First it was a 2007 book, then it was a 2016 opera, and later this year it will be a television miniseries…let me amend that slightly. First, it was reality. It is the story of how love died because the ground it sprang up in was poisoned, and then again, maybe it was just the different natures of the two lovers and it would not have survived anyway, and I wish we could know; we do know the poison was real. The book is Fellow Travelers by Thomas Mallon, a work of fiction that we know in our hearts and the historical record to be true; the poison was homophobia, the rule, not the exception in the 1950s America. The television series by Showtime scheduled for later this year takes the name of the book. So did the opera based on the book composed by Gregory Spears with libretto by Greg Pierce, and this past weekend, in 2023, the DC area received its first showing of Fellow Travelers, where the stories took place, the fictional ones and the real ones that actually happened. Many thanks to Virginia Opera and the Center for the Arts at George Mason University for bringing the opera to Fairfax.
l to r: Andres Acosta as Timothy and Joseph Lattanzi as Hawkins in Fellow Travelers. Photo by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
Composer Spears, born in Virginia Beach, has established himself as a leading opera composer of today. His new opera Castor and Patience premiered with Cincinnati Opera in July of last year, and his new opera The Righteous will premiere at Santa Fe Opera in the summer of 2024. His librettist for Fellow Travelers was Greg Pierce; Mr. Pierce was recently the librettist for composer Kevin Puts The Hours, which premiered at the Met Opera in 2022. Famed director Kevin Newbury who directs the Virginia Opera production worked with this team on the creation of Fellow Travelers and directed its premiere with Cincinnati Opera (from Mr. Newbury’s bio: Kevin has directed over 100 original projects in multiple mediums. Career highlights include three productions for PBS Great Performances: the world premiere of Bel Canto (Lyric Opera of Chicago), the world premiere of Doubt (Minnesota Opera) and Bernstein’s MASS (Ravinia Festival). This is a highly accomplished team.
(the remainder of this report contains content spoilers)
Fellow Travelers is composed of 16 scenes that flow smoothly from one to another, providing some of the most incisive character delineations that I have witnessed in opera. All the characters felt real, as though I knew them, or people like them. By chance encounter, State Department employee Hawkins Fuller meets college intern Timothy Laughlin seated on a park bench in Dupont Circle, DC. The attraction grows into a passionate love affair, which must be kept secret or have society come down full force upon them.
Behind Timothy (Andreas Acosta) is a wall of portraits of unidentified individuals meant to symbolize the thousands of victims of the Lavendar Scare. Photo by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
At that period in history, Senator Joseph McCarthy was gaining fame and power by leading an effort to identify and censure communists and their fellow travelers in American society in an effort known as the Red Scare. Senator McCarthy went further with an effort that came to be known as the Lavender Scare, promoting a fear that gay people, “liberal leftists by nature”, might sympathize with communists and be more susceptible to blackmail schemes that threatened to expose them. Furthermore, homosexuality was widely considered deviant behavior at that time, excuse enough to purge gays from the federal government; the actual language used in official government documents to describe gays was too offensive to use here, but can be read in a National Archives report at this link. Thousands of gay men and women and even those suspected of being homosexual lost their jobs and livelihoods, were often censured…blacklisted…subjected to physical attacks and incarceration; many committed suicide.
Hawk, older than Timothy, had grown jaded and had compartmentalized his life, living as a straight man publicly and a gay man in the shadows, doing this so completely that he passed a lie detector test forced on him by the State Department to determine if he is a homosexual. Timothy, also referred to as Skippy, is an idealist who wants to be with Hawk regardless of the cost; he believes Senator McCarthy’s efforts to root out communists attempting to destroy America is a good thing. In that zeitgeist, the smart move was to stay in the closet, but the cost of staying in the closet was living an inauthentic life, as Skippy says later, to feel like he never existed; the poison could be lethal to a personality. Though the dark shadow of homophobia shapes their lives in great measure, this opera is not preachy; it is and feels like a love story with two real people coming to terms with who they are and their feelings for each other. It is our reflection on the exposition of our shameful past that provides the indictment, and knowing the poison is yet to be completely expunged.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we are not here today to reach a verdict on social issues of today, but to ask whether Fellow Travelers is a good opera. First, let me say, “Contemporary opera is not a sin.” It is okay to like contemporary opera. Virginia Opera’s scholar in residence, Joshua Borths made a point in his excellent pre-opera talk that many people’s views have been tainted by modern operas of the first half of the 20th century that pushed the boundaries of music, in many cases too far to be acceptable to the larger opera going public. That is now history. Contemporary operas of today are now highly diverse but strive for accessibility through tonality and melody.
