Justice Ginsburg makes opera debut – Attenborough honoured at theatre awards

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WASHINGTON, Nov 14, (Agencies): The curtain rose on Act 2 of “The Daughter of the Regiment,” revealing the figure of a tiny woman barely visible in a large dome chair with her back to the audience. Suddenly, she swiveled around — and there was Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Cheers and prolonged applause rang out from the crowd at the Kennedy Center on Saturday night even before Ginsburg, a life-long opera lover who was making her official operatic debut, opened her mouth to speak as the imperious Duchess of Krakenthorp.

Her character, a non-singing role in Donizetti’s frothy 1840 comedy, had come to find out whether the title character, Marie, was worthy of marrying her nephew.

Looking frail but determined and wearing an elegant acid green silk dress, the 83-year-old justice read from a crib sheet a series of qualifications that sounded very much like requirements for high political or judicial office. Her deadpan delivery was boosted by a microphone, although laughter from the audience occasionally drowned her out.

Some samples:

* “The best of the house of Krakenthorp have open but not empty minds. The best are willing to listen and learn. No surprise, then, that the most valorous Krakenthorpians have been women.”

* “Applicants seeking a station so exalted must have the fortitude to undergo strict scrutiny. Their character must be beyond reproach.”

Her biggest laugh came when — in apparent reference to the bogus “birther” campaign against President Obama — she asked whether Marie could produce a birth certificate and added: “We must take precautions against fraudulent pretenders.”

Ginsburg herself wrote her dialogue, in collaboration with Kelley Rourke, dramaturg for the Washington National Opera, which is presenting a new production of the opera. In the original version of “La Fille du Regiment,” as it is known in French, the duchess has little dialogue, but the role is often taken by comedians or aging singers who improvise their own lines.

Francesca Zambello, the WNO’s artistic director, had asked Ginsburg to appear in all eight performances, but she declined to do more than opening night, citing her “day job.” Actress Cindy Gold takes over for the remainder of the run.

It wasn’t Ginsburg’s first time on an opera stage. She had appeared three other times dating back to 1994 but always as a non-speaking supernumerary.

Unique

This time her presence added a unique luster to a performance that would have been memorable even without her, thanks to world-class singing by the cast, led by soprano Lisette Oropesa as Marie and tenor Lawrence Brownlee as her sweetheart, Tonio.

After Ginsburg’s first scene she was escorted off stage, while many in the house gave her a standing ovation. But she was back again near the end, this time brought in by a servant in a white powdered wig of the type worn by British judges. Hearing that Marie has decided to marry Tonio instead of the duke, she exclaimed, “Quel scandale!” and retreated to a chair, fanning herself vigorously until the curtain fell.

And she would appear one final time, led on during the curtain calls by Brownlee. Then, leaning on him for a bit of support, one of the most influential and revered women in American life smiled and curtsied three times to the audience.

A giant tree limb slices diagonally across the stage, creating a looming image in Suzan-Lori Parks’ symbol-laden, language-rich, ritualistic play about the erasure of African Americans and their history from Western World chronicles. It’s one of many powerful images that Parks and director Lileana Blain-Cruz use for dramatic and haunting effect in this handsomely staged, evocative revival of Parks’ 1990 play at Signature Theater.

As African-American archetypes and stereotypes from the biblical, historical and folkloric past roam on stage in a limbo state, Parks weaves a woozy spell with her stylized, fragmented and elliptical use of language. Your response to the work might parallel how you feel about a free-form jazz session, one filled with meditative riffs and theatrical flourishes.

Characters at this ancestral burial ground include the Old Testament figure of Noah’s son Ham (Patrena Murray), the Egyptian Pharaoh Hatshepsut (Amelia Workman), and Bigger Thomas from Richard Wright’s novel “Native Son” (Reynaldo Piniella). They reflect upon or attend to the figure of a dead black man, who is first seen as lifeless, seated on stage at the play’s start. He is brought back to life — but his Lazarus lift is short-lived, for he is destined to die and return again and again.

The figure is called Black Man with Watermelon (Daniel J. Watts), and this surrogate victim represents multiple deaths of his race — lynching, electrocution, suicide — over the ages. But his greatest demise is death by invisibility.

British naturalist David Attenborough was honoured for more than 60 years of wildlife programming with a Beyond Theatre prize presented by Prince William at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards on Sunday.

The 90-year-old broadcaster, who has travelled the world to showcase nature and wildlife, was handed the prize for his contribution to broadcasting at London’s Old Vic theatre.

“The recipient of a particular award tonight has shaped the culture of this country and the way we look at the world,” the Duke of Cambridge said before presenting the accolade.

Thirteen awards were given for theatre performances over the past year at the 62nd edition of the ceremony, which was hosted by Evening Standard owner Evgeny Lebedev and British musician Elton John.

“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” picked up the best play award, with Ralph Fiennes taking best actor for his performance in the “Master Builder” and “Richard III”. Billie Piper won best actress for her role in “Yerma”.

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