(Credit: Raftermen)

The chamber opera ‘As One’ by Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed brought newness to the opera scene through the kind of story they tell and created opportunities for opera professionals. opera in the LGBTQIA+ community. In the Atlanta Opera production, starring Lucia Lucas as Hannah Before and Blythe Gaissert as Hannah After, the positive impact and need for this type of work was evident.

“As One” shares the story of Hannah, the transgender protagonist in two roles: Hannah Before and Hannah After, in three parts. We see Hannah reflect on her childhood in a small town, her college years, and finally, we see Hannah in Norway where she finds solace in her true self.

The heaviness of Hannah’s story alongside the singers’ performances, music and musical direction, and staging created a powerful experience.

Division and alignment

Lucia Lucas’ masterful baritone summed up the lyrics and Hannah’s raw emotion. In the opening number “Paper Boy”, Lucas drew a clear contrast between when Hannah suppressed her femininity and when Hannah was able to express herself. Her use of wide vowels and her penchant for musical dissonance versus a free, legato sound carried throughout her performance, drawing the audience into Hannah’s internal struggle.

Likewise, Blythe Gaissert’s rich, sweet sound against dissonance or yielding to harmony painted a vivid picture of Hannah’s feelings. Having been involved in “As One” since her workshop days, Gaissert brought ease and solidity to her performance. Her flawless coloratura was the perfect way to display Hannah’s freedom.

Together, Lucas and Gaissert’s combined portrayals of Hannah had the right amount of disconnect and balance, which resulted in an immersive and believable experience.

Expression

The string quartet under the baton of Alexandra Enyart sums up the report of the work. Kaminsky’s elaborate score helps reinforce the significance of the text that this group of musicians performed well.

The cello accentuated the heavy moments, while paired with Lucas’ deep sound, created a grounded feel. Continually, the violins heightened feelings of fear, urgency and discomfort. In Part II, “Out of Nowhere”, the climax of Hannah’s escape from an assault was timed to perfection. The sound and name of assault victims created visceral unease throughout the performance space.

During the first part, in “Entire of Itself”, the members of the quartet and the conductor repeated John Donne’s text “No Man is an Island” as if they were reciting it in a classroom. Incorporating the quartet on stage and allowing the conductor to speak in the performance, I think, helped unify the entire musical production and deepen the impact of the story.

Unity all around

Directing by Stephanie Havey accompanied by set design by Emma Antenen, and costume design by Erik Teague simultaneously unified the production.

Havey’s staging really captured the intimacy of the text. In the program notes, Havey credits historian Tony Butler’s concept of “memory landscapes” and the creation of a “living map”, which is depicted in his staging. Executing this concept with the visuals made it easy to understand and interpret Hannah’s memories, thoughts and musings.

Havey’s directing choices were accentuated by set design and costumes that blended through colors and textures. The stage and props being completely white amplified the soft colors worn by the performers and left no room for the distractions of Hannah’s story.

The scrims on either side of the quartet and the paper lanterns that represented Hannah’s memories and letting go added a softness to the visual. The blue color of the flowing, ice-dyed costumes worn by Hannahs and the orchestra added just enough color without being overwhelming.

Teague’s deepest costume choice was Hannah Before’s first costume – a semi-tattered blue flannel with light pink bleach stains blending into the original blue color. The use of colors that were wrongly associated with genders and the merging of the two colors was thoughtful.

Final Thoughts

While the performance itself was the main event and was extraordinary, the talkback/Q&A that followed was of equal importance.

The environment that was created during Hannah’s story left the room open and safe. I thought it was admirable that the Atlanta Opera invited Queen Hatcher Johnson, a member of the local trans community who is responsible for the gender inclusion program at Positive Impact Health Centers. She was joined by Enyart who moderated, Lucas, Gaissert, Teague and Kaminsky.

The room was flooded with “thanks” to the crew for their contributions to the trans community, especially the trans music community. Questions have been asked about the process of writing this groundbreaking piece and about working in a new opera. Trans-identifying panel members were asked about connections to Hannah’s story and singing during the transition. The space that was created and allowed this conversation to take place is invaluable.

There was nothing in this production that didn’t leave me in awe. Each part was well prepared, thoughtful and deeply touching.