This certainly describes the music of composer Spears. In fact, one of the highlights of Fellow Travelers is the music, especially as played by the Virginia Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Conductor Adam Turner. The score includes piano, and Maestro Turner added extra violins, increasing the lushness of the music. The music is always engaging, employing both modern minimalism with repetitive themes and classic opera ornamentations such as trills and melisma. The music always seems to stay in bounds, no sudden dramatic crashes. My first thoughts were how pretty the music was and how expansive it was, seeming to wash over and fill the entire theater. This is music to seek out, not shy away from.
l to r: Andreas Acosta as Timothy and Joseph Lattanzi as Hawkins. Photo by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
Another highlight is the performances of the singer/actors. There are four principal roles in the opera sung by four singers; there are thirteen secondary roles sung by five singers. I thought the acting was spot on bringing each of the characters to life even in their smallest moments on stage. Hawkins Fuller was played by baritone Joseph Lattanzi, who originated the role in the Cincinnati Opera premiere. He delivers the vocals precisely, which range from federal office small talk to heartfelt arias. Certainly, his aria sung, as he sits in the brick house he has rented for his assignations and reaches the verdict that he cannot be to Timothy all that he wants, is touching and quite beautiful. Tenor Andres Acosta plays Timothy. He again impressed me with the loveliness of his tenor, beautiful singing, and clear diction; he was also excellent this past summer in Opera Theatre of St. Louis’ premiere of Awakenings. I often have trouble understanding sung words, even in English, not so with Mr. Acosta. He made me feel his youthful vulnerability, making his disillusionment even more painful. After his first romantic encounter with Hawk, he goes to church the next morning and delivers the highlight aria of the opera, “I died last night”, struggling with his religious beliefs and fulfillment of what he has just experienced. Yet, their last comments to each other will be devastating.
l to r: Katherine Pracht as Mary and Katrina Thurman as Miss Lightfoot. Photo by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
Mary Johnson, played by soprano Katherine Pracht, works in Hawk’s office and is his best friend; she once thought she might be the one for Hawk and tries to warn Skippy. Her acting was very compelling; I quickly came to care for her. Ms. Pracht sings a duet with Skippy beautifully, which has one of the best lines in the opera, “He’s wonderful. You are right about that. But he’s a certain kind of wonderful, Timmy.” Hmmm. Writing this makes me remember that I generally don’t think English is such a good language for opera, but Mr. Spears and Mr. Pierce might be changing my opinion on that. Miss Lightfoot, played by soprano Katrina Thurman, is Ms. Johnson’s colleague in the office; she is the busybody you might like to throw a bucket of cold water on or worse after she turns Hawk in. However, she sings with such a perverse appeal, you want her in the show as someone not to like.
l to r: Andreas Acosta as Timothy, Kyle White as Tommy, Joshua Jeremiah as Senator McCarthy, and John Fulton as Senator Potter. Photo by Dave Pearson Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera.
I’ll run down the list of other singers, each of whom added good vocals and excellent believability to the script. Baritone Joshua Jeremiah sang the role of Estonian Frank, Interrogator, and Senator McCarthy; baritone John Fulton portrayed Senator Potter, General Arlie, and Bartender; soprano Kaileigh Riess portrayed Lucy, the woman Hawk married to add to his cover; Tommy McIntyre was sung by baritone Kyle White; and in bravura performances, Virginia Opera and Wolf Trap Opera veteran, bass Jeremy Harr portrayed Potter’s Assistant, Bookseller, Technician, French Priest, and Party Guest. It was remarkable how well this cast blended in and carried the story. It was entirely believable that these scenes were from the 1950s.
Remember that there are sixteen scenes? That is a lot of changes over a two-hour period. In Fellow Travelers, they flow by as easily as memories through your mind, especially if you lived through part of this era. Director Kevin Newbury keeps the action moving smoothly, with welcome comic touches to lighten the mood. Additional kudos are also due for the believability in recreating the 1950s: Victoria Tzykun for scenic design, Paul Carey for costume design, Thomas C. Hase for lighting, and James P. McGough for wig and make-up design.
Is Fellow Travelers, as performed by the Virginia Opera a good opera? Without hesitation - Yes, the music is exceptional, the performances are excellent, and it speaks to the human heart. Ok, nobody got killed in true operatic sense, but might not spiritual death qualify?
The Fan Experience: Fellow Travelers was performed in Norfolk on January 27, 28, and 29 before moving to Fairfax on February 4 and 5. The final two performances are scheduled for February 10 and 12 in Richmond. The opera has two acts with an intermission. It is sung in English with English surtitles displayed on a screen.
Virginia Opera has advertised the opera as “steamy”, perhaps as an inducement to some and a caution to parents. There are a couple of scenes with the two lovers kissing and caressing on a bed stripped to their undershorts. VO’s website cautions: This production has adult content; not suitable for children under 13.
The pre-opera talk by VO’s scholar in residence by Joshua Borths begins 45 minutes prior to curtain time. Prior to each new VO production, he conducts a zoom one hour meeting where he presents information about the opera. His presentation is recorded and placed online. You can access the discussion on Fellow Travelers at the following link.