Kudos to the Metropolitan Opera for offering a free livestream of its new production of “Lincoln in the Bardo” via YouTube. For those who only don’t understand opera, who loathe it, or only know of it when Bugs Bunny creates a fruit salad on Elmer Fudd’s head in time to Rossini’s music, this production’s mix of the paranormal, American history, and poetic emotionalism can serve as a perfect introduction to the distinct charms of what opera can offer.
Based on George Saunders’ 2017 experimental novel, “Lincoln in the Bardo” takes place in 1863 after the typhoid fever death of Willie Lincoln, the 11-year-old son of President Abraham Lincoln. The Bardo is the Tibetan Buddhist concept of a purgatory state between death and rebirth. In this story, the denizens of the Bardo are District of Columbia residents who died but are not aware that they’ve passed. They believe they are in a strange, shabby convalescent facility and their coffins are “sick beds,” except for the poor white and black denizens who are forced to stay in a pit behind a fence from the others.
Young Willie arrives at the Bardo, also unaware of his state. He views his father visiting a crypt and is confused when Lincoln does not acknowledge him but instead opens a coffin and embraces the body of a boy dressed identically to him. The president cannot bear to acknowledge his child’s passing, but his grief keeps the boy imprisoned in this netherworld. Several of the Bardo’s denizens manage to enter Lincoln’s thoughts and persuade him to move on with his life and thus allow Willie to move away from this purgatory environment.
Composer Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek maintain the haunting vibe of Saunders’ work with its strange but invigorating mix of harsh drama, gut wrenching grief and profane humor – the latter is particularly evident in the ribald opening segment when one of the Bardo denizens visually recalls the carnal expectations of the wedding night where he was killed prior to consummating his marriage.
Director Lileana Blain-Cruz’s staging recalls the brilliantly creepy worlds of Roger Corman’s 1960s horror flicks, with puppeteer James Ortiz contributing to the innovate special effects of this haunted realm.
Among the cast, Peter Mazzei’s Lincoln is a powerhouse of fierce pain in his mourning of Willie, particularly in the second act aria when he angrily acknowledges his son’s death, while young Everett Sobers is ideal as the confused and frightened child who slowly comprehends what has become of him. The ensemble is exceptional, though one could question if the cross-dressing casting of soprano Christine Goerke (under heavy make-up) as a male reverend and countertenor Anthony Ross Costanzo as a female Bardo figure (with minimal make-up) was an unnecessary novelty distraction.
“Lincoln in the Bardo” will be available for free viewing on the Met’s YouTube page through November 18. Two days later, it will be available for viewing on Met Opera on Demand through multiple paid viewing options. For those who cannot make it to New York City to witness this production live, this is must-see viewing.