Is queer opera political? Who cares, it’s fascinating. | Opinion
A classic tale of love and grief, the myth of Orpheus is the story of a man and woman in love. But one iconic interpretation of the story might not be what you’d expect.
It’s “Orfeo ed Euridice,” an opera from the 1700s that features lead roles in a high vocal range. Tacoma Opera is staging a production of it this weekend, and it is billing it as – brace yourself – the company’s “first queer opera in 60 years.”
Heavens to Betsy. How could this be?
Actually, it makes perfect sense.
Orfeo’s part is written in what we currently understand as the female voice range. Men with really high voices, and historically some famous castrati singers, have sung it since its first performance, as have women wearing pants. These days, this soprano role usually goes to a woman, Tacoma Opera general director Limuel Forgey told me.
So to recap: This 18th century opera traditionally features a feminine man or a woman in pants going mad with grief and moving heaven and earth for beloved bride Euridice.
Guys, I think this opera might be gay.
Sure, that’s probably not exactly how it was intended. I’d love to get into a discussion of how ideas of masculinity have changed over the years, but that’s for another time. In any case, it takes a simple costume change to get the opera there.
So, Tacoma Opera decided to rip the band aid off and make Orfeo’s role a woman.
“We’ve taken away this sort of facade of a woman pretending to be a man,” Forgey said, “allowing the female voice and narrative to come to the forefront.”
What makes it political?
Apparently some haters also came to the forefront when Tacoma Opera announced its queer interpretation. Forgey said he received emails threatening to never attend the company’s performances and promising they’d go broke.
That was disappointing, but Forgey said it became clear the messages weren’t coming from the community’s foremost arts boosters and opera-goers.
“Of course, I look up who they are, and they’ve never purchased a ticket to begin with or ever given money,” he said.
Tacoma Opera also received many messages of support and thanks from opera fans “who feel seen and represented,” Forgey added.
It’s not new for Tacoma Opera to explore topics with political implications. During Forgey’s tenure as director, the company looked at American imperialism in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. It also performed the original work about the expulsion of Chinese residents from our own city, “Tacoma Method.”
Still Forgey said it’s strange when people ask him why the company is making a political statement with this opera, “as if being gay is a political statement.”
A resurrection of the art form
“Orfeo ed Euridice” might focus on grief and death, but Forgey said it gave the art form new life. In a shift from over-the-top baroque style, composer Christoph Willibald Gluck simplified the music to keep the focus on the story. That inspired classical and romantic era composers, including Mozart, Haydn and most of all Wagner.
The simplicity doesn’t mean the opera’s sound is boring, though.
“The music is absolutely stunning,” Forgey said.
I haven’t even been to the show yet, and this production has already taught me a lot about history and music. So to the people worried about a gay story ruining the opera, I’d like to echo my favorite line from the Pitch Perfect movie franchise: “Crack a book, John.”
Seriously, opera is interesting, and you might have fun learning about it. Hobbies are good for the soul.
If you want art that doesn’t break gender categories, maybe don’t go to the opera. But that would be sad, because you’ll be missing out.
