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Thirty-four years of marriage
We may not share our dreams,
We have different visions for the country,
But we share the same bathroom.
Washington National Opera under its American Opera Initiative Festival commissioned and premiered The Dictator’s Wife with music by
Mohammed Fairouz and libretto by Mohammed Hanif. Directed by Ethan McSweeney and under the baton of conductor Nicole Paiement, this one-hour opera is a current day satire featured
in two performances in the Kennedy Center’s Family Theater. This reviewer saw the final show January 15, 2017.
What stood out was the libretto and the vocal and acting performance by mezzo-soprano Allegra De Vita as The First Lady (also known as Herself in
conjunction with the dictator who only is referred to as Himself). The story takes place on the First Couple’s wedding anniversary while protesters are assembled outside
their residence and The Dictator has locked himself in the john. The audience only sees his suit and never sees or hears him on stage.
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The Mrs. throws roses around the stage, exasperated that her husband has sent her 5,000 flowers. She is aware of the poverty
and discontent among his subjects. Eventually she invites them into their living quarters. These characters are known as I-Will-Sell-My-Children Mom (soprano Leah Hawkins), Give-Me
-Cheap-Petrol Protestor (tenor Rexford Tester), and Death Row Dad (bass Timothy J. Bruno). The First Lady’s allies—Ms. Holy
(soprano Ariana Wehr) and Aide-de-camp/ADC (baritone Hunter Enoch)—do what they can to comfort her but she knows
about the plastic briefcase containing the “ultimate deterrent” that leads to blowing people up. And this box is intimately
related to why the dictator is taking Me time on the toilet.
First Lady
When you’re forced to bugger two hundred million people,
You need time to recover
After you have rigged the elections
After all your positive actions,
You need a few moments of self reflection.
That’s when you need some Me time.
Ms. Holy
Why did I do this?
And Why’d I do that?
Was the carpet bombing really necessary?
Or was it Wednesday?
A very slow news day?
Had I needed a headline?
After all of that, don’t you think I need some Me time…
At story end, Herself has pulled off a coup with her scissors. It’s her “surprise gift” to her husband and she takes over his
position reinforcing what he started. The Dictator’s Wife is a dose of over-the-top reality and no one in Family Theater was laughing.
McSweeny’s direction both on and off the stage worked well. The cast was spot on for precision of movement and sound. Fairouz’s
music is accessible and pleasant but not cohesive in a way that the individual compositions form a recognizable character. It
seems like the words drove the style of music which could be suggestive of a ticking minimalism, a squonky riff for brass instruments, an easy-on-the-ears pop soundscape, etc.
Photos - Scott Suchman
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