As WNO’s Artistic Director Francesca Zambello said in her pre-opera talk, “A world premiere is a big deal.” Her guest, retired Air Force pilot Major Scott Swanson, began his comments with, “War is ugly.” It used to be that you confronted war in its own place on its own terms with a band of brothers (mostly, but not exclusively male). For drone pilots operating from the U.S., it can be “war with all the comforts of home”, with no one shooting back. The element of risk has been removed, but so has the band of brothers that offer comradery and emotional support. No risk? The data informs us that the levels of PTSD among drone pilots is similar to that of combat pilots. Drone warfare of current sophistication is relatively new and mostly operates outside of current awareness. We’ve all seen the exploits of Captain Peter Mitchell (Tom Cruise) as a fighter pilot in the “Top Gun” movies; Jess is his drone counterpart in a military control room near you. Ms. Zambello said a goal of Washington National Opera is to produce operas that promote discussion of important topics in society today. Mission accomplished.
An opening number in Washington National Opera’s Grounded. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera.
The next question - Is Grounded a good opera? The libretto is by George Brant and is based on his successful 2013 play with the same name. The play’s only speaking character is an unnamed Air Force combat pilot with swagger, ala a female Tom Cruise. Enter Janine Tesori, composer of Broadway musicals and opera, who became interested in the play as the basis for an opera; WNO performed her opera Blue last season and her children’s opera The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me will be featured on their December schedule. Enter the Metropolitan Opera, interested in funding Ms. Tesori to fashion a new opera; they commissioned her and Mr. Brant in 2018 to make an opera of Grounded. Enter Washington National Opera interested in producing new opera (remember their ongoing American Opera Initiative), who became a co-producer with Met Opera and held a workshop for a first run through of the work in January 2022. Thus, we have Saturday night’s world premiere at the Kennedy Center of Grounded, the opera. Grounded will open the Metropolitan Opera’s new season next year. To some extent this production is a proving ground for next year’s introduction to Met audiences. One suspects some changes/improvements will be made before the Met debut; so get your tickets for that one as well.
Emily D’Angelo (center) as fighter pilot Jess. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera.
For the opera, composer Tesori and librettist Brant gave the lead character a name, Jess, and gave other characters a voice, principally her husband and daughter, her navigator, and Air Force commander. Jess is an Air Force combat pilot loving her job and rightly proud of her accomplishment in securing the job (1% of Air Force personnel are pilots, and 2% of those are female). She meets and falls in love with rancher Eric and becomes pregnant, which forces her out of her favorite place, “the blue” (note: current rules allow female pilots to fly during the first two trimesters of their pregnancy). She leaves the service for eight years to care for her family, then reenlists to do what she feels is right for her, but her Commander in charge only gives her the option of serving as a drone pilot on the ground, a position in the “chair force” where she will spend her time in a room staring at gray images on a screen. Reluctantly, she accepts and begins splitting her time and her personality between days spent combining 12 hours of conducting lethal drone attacks on ground targets on the other side of the world and spending family time safely at home, unable to talk about her work. The opera tracks her mental dissolution, ending with the denouement of her being ordered to strike a target in Iraq standing next to his young daughter that will cause the death of both. I was expecting Lucia di Lammermoor’s solution but was much happier with the one that the Tesori/Brandt team chose. It is a powerful and timely story, worthy of operatic treatment.
On the mid-level stage above, Commander (Morris Robinson) and on the mainstage level below, Jess (Emily D’Aangelo), her daughter Sam (Willa Cook), and her husband Eric (Joseph Dennis). Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera.
World renown mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo, in her WNO debut, gave an outstanding performance as Jess. She possesses a strong voice and demonstrated a strong stage presence in singing the ongoing dialog and a beautiful mezzo in the softer arias. None of this surprised me. I saw her play Dorabella in Santa Fe Opera’s Così fan tutte a couple years back; she was sensational in that performance as well. The supporting cast began with tenor Joseph Dennis who sang well playing her husband Eric. He was convincing as a Wyoming rancher smitten by Jess, who then takes on the role of caretaker of the marriage; as his mother told him, “Sometimes in a marriage you are the kite and sometimes you hold the string”. Their daughter Sam was played by Willa Cook of the Children’s Chorus of Washington, providing endearing charm and lovely vocals while displaying the needed innocence to make the story work. The Commander was played by DC favorite bass Morris Robinson, who gave his usual authoritative performance. Highly talented tenor Frederick Ballentine provided some comic relief with underlying tension, as her drone trainer. The role of Sensor, Jess’ drone navigator, was well sung by baritone Kyle Miller. Sensor was recruited for his job because of his acumen at computer games, and Mr. Miller gives him a relaxed nonchalance in front the computer screen, pulling his legs up in the chair, which spoke to the emotional disconnect of having a young nonmilitary computer wiz in a kill position, and highlighted the increasingly impersonal nature of life today provided by modern technology. Mr. Miller and Mr. Ballentine are former members of WNO’s Cafritz Young Artists. Soprano Teresa Perrotta, a current member, was a standout in the brief role of Also Jess, a character created for the opera to express a part of Jess that had split off; I suspect we will see much more of Ms. Perrotta in years to come. A group of five singers – Michael Butler, Joshua Dennis, Rob McGuinness, Jonathan Patton, and Sergio Martinez – sang the role of the off stage Kill Chain providing information and directions to Jess and Sensor.
