In BAM’s Fisher Space the moving new opera As One had its world premiere. Composed by Laura Kaminsky with Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed as co-librettists, As One tells the story of transgender Hannah from her childhood up through adulthood when she transitions to living as a woman.
I entered the Fisher Space with a general admission ticket, and was told to pick any seat not already reserved. More than half of the seats for the premiere of As One were reserved. I was surprised the opera was such a hot ticket. But it was, and deservedly so. I quickly picked a seat as I had to dash down two different flights of stairs and cross the building twice to get to the bathroom in the basement. Once back at my seat I noticed that all the chairs were extremely comfortable, plush and even reclined slightly when you sat down. Why doesn’t all of BAM have these seats? The seats in Gillman are murder on my back and bottom—and so much more expensive. I think BAM should transplant the seats from Fisher into Gillman.
Shawn was unexpectedly out of town so I went with a much beloved friend. Although I missed Shawn I was looking forward to a show without his antics. For operas he is familiar with I can feel him tense up when a high note is supposed to be taken and isn’t, hear him breathe sighs of relief when a singer gets through a difficult passage. He writhes, jumps, mutters under his breath and sometimes yells at the audience when they don’t respond the way he feels they should. It can be endearing, but I was looking forward to a more discreet experience. As the violinists warmed up and tuned their violins to the same note, my companion began to hum along and my hopes of a quieter evening evaporated. His periodic low humming continued throughout the performance. Along with occasional gasps at the turn of events in the storyline. Regardless of Shawn’s noises-by-proxy I was able to focus on the show onstage.
The small theatre had a bright blue square delineating the performance space and seating on three sides of it. The Fry Street Quartet, a chamber orchestra sat center stage, all in bare feet. After they started playing, one of their violinists entered, playing, and took a seat. The baritone Kelly Markgraf entered shortly after, and as the lighting above rippled across the floor, creating waves and a sensation of movement, he sang about his childhood paper route. Video from a bicyclist’s view of a suburban neighborhood, along with street level video of a bicycle wheel spinning were projected onto screens behind Markgraf. He sat down on his “bike” (a chair) and mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke slipped in right in front of him. She is with him on the bike, and eventually we realize she is within him–and probably always was. As Markgraf describes the women’s blouse he would sometimes wear under his shirt while he delivered the papers, Cooke begins to sing. She emerges from him and the two both play Hannah, alternating throughout the opera and also singing duets. As the opera progresses, however, we hear more from Cooke and less from Markgraf. By the end, Markgraf has essentially disappeared and we are left finally with just Cooke. I thought it was a great way to depict Hannah, and that opening scene with Cooke on the bike tucked in front of Markgraf stuck with me long after the performance.
Kaminsky’s opera makes Hannah relatable to the public and humanizes transgendered people. Hannah is like other children, with her paper route, school and friends. But there are urges—to write in giant feminine loops while learning cursive, to be with the girls not the boys when learning about sex, to dress like a woman. Hannah recognizes she is not like other boys, but also doesn’t realize that there are others like her until her late teens when she hears the word transgender and looks it up at the local library.Markgraf started out very strong as Hannah, and he inhabited the role with intensity and great acting. I enjoyed his warm voice. Cooke grew on me throughout the opera, and by the end I was totally in love with her rich voice. They are a great pair. I found their duet about subduing urges very moving. As they sing Cooke’s voice is sweet and her face is happy. She is the Hannah who will finally emerge. Margraf during that duet looks pained and bereft. They aptly reflect what one imagines is the struggle someone wrestling with their gender identity endures. As Cooke begins to have more and more solos and more freedom to live as Hannah, Markgraf fades into the background and at one point is reciting names and places. I was confused until I realized he is naming people who were killed for being transgender. With the psychological freedom Hannah gains also comes physical risk.
The Fry Quartet were quite simply terrific. I loved the choice for a small orchestra. It allowed the instruments to have a clear voice and added to the beautifully lyrical composition. The intensity and quick music often gave off the feeling of racing. And indeed we were; racing towards freedom. The musicians also join in the opera and are occasionally actors in it. It was a versatile group and hopefully As One soon has a longer run.
Related Links:
The Passenger at the Park Avenue Armory
The Wrathful Perils of the Nautical Closet: Billy Budd (Glyndebourne at BAM)
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