With its stylish festival level performance of the fiercely original piece, This House, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis continues its almost unrivaled record for commissioning and staging World Premieres.
This House is the work of widely admired composer, Ricky Ian Gordon, and Pulitzer winning playwright Lynn Nottage, co-creator of the libretto with her daughter, Ruby Aiyo Gerber. The opera follows the history of the Walker family who have inhabited a crumbling brownstone in Harlem’s Sugar Hill area since 1919. The present day living ancestor, a pregnant thirty-something woman, Zoe, revisits her childhood home with husband in tow, to confront her mother, brother and not-so-silent ghostly voices to see if she can bring herself to rear a child in a milieu that not only contains heart-wrenching memories but also several devastating truths that are revealed therein.
This work is a fiercely original magical mystery tour, continually evolving from the moment Zoe’s husband Glenn leaves her on the front stoop to go get them coffee, and allowing her to cross the threshold alone to enter the dwelling, wherein she finds herself immediately immersed in a Metaphysical Oz, peopled by wildly divergent but interrelated beings.
The collage of characters and their histories is at first a rather puzzling and disorienting mosaic of vocal impressions, but there is a method to the creators’ madness. They cleverly allow the audience to try to puzzle this out with hints dropped, relationships suggested, red herrings introduced, and then bar by bar, phrase by phrase, the shifting kaleidoscope evolves into a discernable Walker family portrait. The time spans over a century, and the large cast eventually has their own moment to chart their unique place in the dwelling’s time span.
The piece eschews a nice, neat narrative structure, although amazingly, This House actually observes the Classical Unities. It is telling to note, that the libretto does not immediately identify the characters’ names, allowing us to gather information about “someone” and then put a name to that personage later. This was a most intriguing methodology and allows near continuous theatrical surprises. The inhabitants that are immediately clearly defined are Zoe’s mother, Ida, and brother, Lindon, who anchor the story. The others are drifting in the ether, ready with a comment, a revelation, a challenge.
Director James Robinson excels at such new works that deal with accumulated impressions, blurred timelines, and patchworks of life experiences. He has staged the show with his usual acumen for fluid movement, all the while keeping the focus on the moment at the forefront with careful positioning and excellent use on levels. He ensures that each character has the dramatic spotlight for their important revelatory narrative and ably clarifies the relationships as the script requires it.
Mr. Robinson was greatly assisted by his design team. Set designer Allen Moyer has crafted an imposing edifice with the requisite brownstone stoop and wrought iron railing, that revolves to reveal a splendidly dressed interior, stuffed with eclectic memories from a Harlem past. A panel stage left rises to allow for an addition to the living room, an artist’s “studio” for painter Lindon, to enlarge the playing space, which features several levels and a set of stairs, all of which Robinson used to maximum advantage in creating varied stage pictures.
Video projection designer Greg Emetaz contributed his usual fine work with modern and historic imagery on the side panels and building exterior, and scrolling effects bathing the interior at key dramatic moments. The revolve was used effectively throughout, and dramatically, I began to wonder why Zoe’s husband was relegated to the exterior scenes.
Then when Glenn finally enters the house quite late in Act II, there is a brilliant galvanic moment evocative of The Sixth Sense’s famous line: “I see dead people.” Stunning.
Lighting designer Marcus Doshi did an excellent job highlighting the shifting moods and directing focus, enhancing the clarity of each individual story. Montana Levi Blanco’s carefully researched panorama of costumes combined with Krystal Balleza and Will Vicari’s impeccable hair and make-up design provided a visual history lesson of the last century.
The ensemble cast was very fine, indeed. Brandie Inez Sutton was alternately enchanting and feisty as Young Ida, the ghostly backstory for Zoe’s grown mother. Ms. Sutton has a silverly, poised delivery reminiscent of Kathleen Battle in her prime. Sankara Harouna won our hearts, and then broke them as Milton, husband of Young Zoe, his luminous baritone giving much pleasure. Aundi Marie Moore was Lucy, a Black nationalist in a love triangle with Milton, displaying an amiable, mellow soprano of considerable beauty.
