Dead Man Walking synopsis 2000

Dead Man Walking synopsis 2000 Dead Man Walking at Malmö Opera - synopsis
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Dead Man Walking is the first opera composed by American Jake Heggie, with a libretto by playwright Terrence McNally. Based on the book of the same name by Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J., the work premiered on October 7, 2000, at the War Memorial Opera House, produced by the San Francisco Opera.

Dead Man Walking synopsis 2000

The opera is set in Louisiana in the 1980s.
PROLOGUE
A teenage boy and a teenage girl are parked near a secluded lake at night, on a date. They have the radio on in their car, and are making out to its music. The De Rocher brothers, hiding nearby, emerge from the shadows, quietly. One turns the radio off; the two brothers then attack the teens. Anthony grabs the boy, who begins struggling; Joseph attacks the girl and begins to rape her. The boy continues struggling until Anthony shoots him once, at the base of the skull, execution-style; this causes the girl to scream. In a panic, Joseph stabs her until she is silent.
Act I
Scene 1:
Hope House, Sister Helen’s mission, run by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille. Sister Helen, with the aid of some of the other sisters, is teaching the children a hymn; this hymn, “He Will Gather Us Around”, becomes Helen’s leitmotif during the course of the opera. After the children leave, Helen reveals to her colleagues that she has heard from an inmate she has been corresponding with, asking her to be his spiritual advisor, and that she has decided to accept. The sisters are shocked, warning Helen of the dangers of her position, but she is firm.
Scene 2:
The drive to the prison. Helen drives to Angola State Prison and muses on her acceptance of De Rocher’s offer. She is stopped by a motorcycle policeman for speeding, but he lets her off with a warning.
Scene 3: Angola State Prison
Helen arrives at the prison and is met by Father Grenville, the prison warden, who conducts her inside.
Scene 4: Father Grenville’s office.
Father Grenville criticizes Sister Helen’s choice to work with De Rocher, claiming that the man is unreachable; he tells her that she’s in over her head. Helen responds that it is her duty to attempt to help the man. Father Grenville leaves her to meet with Warden Benton, who asks many of the same questions and also criticizes her decision. He then conducts her to Death Row to meet with De Rocher.
Scene 5: Death Row.
Warden Benton and Sister Helen walk through Death Row to reach the visiting room.
Scene 6: Death Row visiting room.
Warden Benton conducts De Rocher into the visiting room. He is friendly and easy-going. They converse; he asks her to speak at the pardon board hearing on his behalf. He seems convinced that she will not return to help him; she assures him that such is not the case.
Scene 7: The pardon board hearing.
Sister Helen is present with De Rocher’s mother and two of his younger brothers, who plead with the pardon board on his behalf. One of Joseph’s victims’ parents lashes out at her in anger.
Scene 8: The courthouse parking lot.
The four parents of De Rocher’s victims speak angrily to his mother and to Sister Helen, who attempts to calm both sides in the debate. The parents accuse her of not understanding their pain and sorrow. Word comes from the pardon board; De Rocher has not been granted his wish. Barring intercession from the governor, he is to die for his crime.
Scene 9: Death Row visiting room.
De Rocher is convinced that Helen has abandoned him; she enters, late, and tells him that she has not and will not. He is angry, and rejects all her suggestions to confess and make peace with his actions. The warden enters and tells Helen to leave at once.

