Having heard two of the Washington National Opera Domingo-Cafritz young artists at an event at the Kreeger Museum in D.C. earlier this season, I knew I was in for something good in attending the performance of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs where they would star. I was pleased that the score did not seem too avant-garde, and was intrigued at the prospect of this art form exploring the world and story of technology. WNO has done this before, when they programmed the story of a drone pilot in Grounded last season, and they are to be commended for programming works that deal with subjects so central to our lives as they exist right now.
One of the first things I noted about The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs was the amplification of the singers. Although I prefer unamplified singing in opera, since the score by Mason Bates includes electronic instruments and sound effects, I understood the necessity. I would go so far as to say that, to the work’s advantage, the composer successfully captures the sound world of computers by including effects that, for example, sound like a device shutting down. Sometimes it wasn’t just hearing; you could physically feel the sound sitting in the audience. Combined with the computer monitors and projections onstage, the sound design by Rick Jacobsohn made for an immersive experience so that, even at a run time of two hours with no intermission, from my perspective I was engaged the whole time and did not feel the need for a break. Assisting with this was the through-composed score, which flowed from scene to scene and mitigated the disjointed chronological order of scenes (for example, beginning the show at Steve’s tenth birthday in 1965, then jumping to the product launch of the iPhone in 2007). Because of its flow, I was not surprised that this score earned a Grammy.
The performers handled the score with ease. I particularly enjoyed the WNO Chorus appearing as Apple employees, board members, and finally, mourners at Steve’s memorial service at the end. Of special note for the soloists were baritone Jonathan Patton (lead photo [left] is character, not Mr. Patton) delivering crystal-clear sustained high notes and bass Wei Wu at the other end of the range spectrum as Jobs’s spiritual mentor in Zen Buddhism Kobun Chino Otagawa. Nicholas Huff as Steve Wozniak (lead photo [on right] is charactor, not Mr. Huff) not only had some fantastic harmony singing with Patton, but he also brought a great sense of fun and heart to his role. Finally, Anneliese Klenetsky as Chrisann Brennan drove home the cruelty that Jobs was capable of, showing the downside of his workaholic lifestyle and attitude. In fact, the scene when she tells Jobs she is pregnant with his child was, in my opinion, perhaps the greatest moment of theatricality in the piece. His rejection of her and refusal to acknowledge their daughter as his own not only felt like a gut punch and gave a feeling of disgust, but also gave a feeling of true heartbreak and tragedy, the score coming to a crescendo as she realizes in horror that he is abandoning her, then quieting down as she walks away silently, defeated.
Given his treatment of Chrisann, I was wondering why I should be rooting for this main character and this story at all until the end. Jobs’s wife Laurene Powell Jobs (sung beautifully by Winona Martin), speaking at his memorial service, pricked up my ears by talking about how, although Steve wanted everyone to enjoy their devices, he would also have wanted us to LOOK UP. Ultimately, that is what I took away from this work. Despite the good technology can do, no human creator is perfect, and we need to remember to remain part of nature and experience nature in the midst of our busy, tech-filled lives. If you get the chance, please see this opera, and hopefully you will come away similarly empowered to put down your devices for a moment and take in everything around you.
Maggie Ramsey
The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs
Music by Mason Bates
Libretto by Mark Campbell
Cast and production staff:
Steve Jobs | John Moore*/Jonathan Patton^ (5/9)
Laurene Powell Jobs | Winona Martin^
Kōbun Chino Otogawa | Wei Wu†
Steve (“Woz”) Wozniak | Jonathan Burton/Nicholas Huff^ (5/9)
Chrisann Brennan | Kresley Figueroa^/Anneliese Klenetsky^ (5/9)
Paul Jobs | Justin Burgess†
Teacher | MichelleMariposa^
Young Steve | Stone Stensrud
Washington National Opera Orchestra
Washington National Opera Chorus
CREATIVE TEAM
Conductor | Lidiya Yankovskaya
Cover Conductor | Micah Gleason*
Production and Staging | Tomer Zvulun
Revival Stage Director | Rebecca Herman*
Scenery and Costume Designer | Jacob Climer*
Projection Designer | S. Katy Tucker
Associate Projection Designer | Blake Manns
Lighting Designer | Robert Wierzel
Sound Designer | Rick Jacobsohn*
Photos: Scott Suchman