Perhaps the most striking moment in Madison Opera’s
production of Jake Heggie’s “Dead Man Walking” is the moment when convicted
killer Joseph De Rocher (Michael Mayes) confesses his sin to Sister Helen
Prejean (Daniela Mack). After the
admission, there is no singing and no instrumentation – only silence. And at
the final dress rehearsal on Wednesday night, in a hall with hundreds of
patrons, cast and crew members, that moment was dead silent. No coughing or rustling. No breathing. Only silence.
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| Michael Mayes and Daniela Mack |
“Dead Man Walking” is not a statement about whether the
death penalty is right or wrong. It is about the human struggle to resolve the
unresolvable. It is a journey to the
truth, which leads to forgiveness. The violent rape and murder scene in the
prologue is hard to watch, as it should be. But those few minutes set up an emotional,
thought provoking performance the likes of which I have never before
experienced.
Mayes portrayal of De Rocher is spot on authentic, down to
his Cajun accent while singing his lines. Watching his journey progress to the
self-realization (or acceptance) of his sins at the end of the opera is at
times stunning. Mayes truly understands
this complex character and plays him perfectly.
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| Susanne Mentzer as De Rocher's Mother |
But the focus of “Dead Man Walking” is not De Rocher’s
journey, but rather the spiritual journey of Sister Helen. We see immediately, as she is driving to the
Penitentiary, the struggles she has with her faith, as she talks to herself… or
God. Indeed, I wondered how after
witnessing such a horrific act, I could resolve those thoughts in my mind.
Later in the first act, we hear from De Rocher’s mother
(Susanne Mentzer), who clearly does not believe or accept the charges against
her son. As she pleads her case, she is
interrupted by the deceased girl’s father (Alan Dunbar) that not only had she
been raped, but also stabbed 37 times in the neck, so badly that her senior pin
was lost in the wounds. We have the
image of a sweet son juxtaposed against the image of a monster within seconds. Sweet memories interrupted by unimaginable
pain.
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| Alan Dunbar, Saira Frank, Jamie Van Eyck and J. Adam Shelton |
And that is the thrust of this work. How can the parents resolve the gruesome death
of their children? Will De Rocher’s mother accept the fact her sweet son did in
fact commit these crimes? And all of
this falls on the shoulders of Sister Helen, who at the end of the first act
gets caught between the quartet of the grieving teens parents (along with
Dunbar, played by Saira Frank, J. Adam Shelton and Jamie Van Eyck) and a solo
by Mentzer, which soon turns into a sextet including Mack.
Librettist Terrence McNally offers up some of
the most heartbreaking lines as the parents sing about the last words said to
their children, “shut the door,” so mundane but emotionally crushing. This leads into a chorus of all the voices in
Sister Helen’s head – all the contradicting emotions of all involved, leading
to her being overcome as she falls to the floor.
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| A Chorus Of Conflict |
And that was only the first act.
In the second act we see Mayes’ character prepare to die. The only question is, will he give the Sister
what she wants – what she knows will not only save him eternally, but also
start the reconciliation process for all the victims connected to the crime. His admission is what she seeks. The truth is what will set everyone free and
on the path to forgiveness and healing.
The night of the execution, the victim’s parents appear
again to watch. As they enter the
chamber, the girl’s father stays back, and admits his truth to Sister Helen: He looks in the mirror and doesn’t like what
he sees, which is anger and grief. He
knows that De Rocher’s death will not bring his child back, and he understands
at that moment the struggle he has within. He understands his own truth, which is the
sign that he is on his way to reconciliation.
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| The Beginning Of Sister Helen's Journey |
Bravo to Madison Opera for staging this groundbreaking
production.
Fresco Opera Theatre
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