An American Tragedy

  The Santa Monica College Opera Theatre will present the West Coast premiere of “An American Tragedy” at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 8 and at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 9 at The Broad Stage at Santa Monica College. 

Based on Theodore Dreiser’s classic American novel,  it is a story of very human characters set in the context of powerful social, religious and ideological issues.  The plot is based on the real life story of Chester Gillette who  in the summer of 1906, Gilette took his pregnant girlfriend Grace Brown for a boating excursion on a lake in New York’s Adirondack mountains.

The next day, Brown’s body was found floating in a secluded cove. Gillette tried to flee, but was captured and tried for murder. The case sparked a media frenzy and news headlines around the world, in much the same way as the O.J. Simpson trial.  With music by Tobias Picker and libretto by Gene Scheer, the opera was commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera and was performed there in 2005 but has not received a staging since. 

That may have a bit to do with the critical reception to  Picker’s musical style which shies away from modern spiky atonality and leans more towards traditional Broadway. In fact, whole stretches of Picker’s score would fit just fine in a Broadway musical. Critics have labelled the style as conventional, populist, old-fashioned, retrograde, rather than pushing the genre like John Adams (in “Doctor Atomic”), Thomas Adès (in “The Tempest”) or Poul Ruders (in “The Handmaid’s Tale”), and accused the Met of playing it safe.

But all of these supposedly negative labels are probably great news for the general audience that tends to prefer tunes it can hum along with. Many critics go along. The Philadelphia Inquirer noted that “Picker’s score contains lush, singable, flowing music.” The New York Post called the opera “a compelling mix of sex, religion and status” and added that “Picker’s music has power.”  And The Financial Times noted that “’An American Tragedy’ may be the perfect modern opera for people who hate modern opera.”  

Picker himself notes that he just “wanted to write an opera with real emotions people identify with,” and “with music that is expressive, emotional, passionate.”

The SMC production features a professional cast that includes baritone Chad Sloan, soprano Shana Blake Hill, and mezzo-soprano Anne Marie Sevier with students performing the chorus and some supporting roles.

The students also get to work with Tobias Picker as  composer-in-residence for the week of May 2 through 9. 

Sloan, in the lead role of Clyde Griffiths, is a graduate of the Juilliard School who has performed throughout the country with such companies as Wolf Trap Opera, Kentucky Opera, Utah Opera and Tanglewood. He is quickly becoming recognized as much for his warm, elegant vocalism as he is for deft interpretations of diverse characters. 

Hill, in the role of Roberta, has appeared as a principal artist with such companies as The Los Angeles Opera, Savonlinna Festival Opera (Finland), and Cincinnati Opera. She has also been featured as a solo artist with orchestras such as The Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic and Colorado Symphony. She has also been featured in films, including the title track “The Mission” for the blockbuster film “The Sum of All Fears.”

The Emmy Award-winning SMC Opera Theatre has gained an impressive reputation over the years. Several alumni have gone on to international careers, most notably Gabriel Silva and Rodel Rosell, who debuted at the Met in New York last October. Tickets are $35 general admission and $10 for students and senior citizens. Call (310) 434-3000.