Elegies: A Song Cycle, by William Finn, is a series of songs in a musical theatre idiom dealing with bereavement and mourning. It’s a 2003 piece and firmly rooted in the trauma of the AIDS epidemic and 9/11. It’s very New York.
Opera 5’s production (seen June 15) at Factory Theatre is fully staged (by Jessica Derventzis) and performed by artists from Opera 5’s Portfolio Artist Internship Program who mostly hail from McGill University. The extensive musical theatre training they have received is very evident in both their command of the required vocal style and their easy and energetic movement on stage.
L-R: Kyle Briscoe, Kate Fogg, Jayden Burrows, MacKenzie Sechi, Brenna McFarland, and Emma Yee in Opera 5’s Elegies. Photo: Emily Ding Photography
Elegies consists of 22 rather loosely linked numbers with a connecting theme of “Mark’s All-Male Thanksgiving” (which feels a bit odd when performed by four ladies and two guys!). Many of the pieces feel quite integrated but some numbers seem to have been inserted because Finn had them to hand. “Fred,” with the cast in chicken masks, is a case in point. It appears to be about a person turning into a chicken, but why isn’t quite clear!
Musically, things never stray very far from the Broadway idiom which, in my experience, is entirely typical of New York “art song” and wisely, the performance respects that rather than attempting some kind of hybrid vocal style. The piano parts (excellently played by Nate Ben-Horin) are very much of a piece to the point where I was pretty sure what was coming after the first three chords. Ben-Horin too, wisely, goes with the flow.
L-R: Nate Ben-Horin, Jayden Burrows, Emma Yee, and Kyle Briscoe in Opera 5’s Elegies. Photo: Emily Ding Photography
So, I wasn’t overly thrilled by either text or music, though the former is more original than the latter. If you are a fan of contemporary musicals though, your mileage may vary. That said, the staging and performances elevated things considerably and fully justified the decision to treat Elegies as a theatre piece. Derventzis’ direction was lively and energetic and quite varied in mood. From the overladen Thanksgiving table (turkey and all the trimmings plus lots of booze) to the slightly weird collection of collars used in “My Dogs” and the subtle suggestion of caskets and corpses that weren’t actually there—it all just worked.
Kate Fogg and Brenna McFarland in Opera 5’s Elegies. Photo: Emily Ding Photography
All the performers were absolutely into the idiom with some notable highlights. MacKenzie Sechi was splendidly weird in “Fred”. Brenna McFarland was quite hilarious in the funniest dead dog number since A Fish Called Wanda. Emma Yee and Kyle Briscoe were touching in a number about a dying woman’s return to her happy places. Kate Fogg showed that she can belt as well as she handles coloratura in several numbers including the very silly duet, “Dear Reader.” Emma Yee and Jayden Burrows quarterbacked the Thanksgiving scenes effectively.
Bottom line, staging and performances are excellent and if you like this style of musical theatre there’s every reason to see it. If your tastes lean more to opera and art song you aren’t going to get your fix but might just enjoy it anyway.
Elegies continues as part of Opera 5’s inaugural Toronto Opera Festival at Factory Theatre until June 20th.
