For nearly three decades, opera director Richard Ward has integrated classic stage performances with modern sentimentalities. His interpretation of the Barber of Seville re-imagined Count Almaviva as holding a portable stereo outside Rosina's window, a reference to John Cusack's character in the movie Say Anything, which appeared movie theatres just prior to the opera's opening. Ward's bold playfulness has created a loyal fanbase that spans both generations and social classes. Many important cultural players have heralded the director as making opera a viable and accessible storytelling medium in popular culture. In a magazine interview, recent Oscar winner and teenage heartthrob Scott McLean revealed that his "transition from blockbuster movies to opera is all thanks to Ward's work". But Ward, now deep in his 70s, plans to retire at the end of his next opera, The Bill of Marriage, another Rossini story.
But by no means is this the end of the Ward legacy. Richard Ward will be succeeded by his son, Jeremy Ward, who has experience writing short stories and sometimes adapting them into films. Although Jeremy may not share his father's interest in popular culture and modern trends, loyal fans and audiences can still expect novel twists on their favorite opera stories. In Jeremy's short films and stories, for example, he has been known to create unexpected situations. He has rewritten William Golding's The Lord of the Flies so that it took place within an aristocratic family.
Richard Ward's final piece, The Bill of Marriage, is due to open at the Metropolitan Opera on Saturday, January 15th. His son's directorial debut can be expected at the beginning of March.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Ward's "The Bill of Marriage" offers something borrowed, something blue
Richard Ward has always been known to push boundaries and expectations on the stage. His latest and final piece successfully merged opera, science fiction and feminism in a modern adaptation of Rossini's early work, The Bill of Marriage.
The opera, which opened at the Metropolitan Opera Friday, February 18th, submerged the stage and even in the audience in another world. The set was all painted in different sets of white while the ambient blue lights waved and flickered from above. Characters' costumes featured gauze, sequins and lamé in a fashion reminiscent of deep sea divers at a high school prom.
Ward's version of the opera takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where the main modes of transportation are by water or, if on land, by steam powered machines. Tobias Mill is the captain of a submarine which also runs on steam and delivers much needed supplies between land masses. After shipping a rotten batch of strawberries, however, his reputation falters. But tides shift when in one port, Mill receives an offer for his daughter's hand in marriage from a wealthy Mr. Slook. Fanny has no interest in marrying Mr. Slook. Plus, she had been training her whole life to become a sea-farer like her father and her grandfather before him. Comedy ensues as Fanny struggles to take the steering wheel of her life.
Like Fanny, Richard Ward's son, Jeremy, is taking strides to ensure his independence and fame in the opera world. His first opera will open March 15th also at the Metropolitan Opera. The Ward family could be seen bubbling with excitement last Friday at the opera's opening. While Jeremy bounced his young daughter, Melissa, on his lap at the end of the row, I spoke to his mother, Karen, about the future of the Ward name. “Richard has absolutely loved his time beside the spotlight, but he is ready to retire and take his place in the audience for now. We are all proud of Jeremy and are more than excited for his arrival in opera and his inheritance of the family profession. We have been waiting his whole life for this moment”.
Expectation grows for Jeremy as his father's name gains more attention at the end of his career. Richard Ward's work, along with the rest of the opera world, continues to blur lines of popular media, entertainment and culture. Fashion designers Vera Wang and Christian Dior were spotted at opening night and it would be no surprise to see references to Ward's work, especially The Bill of Marriage, on future runways.
The opera, which opened at the Metropolitan Opera Friday, February 18th, submerged the stage and even in the audience in another world. The set was all painted in different sets of white while the ambient blue lights waved and flickered from above. Characters' costumes featured gauze, sequins and lamé in a fashion reminiscent of deep sea divers at a high school prom.
Ward's version of the opera takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where the main modes of transportation are by water or, if on land, by steam powered machines. Tobias Mill is the captain of a submarine which also runs on steam and delivers much needed supplies between land masses. After shipping a rotten batch of strawberries, however, his reputation falters. But tides shift when in one port, Mill receives an offer for his daughter's hand in marriage from a wealthy Mr. Slook. Fanny has no interest in marrying Mr. Slook. Plus, she had been training her whole life to become a sea-farer like her father and her grandfather before him. Comedy ensues as Fanny struggles to take the steering wheel of her life.
Like Fanny, Richard Ward's son, Jeremy, is taking strides to ensure his independence and fame in the opera world. His first opera will open March 15th also at the Metropolitan Opera. The Ward family could be seen bubbling with excitement last Friday at the opera's opening. While Jeremy bounced his young daughter, Melissa, on his lap at the end of the row, I spoke to his mother, Karen, about the future of the Ward name. “Richard has absolutely loved his time beside the spotlight, but he is ready to retire and take his place in the audience for now. We are all proud of Jeremy and are more than excited for his arrival in opera and his inheritance of the family profession. We have been waiting his whole life for this moment”.
Expectation grows for Jeremy as his father's name gains more attention at the end of his career. Richard Ward's work, along with the rest of the opera world, continues to blur lines of popular media, entertainment and culture. Fashion designers Vera Wang and Christian Dior were spotted at opening night and it would be no surprise to see references to Ward's work, especially The Bill of Marriage, on future runways.
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