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Scene 10: The prison waiting room.
Helen is attempting to find money to get food from the vending machine, having forgotten to eat. She begins to hear the voices, in her head, of the parents, the children at Hope House, Father Grenville, the motorcycle policeman, Warden Benton, and her colleagues, all telling her to stop attempting to help De Rocher. The warden enters to tell her that the governor has refused to act to save him, and gives Helen some money for the machine. She stands for a moment, then faints.
Act 2
Scene 1: Joseph De Rocher’s prison cell.
A guard enters and tells De Rocher, who is doing pushups, that his execution date has been set for August 4. The guard leaves; Joseph muses on his fate.
Scene 2: Sister Helen’s bedroom.
Helen wakes up in terror from a nightmare, alarming Sister Rose, who begs her to stop working with De Rocher;Rose reminds her that she has yet to sleep well since she began helping him.Helen says she cannot; the two women pray for the strength to forgive De Rocher.
Scene 3: Joseph’s cell.
It is the evening of the date set for the execution. He and Sister Helen are talking;they discover they share a common love for Elvis. For the first time he admits that he is afraid. She reassures him, urging him to confess and make peace with what he has done; again he refuses. The warden enters and informs them that Mrs. De Rocher is there to see him.
Scene 4: The visiting room.
Mrs. De Rocher and her two younger sons are there. Joseph visits with them, and attempts to apologize; she will have none of it, preferring to believe to the end that he is innocent. She complains that she baked him cookies, but was not allowed to bring them in. She then asks Helen to take a last picture of the four of them together with the camera in her purse. The guards lead Joseph away; she looks after him, reminiscing, near tears, eventually losing control. She thanks Helen for all that she has done; Helen promises to take the cookies for her.
Scene 5: Outside the Death House.
Helen speaks with the victims’ parents. One of them, Owen Hart, takes her aside and confesses that he is less sure of what he wants now than he was; he tells her that he and his wife have separated due to the stress they have felt. Helen attempts to console him; they agree to part as “Fellow victims of Joseph De Rocher”.
Scene 6/7: Joseph’s holding cell.
Helen and De Rocher converse for one last time; once again she attempts to get him to confess to the murders.This time, something in him snaps; he breaks down and tells her the entire story.He expects Helen to hate him; instead, she says she forgives him,and that she will be “the face of love” for him. He thanks her. Father Grenville enters and begins the final preparations for the execution.
Scene 8: March to the execution chamber/The execution chamber.
Guards, inmates,the warden,the parents, the chaplain, and protesters assembled outside the prison sing the Lord’s Prayer as Sister Helen reads a passage from the book of Isaiah. They approach the death chamber, and Helen is separated from De Rocher.The warden asks if he has any last words; he says he does, and asks forgiveness from the parents of the murdered teenagers. The warden gives the nod, and the execution proceeds. De Rocher dies thanking Helen once again for her love; the opera ends as she stands over his body and sings her hymn one last time.


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PRODUCTIONSTEAM
|Conductor : Joseph Wolfe|Director : Stewart Laing|Setdesign and costymedesign : Stewart Laing|Lightdesign : Zerlina Hughes|Louddesign : Roger Gans|Choreography : Ben Wright|
ROLE VOICETYPE SINGER

Role Voicetype Singers
Sister Helen Prejean, nun, mezzo-soprano Miriam Treichl
Joseph De Rocher, convicted murderer, baritone Samuel Jarrick
Mrs. Patrick De Rocher, his mother mezzosoprano Ethel Schelin
Sister Rose, colleague of Sister Helen soprano Suzanne Flink
George Benton, prison warden baritone Marcus Jupither
Father Grenville, chaplain at Angola State Prison tenor Joachim Ottosson
Kitty Hart, mother of the murdered girl soprano Malin Liljefors Parkler
Kitty Hart, mother of the murdered girl soprano Kristina W Svensson
Owen Hart, father of the murdered girl baritone Eric Lavoipierre
Jade Boucher, mother of the murdered boy soprano Ellika Ström Meijling
Howard Boucher, father of the murdered boy tenor Luiz Tenaglia
A Motor Cop bass Magnus Loftsson
Anthony De Rocher, Joseph’s brother tenor Johan Palmqvist
His younger brother treble Oliver Daugaard
Sister Catherine, colleague of Sister Helen  soprano Ingegärd Henningsson
Sister Lillianne, colleague of Sister Helen mezzosoprano Danka Milacic
Sister May, colleague of Sister Helen Elena Jordan
Sister May, colleague of Sister Helen Malin Delander
First Prison Guard baritone Jonas Bjerkén
Second Prison Guard bass Thomas Sonefors
A mother  mezzosoprano Yvonne Helander
Mrs. Charlton mezzosoprano Helena Härnryd
Prisoner  baritone Björn Broström
Prisoner  baritone Per Fernesten
Prisoner baritone Johan Hallsten
Prisoner Erling Jensen
Prisoner  tenor Magnus Skoog
Girl, victim Josefine Gellwar Madsen
Boy, victim Rasmus Mononen
Jimmy Charlton Pontus Bengtsson
Jimmy Charlton Erik Bäcker
Anthony De Rocher/Guard/Basketbollplayer Benjamin Goudet
Juristbiträde/Hithiker/Guard Sebastian Orre

