On Monday, September 23, the Metropolitan Opera reopened its doors with Tony Award-winning composer Jeanine Tesori’s English-language opera Grounded, which premiered last year at the Kennedy Center. Commissioned by the Met and based on a one-woman play by George Brant, who wrote the opera’s libretto, the piece is the first opera composed by a woman to open a Met season.
The story follows a fighter pilot, Jess, who loses her job after an unexpected pregnancy. After taking years off work to raise her daughter, Samantha, she returns to work, only to discover that she will be reassigned to operating a drone. The change is initially celebrated, with Jess and her husband, Eric, calling it “war with the benefits of home” and “war without the threat of death.” However, as the opera progresses, having a child reshapes her perspective on war, and Jess loses her sanity after being forced to witness the consequences of her attacks through the lens of the drone. She also struggles with the moral burden of conducting war from afar, cleverly saying “It would be a different book if Odysseus came home every day.”
The story is filled with ethical and moral quandaries. For example, early in the opera, a commander, harrowingly performed by bass-baritone Greer Grimsley, tells Jess to have an abortion in order to save her job and reputation, effectively slut-shaming her for getting pregnant. Later, the story shifts to a discussion on the relationship between humans and technology, with Jess struggling to adapt to virtual warfare. At the opera’s climax, Jess prepares to take out an enemy, but hesitates when she notices his daughter beside him. Rather than follow instructions, she crashes her drone into the ground while repeating the word “innocent”, preferring to go to jail for disobeying orders rather than kill the young girl.
All in all, Grounded makes for a powerful anti-war story, delving deep into Jess’s inner turmoil as she is forced to witness the bloody consequences of her actions. Only at the end of the opera, when she is confined to her jail cell, does she find true freedom.
Perhaps the opera’s most impressive quality is how natural it is. It balances a rich mix of casual, at times profane, conversations, and deeply dramatic moments, ensuring that every audience member, whether an experienced opera goer or first-timer, will find moments to relate to. It’s interactive, fun, and yet deeply meaningful. — It’s operatic, yet real.
Tesori has spent much of her career in musical theater, composing works such as Shrek the Musical, Fun Home, and Kimberly Akimbo, each of which contain complex plots with fitting musical accompaniments. She boasts a profound ability to capture an audience, not only with powerful storylines, but through lyrical vocal lines and captivating orchestration. Tesori’s skills as an orchestrator are on full display throughout Grounded, from the murmurs of the opening bars that suggest a brewing battle, to the chaos of the battle scenes, when a string of cacophonous phrases mark the “kill chain” of commanders that Jess hears over her headset. In the second act, the turbulent repetition of a descending scale in the low strings during the drone’s flight is a nod to the opening of Die Walküre, vividly building up towards a powerful climax as Jess crashes the device.
The Met orchestra plays with energy and consistency under the baton of music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who masterfully balances the sounds of the pit with the voices onstage.
Emily D’Angelo is the star of the show, performing the role of Jess with confidence, fervor, and a sharp timbre that rings intensely throughout the theater. Her rendition of the opening aria, in particular, in which she sings about her passion for flying and her love for the “Blue” brings goosebumps. English is an unusual language for opera, and can be hard to understand under a soprano voice; however, D’Angelo impressively enunciates and projects every word, rendering the Met’s reliable subtitles practically useless. Even the most traditional of opera fans will find pleasure in seeing her perform.
Her chemistry with tenor Ben Bliss, who plays Eric, is superb. Although their relationship begins abruptly, they convey a loving and mutually dependent relationship. His voice is tender and melodic, especially in the scenes where he sings Samantha to sleep. With charm and swagger, Bliss perfectly fits the character of the stereotypical American cowboy, from the bar scene where he seduces Jess to his job as a blackjack dealer at a local casino. In fact, his character becomes so likable that it leaves the audience wondering what happens to him after Jess’s conviction.
Michael Mayer’s production suits the opera well, making fine use of the Met’s impressive technological capabilities. It contains two levels of action: Jess’s house low in the stage and her flying station directly above. The opera oscillates from one to the other as she transitions from the thrill of the sky to the calm of home.
Grounded marks the continuation of a recent trend for the Met, which is increasingly embracing contemporary opera. It brings real-life, important issues to the forefront of the operatic world, forcing us to consider not only things like music, acting, and production quality, but bigger questions about the nature of the world. With all that is happening around the globe today, art is more important a tool for advocacy and change than ever before.
