SÉANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON is the first opera by noted Broadway and film composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz (“Wicked”, “Godspell”, “Enchanted”, etc.) Based on the novel by Mark McShane and the award-winning screen adaptation by Bryan Forbes, Séance is a psychological thriller about a medium, Myra Foster, her doting husband Bill, and the spirit of their deceased eleven-year-old son, Arthur, who speaks to Myra and is her contact for her séances.
Because Myra has never received the recognition she feels her gifts merit, they hatch a Plan: They will kidnap the daughter of a local wealthy industrialist, and keep her safe while the media frenzy over her abduction builds. When Myra has a “vision” that leads to the successful recovery of the girl and the ransom, her fame will be assured. As The Plan is put into action, the girl’s presence in the house leads to complex psychological responses from Myra, Bill, and Arthur. The delicate balance of Myra and Bill’s relationship and Myra’s sanity itself begins to fray, as long-buried secrets are revealed. The Plan goes badly awry, and in Myra’s final séance, the drama comes to a devastating conclusion.
”I have always loved, listened to, and attended opera,” says Schwartz. “When I discovered this riveting story, I knew it demanded the kind of atmospheric moodiness that my music can provide. The two main characters are psychologically complex and compelling, with passionate needs and emotions. I am stretching the thematic and motific composition of my more recent musical theatre writing to create this dynamic new opera.”
Go to Opera Santa Barbara website.
Because Myra has never received the recognition she feels her gifts merit, they hatch a Plan: They will kidnap the daughter of a local wealthy industrialist, and keep her safe while the media frenzy over her abduction builds. When Myra has a “vision” that leads to the successful recovery of the girl and the ransom, her fame will be assured. As The Plan is put into action, the girl’s presence in the house leads to complex psychological responses from Myra, Bill, and Arthur. The delicate balance of Myra and Bill’s relationship and Myra’s sanity itself begins to fray, as long-buried secrets are revealed. The Plan goes badly awry, and in Myra’s final séance, the drama comes to a devastating conclusion.
”I have always loved, listened to, and attended opera,” says Schwartz. “When I discovered this riveting story, I knew it demanded the kind of atmospheric moodiness that my music can provide. The two main characters are psychologically complex and compelling, with passionate needs and emotions. I am stretching the thematic and motific composition of my more recent musical theatre writing to create this dynamic new opera.”
–STEPHEN SCHWARTZ
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Go to Opera Santa Barbara website.