By James V. Ruocco
"Fire Shut Up in My Bones," based on Charles M. Blow's character-driven 2014 Louisiana memoir, is the first opera by a black composer to be staged at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Set to music by composer Terence Blanchard, it is a complex, fiercely-driven coming-of-age portrait of a young boy, who, after being sexually molested by his older cousin ("it's a game," we are told), escapes that childhood nightmare to become a well-respected college graduate of Grambling State University and a critically-acclaimed journalist, often described as "the James Baldwin of our age."
Redemptive, stirring and delicately executed, Blow's story takes audiences on a journey to the past where he is forced to confront his fears and heartaches as a young black boy growing up in the rural South (Gibsland, Louisiana, to be exact) surrounded by five brothers and a "do-right," church-going mother who only wants the very best for her young son.
Candid, affecting and lyrically defined for the mainstream opera world, "Fire Shut Up in My Bones" was presented on the movie screen at The Ridgefield Playhouse on October 25th before an excited, well-versed audience of theatergoers, opera buffs and MET loyalists who applauded and appreciated this grand, well-rounded childhood memoir composed by the prolific, very talented Terence Blanchard who prior to his MET debut wrote "Champion" for the Opera Theatre of St. Louis.
Thrilling.
Visionary.
Radical.
Sensitive.
Personal.
Edgy.
"Fire Shut Up in My Bones" allows Blanchard to raise his voice through operatic storytelling - the kind that pushes you to the edge of your seat and forces you to listen - artfully revealed though the transitions, dynamics, movements and harmonics of his beautifully imagined creation. This is opera - MET opera - at its very best - told through a bold, intimate eye that's mounted, balanced, impressive and vigorously voiced. It's a new work - special in its own right - and one that no doubt will be showcased time and time again at the MET and other opera venues - in America and worldwide.
Let's continue.
James Robinson and Camille A. Brown, the co-creators of the 2021 MET staging of "Porgy and Bess," direct "Fire Shut Up in My Bones" with ease, grace and a combined passion and professionalism that confidently addresses the funneled challenges and the steep and artfulness of Blanchard's opera. No guesswork here. No confusion. No hesitancy. No overplaying. No unwarranted calculations. The connection between orchestra, conductor and singers is both powerful and unified as is their visual freshness, formatting and storytelling thrust and conception. They wouldn't have it any other way.
Completely akin to the pain, angst and hope and struggle of the black experience, they construct and address Blanchard's operatic blueprint bringing both resonance and nuance to the subject matter, its purpose and its progression over a 195-minute running time, which includes a half-time interval. It's all here: the secrets, the taboos, the struggles, the conflicts, the history, the pain, the loneliness, the safe places, the choices, the memories of a haunted past, the prejudice, the survival, the struggles with identity and sexuality, the sense of community, the romance, the discovery and the importance of family. Though crafted to reflect the black experience, the material, nonetheless, is universal in itself touching on topics, truths, customs and traditions that almost everyone can identify with.
In terms of presentation, Robinson and Brown give "Fire Shut Up in My Bones," a welcoming palette of diversity and feeling that works especially well. As directors, they also emphasize the distinct, direct and important factors concurrent in the story, its characters, their growth, the original source material and its operatic bandwidth. There's also a tremendous sense of bravery, proudness and realness throughout the production that adds additional weight, dimension and excitement to the storytelling. It's subdued. It's thrilling. It's shocking. It's heartbreaking. It's tearful. It's nostalgic. And depending on the scene or the moment, it's bathed in a warmness, a romanticism and a sweetness that's contagious and impossible to resist.
Another plus to this particular opera is Robinson and Brown's handling of the principals, the supporting players, the dancers and the chorus. As "Fire Shut Up in My Bones" evolves, there's a dynamic on-stage connection that is created, lived, enlivened and naturally performed by the entire MET cast under the duo's primed directorial tutelage.
That's not all.
This production includes a show-stopping fraternity step dance; a holier-than-thou Church baptism; and a fueled fraternity hazing that's full of fire, emotion and unabashed momentum and frenzy.
For those audiences not present at the Lincoln Plaza location, the MET HD ENCORE edition of Blanchard's powerful character memoir at the Ridgefield Playhouse benefits from lots of perks including important commentary and exciting interviews prior to the screening and during the opera's 30-minute intermission. There's also a concession stand of delectable treats (the butter popcorn is a must), cookies, candies, chips, sodas, coffee, seltzer, wine and assorted mixed drinks. It's all very organized, showcased and delivered with courtesy and professionalism by the always welcoming Playhouse staff.