MEDVERKANDE MALMÖ OPERA
Syster Helen Prejean: Miriam Treichl
Joseph de Rocher: Samuel Jarrick
Mrs. Patrick de Rocher: Ethel Schelin
Syster Rose: Suzanne Flink
George Benton, fängelsedirektör: Bengt Krantz
Fader Grenville: Joachim Ottosson
Kitty Hart: Malin Liljefors-Parkler
Owen Hart: Eric Lavoipierre
Jade Boucher: Ellika Ström Meijling
Howard Boucher: Luiz Tenaglia
MC-polis: Magnus Loftsson
Äldre bror Johan Palmqvist
Syster Catherine Ingegärd Henningsson
Syster Lillianne Danka Milacic
Syster May Elena Jordan / Malin Dalander
Fångvaktare 1: Jonas Bjerkén
Fångvaktare 2: Thomas Scott
Första modern: Yvonne Helander
Mrs. Charlton: Helena Härnryd
5 fångar: Per Fernesten, Philip Gerard, Erling Jensen, Jonas Samuelsson, Magnus Skoog
STATISTER
Tonårsflicka/ Sjukvårdare: Josefine Gellwar Madsen
Tonårspojke/Sjukvårdare: Rasmus Mononen
Anthony de Rocher / Vakt / Basketbollspelare: Benjamin Goudet
Yngre bror Oliver Daugaard / Erik Bäcker
Juristbiträde / Liftare / Vakt: Sebastian Orre

Malmö Operakör
Malmö Operaorkester
Barnkör från Kulturskolan i Lund
CREATORS
Music : Jake Heggie| Lyrics: Terrence McNally based on the book by Sister Helen Prejean.
Première
First performance at San Francisco Opera 7th of  October 2000. Nordic premiére at Malmö Opera 11 november 2006.
ROLES

Role Voice type Premiere cast, 7 October 2000
Conductor: Patrick Summers
Sister Helen Prejean, nun mezzo-soprano Susan Graham
Joseph De Rocher, convicted murderer baritone John Packard
Mrs. Patrick De Rocher, his mother mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade
Her 19-year-old son tenor Eli Borggraefe
Her 14-year-old son treble Mario Sawaya
Sister Rose, colleague of Sister Helen soprano Theresa Hamm-Smith
Howard Boucher, father of the murdered boy tenor Gary Rideout
Jade Boucher, mother of the murdered boy soprano Catherine Cook
Owen Hart, father of the murdered girl baritone Robert Orth
Kitty Hart, mother of the murdered girl soprano Nicolle Foland
Father Grenville, chaplain at
Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola)
tenor Jay Hunter Morris
George Benton, prison warden baritone John Ames
A Motor Cop baritone David Okerlund
First Prison Guard baritone David Okerlund
Second Prison Guard baritone Philip Horst
Sister Lillianne, colleague of Sister Helen mezzo-soprano Sally Mouzon
Sister Catherine, colleague of Sister Helen Virginia Pluth
A mother Rachel Perry
A Paralegal Jim Croom
Five inmates Richard Walker, Daniel Harper, David Kekuewa,
Frederick Winthrop, Frederick Matthews
Mrs. Charlton Donita Volkwijn
Jimmy Charlton Jeremy Singletary
Anthony De Rocher, Joseph’s brother silent role David Tenenbaum
Boy, victim silent role Sean San Jose
Girl, victim silent role Dawn Walters

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