Review: 10 DAYS IN A MADHOUSE at Bluma Appel Theatre: St. Lawrence Centre For The Arts

10 Days in a Madhouse is a stunning achievement in new opera and a testament to what can be achieved through creative collaboration. 10 Days in a Madhouse is a Tapestry Opera and Opera Philadelphia production & commission co-presented by the Luminato Festival and the Canadian Opera Company (COC) in association with TO Live. 

Based on a true story and a book of the same name, 10 Days in a Madhouse tells the 19th-century tale of Nellie Bly, an intrepid 23-year-old reporter who in 1887 infiltrated a women’s “lunatic asylum” to get the inside scoop. What she discovers is eerily similar to themes in more contemporary narratives such as Orange Is the New Black. Most of the incarcerated women are not “mad” at all. They are poor, immigrants, abandoned, sick, or otherwise socially marginalized, making them targets for medicalized violence. 

Every aspect of this production, directed by Joanna Settle, exemplified why opera has the power to bring stories to life in ways that no other genre can. Score, libretto, set, costumes, lighting, and vocal and orchestral performances of the highest quality mingled into something that was more than the sum of its parts, rendering a powerful story with more nuance and pathos than theatre, film, or literature alone could have achieved.

The score by Rene Orth is everything my ear wants to hear from a new opera. It is grounded in classical tradition that hasn’t buried its head in the sand to the technological innovations that have happened to music over the last hundred years. The score fuses new classical melody and orchestration with drum and bass beats. Repetitive and rhythmic passages in the libretto facilitate a mix of recorded and live percussive sounds and echoes. Despite the heavy subject matter, I found myself grooving along to the beat a couple of times, which enhanced the narrative world-building by librettist Hannah Moscovitch.

A chamber orchestra conducted by Sandra Horst sat atop the central set piece, a circular wall around a portrait-lined hallway that we never see the end of. This created a pedestal rather than a pit for the orchestra effecting an intriguing shift in aural perspective to a beautifully rendered, textured score. Drama unfolding around the imposing grey circumference of the wall reinforced the libretto’s central theme of institutions trapping women in vicious cycles.

Consistent with most 21st-century operas that I have seen, the work is through-sung with lengthy monologues and dialogues that are aria, duet, and ensemble-like, so there are plenty of opportunities for singers to shine. Technically stunning and emotionally entrancing performances were a huge part of what made this performance so special.

Soprano Mireille Asselin was a tour de force in the role of Nellie Bly. Her voice has a crystal-clear, porcelain-fine high extension with a strong, supple core, vocally epitomizing the multifaceted experience of feminine strength and vulnerability that allows Nellie to hold on to her agency in multiple spaces that want women to be silent. Asselin personified the role with an authenticity that made me feel like I knew Nelly by the time she sang her final potent monologue denouncing the abusive asylum from atop the wall alongside the orchestra.

Mezzo-soprano Taylor-Alexis DuPont brought down the house in the role of Lizzie, a poor young widow who is grieving rather than insane, who strikes up a friendship with Nellie. DuPont’s voice has a warm, bright texture reminiscent of a French horn that hits you right in the feels. Her low notes are rich and throbbing, and her high notes are fiery and explosive. She so completely cloaks herself in Lizzie’s grief that we understand her haunting jagged refrain of “What time is the boat” in our hearts long before we get an explanation. 

Baritone Jorell Williams was the epitome of the wolf in sheep's clothing in his portrayal of a saccharinely sinister psychiatrist. He judiciously and deftly used straight-toned, quiet pitches in contrast to a rich, hearty vibrato to bring an extremely eerie quality to this role, crafting the kind of antagonist that we love to hate.

Soprano Lauren Pearl gave a strong performance in the role of the abusive religious zealot nurse, not only vocally but physically, including very athletic running in circles around the wall. She is also the production’s movement coach. She and other performers used frenetic movements reminiscent of electronic dance moves to evoke the characters’ understandable lashing out against the hostile environment.

There’s no other way to put it - this show is a must-see. If you love new opera, go see it. If you did not know that new opera existed, go see it!

Photo of Jorell Williams and Mirellie Asslin by Eric Forget Photography





 

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