Inside the theater, "Fire Shut Up in My Bones," like the recent "live" broadcast of "Boris Godunov" earlier this month at the Playhouse, unfolds with exceptional camera work that prompts a one-on-one connection between singers and audience. This carefully thought out technique (the camera is always in the right place at the right time) is showcased with perfectly imagined editing techniques that frame the story through close ups, pull backs and long establishing shots that portray the tone, pathos, humor and drama of the storytelling and the varied emotions of the central characters. It's a cinematic process that thrusts the audience full-throttle in the into heart and soul of the story, its well-positioned story arcs, its musicality and its savored viscera.
As with any opera - the key to its success - is the implementation of a conductor whose affinity, flair and aggressiveness allows the score to unfold with the measured intensity, drama and totality intended by its creator. With "Fire Shut Up in My Bones," the MET has enlisted the talents of conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin (the current musical director for the New York-based venue (2018-present) whose Metropolitan Opera House credits include "Carmen," "Rusalka," "Don Carlo," "La Traviata" and "Faust." A maestro whose work is best described as both detailed and powerful, Nezet-Seguin leads his audience - at the MET and at the Ridgefield Playhouse - into a musical world that is not only utterly compelling, but one that recalls the passion and angst he brought to both "Faust" and "La Traviata" at the MET.
Addressing Terrence Blanchard's important, intricate orchestral composition for "Fire Shut Up in My Bones," he brings layers of sound, scope and tonality to the piece, accentuating its textures, its melodic lyricism, its delicateness, its beauty, its controversy and its immersive sense of family, time and place. As conductor, he is scrupulously prepared, but never showy or off form. Here, he lets the material breathe and entice the on-stage performers, the concert crowd at the MET and those in theaters across America and beyond watching the opera on movie screens including a very attentive Ridgefield Playhouse audience.
What's remarkable here is Nezet-Seguin's marvelous sense of pacing and affection as Blanchard's opera moves from scene to scene and act to act. In complete control of the assertive and energetic MET orchestra, there is great warmth, gamble and expressiveness at the podium. The experience itself - a thrilling sense of spirit, trust and discovery - smartly enhances the ambiance and pulse of the operatic narrative, its solo and choral moments, its naturalness, its flavor and fluidity. The cohesive strength and drama between conductor, orchestra and performer is matched by a striking illumination and expanse that furthers the already distinct and truthful awareness of Blanchard's timely period piece, its characters, its story, its progression, its parting, its beauty and its deeply personal conclusion.
At the MET, the role of the adult Charles is sung by Will Liverman, a classic bass-baritone whose strong voice is well-suited for his particular type of angst-ridden character. Vocally, he is supercharged and ready, filled with the rage, alertness, self-doubt and hope envisioned by the composer. The dynamic Latonia Moore, perfectly cast as Billie, Charles's loving, workaholic mother, brings gospel verve and down-home Southern polish to her vocals, offset by a sense of purpose, strength and belonging that speaks volumes in this particular opera. The versatile, charismatic Angel Blue, playing three different roles - one real (Greta); the other two (Destiny and Loneliness) imagined by the adult Charles - comes to the MET with a vocal radiance and luster that is magically conveyed through blazing musicality, rife with personality, unforced richness and enticing emotional fervor. Walter Russell III, a charismatic 13-year-old musical dynamo with a voice that you can't get enough of, crafts an emotional, sensitively sweet portrayal of Charles in his boyhood years that is so perfect, during the final curtain calls - wonderfully showcased in extreme close-up on the movie screen at the Ridgefield Playhouse - Russell can't hold back his tears as the MET audience madly applauds his ovation-worthy performance.
Another diamond in the MET's vast library of classics and new works, "Fire Shut Up in My Bones" is a persuasive, brilliantly written and constructed opera that demands heartfelt praise and applause for its emotional continuity, momentum and smoothness. Backed by the strong, exceptional performances of its four principals - Liverman, Moore, Blue and Russell III - it welcomes you into its deeply emotional past, telling an important, controversial story of family, kinship, memory and survival that lingers long after the performance has ended.
Yannick Nezet-Seguin, as conductor, brings a burnished fullness to this glorious, crowd-pleasing MET production, matched by tremendous insight and passion for the material. It all flows naturally and seamlessly, engineered by an orchestral sound of gleaming clarity and purpose. Bravo!
"Fire Shut Up in My Bones" was presented in conjunction with the MET'S ENCORE IN HD series on October 25, 2021 at The Ridgefield Playhouse (80 E. Ridge Rd., Ridgefield, CT.) It will return to the Playhouse for an additional ENCORE presentation on November, 20, 2021 at 12:55 p.m.
(Photos of "Fire Shut Up in My Bones" by Ken Howard)
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