Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Terence Blanchard’s powerful contemporary opera FIRE SHUT UP IN MY BONES returns to The Met

• By drediman
• April 10, 2024
• No Comments

This week, the Metropolitan Opera’s acclaimed production of Fire Shut Up in My Bones — a powerful contemporary opera by award-winning jazz musician Terence Blanchard (music) and Kasi Lemmons (libretto) — returned after an acclaimed, sold out 2021 premiere that had the distinction of ushering the Met back to live performances post-lockdown, as well as being the Met’s first long overdue presentation of an opera by a Black composer. Based on the autobiographical memoir by Black journalist and commentator Charles M. Blow, the opera chronicles his tough coming-of-age story, particularly as it relates to his confusion a life-changing decision he was faced with as a college student.

Structured in the mold of a “memory play”, the opera’s narrator is the college-aged Charles, who is essentially onstage for the entire duration of the opera as an active onlooker. For this first Met revival, this central role has been passed on to robust bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green — who played Uncle Paul in the maiden run of the production — in a raw, heartfelt portrayal that brings fortitude and a sturdy backbone to a character ostracized for his softness and sweetness. Also new to the cast is soprano Brittany Renee, who brilliantly shape-shifts through a trio of roles — Charles’s love interest Greta, as well as the corporal embodiment of the competing forces of Loneliness and Destiny — in a brightly sung performance. As young Charles, Ethan Joseph is the epitome of innocence and purity, both in tone and play acting. Charismatic soprano Latonia Moore — a Met favorite — returns to the role of Charles’s mother Billie, hitting all the right marks and elevating the character’s journey almost to the level of Charles’. All are adept at seamlessly traversing between Lemmons’ spoken dialogue and sung libretto, allowing the by-the-books narrative progression to unfold organically and forcefully.

James Robinson and Camille A. Brown’s projection-heavy production is elegantly minimalist yet remains evocative in its depiction of a progression of Southern settings. As before, Brown’s dynamic choreography injects vitality and dramaturgical texture into the proceedings, often to crowd-pleasing effect (the step dance sequence that opens the third act literally stops the show). This time around, conductor Evan Rogister has taken the baton from Met music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, leading an articulate, deeply felt reading of Blanchard’s eclectic score, which dynamically spans jazz, spirituals, gospel, and traditional opera.

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FIRE SHUT UP IN MY BONES
Opera
The Metropolitan Opera
3 hours, 5 minutes (with one intermission)
In repertory through May 2