I also wondered a bit at the main Japanese character’s treatment of the Empress doll, which struck me as more of a plaything (as in Western doll culture) rather than a ceremonial doll-it didn’t seem to fit what I’d been taught about the purpose of matsuri dolls. Given the evening’s pre-show (and marketing) emphasis on Japanese American history, it struck me as a little strange that the high dramatic point of the opera was the main Jewish character’s discovery of her parents’ fate, rather than the fate of the Japanese mother in camp. I missed more familiar musical elements of classical opera, such as melodic motifs that reappear or are keyed to a character. The staging is effective, using the farmhouse table as the main source of connection between the two families and the two stories. The projected computer animation that serves as visual accompaniment to the prelude is beautiful and I would have loved to see more of it towards the end. The vocal performances were all strong and I hope to see more of each actor. Notably, the opera gave several community previews and from several accounts demonstrated outstanding community engagement, both in outreach and attendance.Īs for the opera itself, there are some striking aspects. The opera was commissioned as part of the Opera’s “Belongings” project, where audience participants were asked, “If you had to leave today and could not return, what would you take with you?”Īccording to the International Examiner, Murphy-Moo worked partly with Gabrielle Kazuko Gainor, a member of the Opera’s communications staff (and active JACL member), as well as Mary Matsuda Gruenewald, a local Nikkei resident from Vashon Island, in order to provide as much cultural and historical authenticity as possible.
The score was written by California composer Jack Perla and the libretto by one of Seattle Opera’s communications staff, Jessica Murphy-Moo.
Both families have secrets that bind them to each other and are eventually revealed. When the Japanese American family is forced to leave their farm for “evacuation,” the Jewish American family buys it. This is how I’m herded-deliberately-into the “pre-show immersive experience” of Seattle Opera’s recently commissioned chamber opera, An American Dream.Īn American Dream is a story of two families, one Japanese American and one Jewish American, during World War II.
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