swings,鈥� Lembit Beecher鈥檚 2018 chamber opera about Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. Moscovitch鈥檚 libretto reverses Bly鈥檚 story, starting on day 10 and working toward Bly鈥檚 admittance, an inverted chronology evoking Harold Pinter鈥檚 鈥淏etrayal.鈥�
鈥淲e were interested in what the audience would think of a woman being crazy 鈥� seem like she was crazy 鈥� and then realize that she was sane,鈥� Moscovitch said, 鈥渉ow the audience would reconsider their own assumptions.鈥�
Duffy memorably portrayed Bess in Missy Mazzoli鈥檚 2016 Opera Philadelphia premiere of 鈥淏reaking the Waves鈥� based on the Lars von Trier film.
鈥淚鈥檓 not turning down Adinas and Susannas left and right to choose this work, but I鈥檓 very, very happy that this work did choose me,鈥� she said, referring to famous Mozart and Donizetti roles. 鈥淚 personally find playing these more canonic characters to be something of a straitjacket, because I think not only the listener 鈥� but also I, myself 鈥� have a sort of ideal sound in mind and ideal performance, whether it鈥檚 Judith Blegen or Kathleen Battle. And so that means it becomes for me at least kind of suffocating because I鈥檓 never quite living up to my own ideal or what I suspect as the audience鈥檚 ideal.鈥�
Baritone Will Liverman sings Dr. Josiah Blackwell and mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis the inmate Lizzie, both before they head to New York for the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Anthony Davis鈥� 鈥淴: The Life and Times of Malcolm X.鈥� Soprano Laurel Pearl sprints circles around the simple, singular set, portraying the Nurse/Matron as a 19th century Nurse Ratched.
Daniela Candillari leads a run of five performances through Sept. 30 at Opera Philadelphia鈥檚 Festival O23 before conducting the world premiere of Jeanine Tesori鈥檚 鈥淕rounded鈥� at the Washington National Opera.
Liverman keeps in shape by running the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps made famous in 鈥淩ocky.鈥�
鈥淢y brain is just full of time signatures and notes at all times, because when I鈥檓 not doing `Madhouse鈥� I鈥檓 in the `Malcolm X鈥� madhouse,鈥� Liverman said. 鈥淲ith new material and different sound worlds that we鈥檙e really not accustomed to, it takes some time to let the musical language settle in.鈥�
Candillari conducted a reworked version of Orth鈥檚 鈥淓mpty the House鈥� in 2019. For this production in the 296-seat Wilma Theater, the orchestra is on a platform above the set, and uplights by Andrew Leiberman create an eerie atmosphere. About a half-dozen monitors are placed around the stage.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 have clear contact with singers, so I sort of resorted to learning sign language alphabet to be able to cue the singers, whether it鈥檚 the chorus, whether it鈥檚 one of the four principals,鈥� Candillari said.
Bryce-Davis has the most compelling aria, 鈥淢y daughter,鈥� an ode to a dead child. Bryce-Davis views Roosevelt Island quite differently following her immersion in the traumatic story.
鈥淢y sister lives on Roosevelt Island and so whenever I鈥檓 in New York, that鈥檚 where I am,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I first realized the connection, I was like, wait, what?鈥�
Ronald Blum, The Associated Press
