Lily Peaper
AACC's opera company's interpretation of "Dead Man Walking" is well worth seeing this weekend.
Opera AACC had an exceptional opening night on March 13, performing one of the opera world’s most accomplished newer works, “Dead Man Walking.”
The performance, directed by music professor Douglas Byerly and conducted by Baltimore musician Quinton Folks, received a standing ovation at the end of the premiere in the Kauffman Theater.
The opera is adapted from Sister Helen Prejean’s 1993 memoir, and tells an intense story of grief and forgiveness.
Sister Helen, played by Marin Srygley, a performing artist and entrepreneur, begins to write letters to an inmate on death row convicted of murdering two teenagers. As she continues to show up for the inmate, Joseph De Rocher, played by Michael Pistorio, a concert soloist, they build a beautiful companionship that lasts until De Rocher’s last hour.
The cast of students, faculty and community members delivered a moving performance, authentically portraying a group of people deeply affected by De Rocher’s unthinkable act of violence, struggling to come to terms with how to move on.
Mary Anne Barcellona, playing De Rocher’s mother, offered a heartbreaking portrayal of a mother begging an appeals board for her son’s life. During her beautifully sung solo, it struck me how significant it was that each character had a space to reflect on the personal significance of this tragedy.
Matthew Frieswyk plays the father of one of the murdered teenagers. Frieswyk presented a stirring portrayal as his character questioned whether De Rocher’s death was the type of closure he needed for the loss of his daughter.
Srygley put on a sensational show as Helen, with an engaging and humorous presence in such a bleak environment. Srygley and Pistorio did a great job portraying two strangers forming a significant relationship during such a traumatizing time.
Pistorio fully encapsulated the character of De Rocher, a man forced to come to terms with his own death, at first saying whatever it takes to change his situation, and then slowly realizing that his actions have caught up with him.
The Opera AACC Orchestra played the live score that drove the production.
The opera will run Saturday, March 15, at 2 p.m. and Sunday, March 16, at 3 p.m. in the Kauffman Theater. Tickets cost $5 for students, $10 for seniors, military and AACC employees, and $20 for general admission.