When a friend of mine
lent me the cast recording of this new ‘opera', I was at first
skeptical, thinking that it was merely a hack production using
sensationalism to sell tickets. But after repeated listening, I
admit that I was hooked! Thus, my obligation to you, dear
readers, is to talk about this new masterpiece that’s the toast
of London and soon on Broadway.
This new ‘opera’ (and I
use the term loosely here) that is creating major buzz on the
West End is loosely based on the hit daytime talk show ‘The
Jerry Springer Show’, whose topics range from ‘I cheated on my
wife with her transvestite brother’ to ‘I was impregnated by a
transvestite’. Guests include members of the Ku Klux Klan to a
fat lady covering herself with chocolate sauce and whipped
cream, and then inviting suitors to eat off her. It's riveting
television!
This show is done in
pretty much the same vein of its subject: the first act is a
musical depiction of a typical episode of the TV show, complete
with a ‘Chick With A D*ck’, a man with a diaper fetish, a
pole-dancer aspirant, and of course lots of on-stage brawling,
but with a twist at the end. The 2nd and 3rd
acts crank the craziness factor up a notch with a Special
Edition episode done in Hell with Satan, Jesus, the Virgin Mary
and other holy people as guests. However, since this show had
been made with Jerry Springer’s blessings, you need not expect
any references about his tabloid woes years ago when he was
caught sleeping with a pair of mother-daughter prostitutes, both
of whom were guests on his show.
This work had its
beginnings in the Edinburgh Festival (fringe) and the London’s
National Theatre before it was transferred to its current home
on West End. It is not strictly an opera in the traditional
sense. But let’s not get into technicalities here; it is after
all a theatrical piece which is sung from start to finish, so it
should qualify as an opera in the broader sense. But whatever
you may want to call it, this show already has numerous awards
to its credit, including the prestigious Olivier and Critics
Circle Awards. Hence, its theatrical quality is firmly
established.
The music is inspired by
several styles ranging from gospel, rock and pop, jazz improve
and soppy balladry; to numerous classical references with huge
choruses, 4 part counterpoint singing, Classical Latin phrases
like ‘Dies iraes’ and ‘Jerry eleison’, and a character, Jerry’s
‘inner Valkerie’ (sort of like his guilty conscience). The
scenes are linked with a succession of sung dialogue and short
solo numbers, each one lasting merely a few minutes and often
interrupted by the next character speaking.
The opera starts off
with the ‘Overtly-ture’, a Verdi Requiem-style chorus that
starts softly and then crescendos steadily, complete with rolling
timpani and flittering flutes, to a rousing climax; all the
while singing lines like ‘I once dated a Lesbian Dwarf’. The
rest of the show is done ingeniously with different styles
varying between parody and serious moments, interweaving
together to form a cohesive whole.
I was very impressed
with the performance of the cast members. The important female
performers are constantly switching from operatic cooing through
rocky coloratura phrases, to heavy belting of the rock style.
Take Lore Luxenberg’s role of Baby Jane, a
grown woman who dresses like a little girl: After the
prayer-like “This Is My Jerry Springer Moment”, she switches to
some semi-demented singing in “Mama Give Me Smack On The
a**hole!” in mere seconds. The men too, have to go through many
styles of music, including Bach like counterpoint of “F**k You
Talk”, complete with basso instruments sawing away while the
characters of Jesus and Satan tackle the runs on the ‘F’ word.
David Bedella (right), who plays Satan, has already won a few
Best Actor awards, including the prestigious Olivier Awards. I
was hugely impressed with his talent.
But don’t let all that
trash-talking put you off; this show has one of the wittiest
lines ever written for the stage. Sample dialogue like “Shave
off that beard and you might find a pimp!” Or The Devil’s spiel:
“…Fired and flambé, baked and sautéed, steamed and stewed and
barbecued…” Take my word for it, it’s highly amusing stuff!
My wish list this
Christmas is that local corporations will stop bringing in those
pointless pastiche musicals like Saturday Night Fever and Mamma
Mia, and bring in a show where originality is actually a
priority, and that our squeamish censors might get a sense of
humour this time. Meanwhile, you can check out their official
website at
http://www.jerryspringertheopera.com/jerry_opera.html. You
can also find the cast album on
Amazon. Go for the music clips and see what all the hype is
about!
