Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – At BAM, the stunning opera installation SUN & SEA casts a meditative, deadpan gaze on climate change

• By drediman
• September 17, 2021
• No Comments

Last night, I attended Sun & Sea, an astounding new opera production that’s bravely in the midst of a U.S. tour and is currently parked at the Brooklyn Academy of Music until September 26. The piece made a big splash at the 2019 Venice Biennale, snagging the Golden Lion, the top prize bestowed at the prestigious international art exhibition. To classify the production strictly as an opera would not be doing full justice to the audacious project. Indeed, in my opinion, the work is as much opera as it is avant-garde theater, as well as art installation. In essence, Sun & Sea is a subtle but shrewd meditation on climate change and our collective response (or lack thereof) to the disasters fast coming our way.

There’s a real unity of vision amongst the contributions of the production’s three female masterminds – composer Lina Lapelytė, librettist Vaiva Grainytė, and director/set designer by Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė. Once you step onto BAM Fisher’s balcony, you’re met with Ms. Barzdžiukaitė’s striking stage picture of a beach that’s been meticulously re-created on the main floor – complete with 25 tons of sand. The setup allows for a panoramic and detached bird’s-eye view of the action, emphasizing the work’s staunch objectivity. Ms. Grainytė’s patchwork libretto veers jarringly between matter-of-fact mundanity (e.g., an aria about applying sunscreen) and profound and poetic contemplation. The lulling, synth-driven score by Ms. Lapelytė ebbs and flows organically and with deceptive quaintness, casting a hypnotic spell (the opera plays on a continuous loop and audiences are welcome to stay as long as they wish). Together, these elements form a single unflinching and deadpan gaze – which, thankfully, is not without tenderness nor sense of humor – on the human race and our general obliviousness as we careen towards tragedy.

The production is performed by what seems like an entire village, including several children and even a dog. Although not everyone contributes to the musical performance, each member of the cast gets to create their own distinct character by thoroughly inhabiting a persona within the immersive world that’s been created for the piece. Overall, the work is performed with both precision and an improvisational looseness that’s simply fascinating to witness. Since experiencing Sun & Sea last night, the piece has only grown in resonance in my mind, which is a testament to its uncompromising, stunningly realized concept. Suffice to say, it lives up to the hype that preceded its arrival to New York. The run at BAM is currently sold out, but you can try your luck via the standby line.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

SUN & SEA
Opera, Experimental theater / In-person
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Each loop runs 1 hour (without an intermission)
Through September 26