Opera: “Treemonisha”
Company: Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
Venue: Loretto-Hilton Center, Webster University, 130 Edgar Road
Dates: May 26, June 3, 6, 8, 11, 21, 24
Tickets: $25 to $139; contact experienceopera.org or 314-961-0644
Highlights: Opera Theatre of Saint Louis begins its 2023 season with a splendid world premiere of a newly reimagined performing edition of ragtime composer Scott Joplin’s operatic masterpiece, “Treemonisha.” This version features an added prologue and epilogue with music by composer Damien Sneed and libretto by Karen Chilton.
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Story: Early 20th century composer Scott Joplin and his bride, Freddie Alexander, return from their wedding at her parents’ home in Little Rock, Arkansas, to their new residence in Sedalia, Missouri. Joplin considers Freddie to be his muse and tells her that she has inspired him to create an opera titled “Treemonisha.”
Tragically, after just 10 weeks of marriage, Freddie succumbs to pneumonia, but not before telling Joplin how proud she is of what he has accomplished. Wracked by torment over his bride’s death, Joplin is pulled by the power of “Sankofa,” a Ghanaian word meaning “look to the past to inform the future.” Under this influence, the grieving Joplin becomes the character Remus in his opera, with his late wife being the title character.
In the opera, Treemonisha is startled to learn from her mother, Monisha, that she was adopted as an infant by Monisha and her husband Ned, after they found Treemonisha beneath the sacred tree. When the community is admonished by a preacher for their belief in the ramblings of some conniving hucksters, Treemonisha is abducted by the head con artist, Zodzetrick, and his cadre of conjurors.
Zodzetrick and his gang prepare to punish Treemonisha for her lack of belief in their superstitions when she is rescued by a "demon" who in reality is Remus disguised as a scarecrow. After the pair return home, the community brings forward Zodzetrick and another conjuror, whom they have captured, for punishment to fit their crime.
Treemonisha, however, counsels that forgiveness is better than revenge and teaches the hucksters how to lead better lives. Subsequently, Treemonisha is chosen as leader of the entire community to shepherd them into a new era of happiness and prosperity.
Years later, an older and seriously ill Joplin is despairing of his declining health as well as the reality that he’ll never hear his prized opera performed. Treemonisha – or Freddie’s spirit – appears to console the composer as he nears death, promising that “Treemonisha” will one day receive its due, bringing Joplin long-sought comfort.
Other info: Joplin, who died in 1917 at age 48 in New York City, popularized ragtime music in the 1890s and early 20th century. According to the United States Library of Congress, "ragtime, a uniquely American, syncopated musical phenomenon, has been a strong presence in musical composition, entertainment and scholarship for over a century" and further states that "ragtime seemed to emanate primarily from the southern and midwestern states with the majority of activity occurring in Missouri."
The Scott Joplin House State Historic Site is located on Delmar Boulevard here in St. Louis, where Joplin lived from 1900 to 1903. Joplin’s sophisticated music was considered ahead of its time, and in 1976, the United States Bicentennial, he was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his contributions to American music.
Composer Sneed masterfully weaves snippets from famous Joplin rags such as “The Maple Leaf Rag” and “The Entertainer” throughout the prologue and epilogue. This proves to be very smart, as Sneed’s own music is easy on the ears and serves to nicely complement Joplin’s own sophisticated syncopated music.
Chilton’s affecting libretto provides additional substance before and after the central story. She illustrates how Joplin’s short-lived marriage (his second of three) to the woman who inspired him helped to create “Treemonisha,” a work which wasn’t performed in its entirety until the 1970s. OTSL’s only previous production of the original “Treemonisha” was in its 2000 season.
Joplin’s music for his opera is quite a bit different than his rags, though no less memorable in its excellence and execution, especially under the inspired conducting by George Manahan of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. The latter fills the Loretto-Hilton Center with Joplin’s polished and entertaining score.
Set in five short acts running just more than two hours (plus a 25-minute intermission), this version of “Treemonisha” features an intriguing set designed by Marsha Ginsberg which includes a backdrop of corduroy-looking material and a series of bare trees hanging from the rafters. It’s an odd look, but it serves well for the surreal aspects of the story. There are also scenes in the community populated with folksy cabins.
That set is shrewdly illuminated with Marcus Doti’s lighting design, especially notable in the set-within-a-set of Joplin’s early, cheerful home with Freddie and the shabby, decadent abode as his life nears its tragic end. Costume designer Dede Ayite shows a flair both for the well-dressed newlyweds in the prologue and the working attire of the community in the main portion of the opera. Wig and makeup designers Krystal Balleza and Will Vicari provide handsome support as well.
Brandie Inez Sutton makes a most impressive OTSL debut in the roles of Freddie and Treemonisha, using her majestic soprano voice to embody Treemonisha’s indomitable spirit and Freddie’s lasting love. Baritone Justin Austin adds delightful chemistry to the primary pair as the inspired, then crestfallen, Joplin as well as Remus, steadfast in his love for Treemonisha.
Director Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj brings inspired direction to the presentation, not only through Sutton and Austin but also by his guidance of a uniformly tight ensemble which includes Amani Cole-Felder as Freddie’s sister Lovey and Treemonisha’s friend Lucy; Phillip Bullock as Zodzetrick; KS. Tichina Vaughn as Monisha; Norman Garrett as Ned; Markell Reed as Parson Alltalk; plus Camron Gray, Jeremiah Tyson, Shavon Lloyd, Yazid Gray and Namarea Randolph-Yosea.
Choreographer Maleek Washington puts the players through a series of eye-catching numbers in the central story, which proves quite important in that Joplin’s libretto does not match the quality of his musical composition, and the spirited dancing enhances the show’s effect.
OTSL’s “World Premiere of the New Performing Edition” of “Treemonisha” is a rare bird which soars successfully both in its original elements and in the treasured music of its revered composer, more than a century after his death.