A scene from Grounded with the control room overhead and the victims below. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera.
Composer Tesori’s score was written for a full orchestra, well played by the Washington National Opera Orchestra led by Conductor Daniella Candilliari. I found the music which combined several musical styles to be melodic, pleasing, and supportive of the singers and action on stage. The opera is mostly sung-through recitative with some moments of reflection, though it lacked a catchy, tuneful aria. The opening of Act Two was a mall scene that was a hoot, very Broadway in style, until Jess begins to obsess about the cameras overhead, more evidence of our surveillance culture. One other memorable moment occurred late in Act Two with a duet between Jess and Also Jess when their voices harmonize so beautifully but then devolve into dissonance. Yes, yes! More of that type of innovation, please, more moments when the music stands out! I found myself wanting to hear Jess and Also Jess sing the Flower Duet. The score also makes good use of the chorus, ably sung by the WNO Chorus under the direction of Chorus Master Steven Gathman; particularly enjoyable was an opening number involving a large cadre of fighter pilots singing about their destructive capabilities as warriors and their love of “the blue”. We in the U.S. have been largely buffered from experiencing the realities of modern warfare (with the exception of 9/11); I suspect that hearing our soldiers sing proudfully of their impact as warriors might be eye opening for those who haven’t served in the military: “I break down the airfields, the refineries, the consulates, and factories. I return them to desert, to particles.” The camaraderie of soldiers is important to their mental stability.
Daughter Sam (Willa Cook) and father Eric (Joseph Dennis) in left photo. Drone pilot Jess (Emily D’Angelo). Photos by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera.
Grounded is an opera and a drama, but it also a show. The technology-enhanced staging by Director Michael Mayer was spectacular, entirely appropriate for an opera involving drone warfare. Two intersecting planes above and running the width of the mainstage were fitted with LED screens. On the mainstage level were setups for changeable room scenes, a bar then a home. The top screen varied between projections of blue sky and clouds, mountain scenes, and then multi-view depictions of on ground moving targets, dial displays, and often a menacing Reaper drone stretching the width of the stage. Group scenes took place on the middle plane, cadets and Jess’ small attack group. Unless it was a technology illusion, I must give the performers credit for moving deftly on an inclined plane, and kudos to Set Designer Mimi Lien. The conditions of drone warfare seemed effectively presented to me, and the mall scene expanded the view to surveillance everywhere. The difficult challenges of depicting technology enhanced warfare and the personality splitting of a single individual were mostly met. I did think there was some mushiness and overly slow progression in presenting the psychological developments in Jess, especially in Act Two; the progression of Jess’ journey could possibly benefit by being shortened or by defining its stages more sharply and poignantly. Finally, one wonders what the impact will be when this opera is presented in theaters that cannot afford or manage the technology summoned by WNO and the Met; will it be more personal and thus more impactful separated from the technology?
War is of course a timely and highly sensitive topic, and WNO arranged for several sessions of military and community outreach prior to performances. In response to concerns expressed that General Dynamics, a military contractor, supported the production, WNO made it clear that the company support was for the entire season and they had no involvement with the selection or development of any of its operas.
Sam (Willa Cook) and Jess (Emily D’Angelo) as Jess sees the cameras recording overhead. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera.
Grounded is a good opera about a relatively new dehumanizing aspect of war, and it is a great show presenting a powerful and timely drama about today’s culture; overall, it is an exciting event that I can strongly recommend. Furthermore, Grounded represents an auspicious step in the direction of bringing grand opera into the modern era, speaking directly to life today. For that I give it a standing ovation.
The Fan Experience: Grounded was scheduled for performances in the Kennedy Center’s Opera House on October 28, November 1, 3, 5, 11, 13. The opera is sung in English with supertitles shown overhead; it lasts about 2.5 hours plus a 25 minute intermission. Tickets for remaining performances are available at this link.
Half hour pre-opera talks are given to ticket holders one hour before performances. Post-performance question and answer sessions were scheduled with members of the cast on November 1, 5, and 13.
Parking in the Kennedy Center is typically plentiful at around $25 per day, with a small discount for Kennedy Center members when reserved ahead of the day. The Metro to Foggy Bottom and the free Red Kennedy Center buses from there to the Kennedy Center which run every 15 minutes are an excellent option. There are snack stands in the main lobby, and on the Terrace level, the KC Café offers food cafeteria style at moderate prices; fine dining is available on the Terrace level in the Roof Terrace Restaurant.