Emotional turmoil and chaos reign in Madison Opera's production of Benjamin Britten's ""The Turn of the Screw,"" playing in the Playhouse at the Overture Center this weekend.
Based on the novella by Henry James, ""Turn of the Screw"" examines the life of The Governess (Grammy-nominated soprano Caroline Worra), who is sent to watch over two children, Flora (Jennifer DeMain) and Miles (Alistair Sewell). The three have remarkably little conflict until The Governess makes a most disturbing discovery in the spectral presence of Peter Quint (Gregory Schmidt), an evil man who did despicable things to Miles. He also caused the death of a previous governess, Miss Jessel (Jamie Van Eyck). Battles ensue between the living and dead, the possessed and the unpossessed.
Jarringly lingering in oddly beautiful discordance, the production is not one to miss. Both Madison Opera veterans and newcomers give vocal performances with remarkable precision and emotional vigor. Sewell, an 8th grader at Jefferson Middle School, gives a pseudo-angelic performance in the aria-like ""Malo,"" and the pure tone of his voice in the penultimate and final scenes is absolutely haunting. DeMain, a senior at Edgewood High School, sings an outstanding solo in the scene titled ""The Lake.""
But it's Worra's show all along. Her incredible enunciation makes the display of the libretto seem unnecessary, and the way she approaches melodic climaxes by way of phrasing and melodic contour is tremendously moving.
Britten's score is altogether unsettling. Oftentimes when a melodic idea is introduced, it's by multiple instruments in sinisterly discordant intervals with underlying pedal tones from the low strings.
But this constant uneasiness and musical irresolution echoes and compliments the emotions on stage perfectly. A playful flute/clarinet duet might represent the curiosity of the children, muted French horns might accentuate The Governess' anguish in the appearance of the ghosts. Orchestral fills effectively illustrate inner-conflict when a pause in the recitative occurs. Interaction between the singers and the orchestra begin as early as the prologue, when piano and drum solos attempt to respond to the curious introduction.
The few times the score manages to reach musical resolution, it remains restless in harmonic and melodic structure, which adds to the eeriness of it all. Members of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of John DeMain, took the ever-changing meter and irresolution in stride with impeccable intonation and phrasing.
The Overture Center's Playhouse is a perfect setting for the show. Its acoustics are unmatched, and the proximity of the performers and the audience makes for an intimate venue. The minimal set—a scrim separating the orchestra from singers and occasionally background from foreground action, and a sinewy curtain that can imitate wind and hide ghosts—adds to the intimacy and eeriness of the production.
In the opening scene, The Prologue describes the opera as a ""curious story,"" and Madison Opera effectively conveys this message in a powerful manner.
""Turn of the Screw"" runs Thursday through Sunday. The Friday, Saturday and Sunday performances are sold out, but tickets are still available for tonight's performance at 7:30 p.m. in the Overture Center's Playhouse. $52 tickets are available to students with ID for $20. Visit www.overturecenter.com for more information.
