David Govertsen (Stoever), Barbara Landis (Duchess), Valerie Vinzant (Faustine), Nathan Granner (Morel), Kimberly E Jones (Dora) and Scott Brunscheen (Alec/Ombrellieri) in Long Beach Opera’s The Invention of Morel” captionposition=”bottom-right” lightbox=”on” floater=”on” floaterposition=”left” floaterdirection=”none” overlay_revealfx=”off”] The Invention of Morel combines two unexpected modes— science fiction and opera— into a fascinating, metaphysical tragedy. Composed by Stewart Copeland (The Police’s co-founder and drummer, as press releases are keen to mention) and with a libretto by Jonathan Moore, Morel filters a classic science-gone-awry tale through themes of alienation, obsession and control.
Morel is adapted from an acclaimed Argentine novel of the same name written by Adolfo Casares in 1940 and mostly follows its plotting. We begin with two men in rags, their flesh rotting, as they mirror each other. They frame the tale by reading from a journal recounting their life on a hellish remote island. These aforementioned characters, the Narrator (Lee Gregory) and the Fugitive (Andrew Wilkowske), are one and the same— the same man across time between the Future and Present in a dialogue with himself. This dualist conceit implies the themes of the Jungian shadow self— in other words, the darker impulses of our personalities that we must master— and self-destruction that follow.
The stage’s set is modernist and spare. This gestures at the hallucinatory, surreal tone of the production. The music smoothly moves in and out of serious, traditional tones and more danceable, airy moves that keep the audience on their toes and match the unsettling atmosphere. Dissonant modernist flairs give way to Latin-inspired beats in a seamless, engaging medley. Add to this the ever-thickening plot, whose tightly scripted beats allow fun, rapid shifts in the opera’s style. The plot does hinge on a particularly juicy twist, so it’s best to avoid too much detail. Suffice it to say, the production’s Shakespearean echoes and vintage, ’40s sci-fi aesthetic meet in a surprising climax.
The singing is polished and beautiful, as to be expected. The opera style lends a fittingly eerie flavor to the careful plotting. Indeed, Morel is at its core a tale of obsession and alienation. Visions of a party of indolent, rich socialites haunt the lonely, voyeuristic Fugitive. A megalomaniacal mad scientist Morel leads on the rich partygoers. Amid them, the Fugitive spies a woman whom he dubs Faustine (played by a wonderful Jamie Chamberlin) from their party and lusts for her. Side note: haven’t we learned Faustian bargains are bad, Fugitive? This ominous naming does not bode well for his future Othellian projections onto her.
Morel’s haunting plot is fascinated with the experience of time— how the past, present and future are all in constant conversation. Copeland uses the music well to render the island’s strange time-loops. Evocative of a computer code error, these loops segments are clever without being unnecessarily redundant. Credit must also go to the cast’s abilities. The opera’s namesake character Morel (Nathan Granner) is particularly compelling as a mad scientist with deranged ideas.
Culture junkies will notice echoes of many old and new works in Morel’s dreamlike world, a testament to the enduring preoccupations of the original book and the production’s direction. You may notice hints of Lost, or The Tempest, or even The Great Gatsby if you look close enough. Copeland and Moore have created an exciting brew of new and old influences— opera and sci-fi, the 1940s and the contemporary— worth a look for fans of mysterious plots and operatic craft.
The Invention of Morel continues at the Beverly O’Neill Theater, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., with shows on Saturday, March 24 at 7:30pm and Sunday, March 25 at 2:30pm. Tickets are $49-$150. For reservations and information, call (562) 470-SING (7464) or visit longbeachopera.org/tickets.