As the sometimes garrulous Beulah, the animated Krysty Swann showed off a vibrant, characterful soprano of fine presence. Victor Ryan Robertson was the ne’er-do-well Uncle Percy, using his attractive, lithe tenor to limn a musical delivery that was lean, mean, and clean. The matriarch Ida was impressively embodied by Adreinne Dench, who did a slow burn of a presentation, her solid soprano at first conveying a resigned weariness, but building inexorably to a searing dramatic outpouring at opera’s end that super charged the evening.
Justin Austin was the artistic gay brother, Lindon, and as we have come to expect from this accomplished performer, his singing proved to be liquid gold, pliant, and oh so empathetic.
We had to wait for Act II for the tall and playful bass-baritone Christian Pursell to take the stage, but when he entered, he owned it. Mr. Pursell’s substantial orotund sound, musicality, and charismatic demeanor were wholly winning. His and Mr. Austin’s love duet about Valancia was arguably the highpoint of an evening that was chockfull of them.
Briana Hunter was a force of nature in the leading role of Zoe, never tiring in spite of the fact that she never leaves the stage. She conquered her assignment, with her big-voiced, well-schooled soprano proving capable of every challenge in this daunting assignment. Because of her constant presence in the musical fabric, I do wish the formidable Ms. Hunter could invest more occasional warmth and nuance into her delivery and characterization. Still, this was an admirable role assumption. As husband Glenn, tenor Brad Bickhardt was one of the only completely sympathetic characters on stage, his pleasing tone, calming presence, and warm delivery a nice contrast, although there were a few phrases that might have been freer at top.
Mr. Gordon’s eclectic score draws on so many influences, yet he combines them all seamlessly into one musical tapestry that is uniquely his own. There are elements of a beguine, jazz licks, pop music, and ragtime that come and go with the emergence of each character and the period they lived. With the house and its legacy itself the central character, the composer has found ways to evoke its ageing noises with vocalises and orchestral effects that include a large bank of percussion. We hear floors creak under the weight of the century, water running in outdated pipes, whispers of past life events, and even the old manse breathing a wheezy tune.
In the opening moments of Act I, Gordon utilizes mysterious polychords layered upon one another to suggest the unsettling tales the building is about to communicate. The first act is pretty much all set-up, and the angular dialogue almost never settles into a tune. That, and the somewhat unrelated commentary by the orchestra coupled with the large number of people onstage at any one time, made for an effect that was more intellectually than emotionally appealing.
That all changed in Act II when bantering dialogue gave way to glorious song. The afore-mentioned Valencia duet, the more lyrical confrontations and reconciliation, the marvelous cathartic aria for Ida were Ricky at his best, embracing the time honored Metastasian Ideal of tension (dialogue) and release (aria).
This is not an easy new score, with some knotty rhythms and challenging ensemble demands, but conductor Daniela Candillari worked wonders with the marvelous Saint Louis Symphony in the pit who rose to occasion with splendid results. Maestra Candillari also maintained a perfect balance as she ably collaborated with her singers onstage. It is not possible to absorb all the riches in this new work in one viewing, but the piece has legs, and an appreciative audience showered it with a deserved ovation.
Remarkably, This House is the forty-fifth World Premiere in the company’s fifty year history. If the operatic art form is to sustain and grow, surely the estimable Opera Theatre of Saint Louis will be at the forefront of that momentum. Bravi, tutti!
James Sohre
This House
Music by Ricky Ian Gordon
Libretto by Lynn Nottage and Ruby Aiyo Gerber
Young Ida: Brandie Inez Sutton; Milton: Sankara Harouna; Lucy: Aundi Marie Moore; Beulah: Krysty Swann; Uncle Percy: Victor Ryan Robertson; Ida: Adrienne Danrich: Lindon: Justin Austin; Zoe: Briana Hunter; Glenn: Brad Bickhardt; Thomas: Christian Pursell; Conductor: Daniela Candillari; Stage Director: James Robinson; Set Designer: Allen Moyer; Costume Designer: Montana Levi Blanco; Video Projection Designer: Gregg Emetaz; Lighting Designer: Marcus Doshi; Wig and Make-up Designers: Krystal Balleza, Will Vicari; Choreographer: Seán Curran
Top image: (L to R) Adrienne Danrich as Ida, Justin Austin as Lindon, Briana Hunter as Zoe, with (Background, L to R) Krysty Swann as Beulah, Aundi Marie Moore as Lucy, Sankara Harouna as Milton, and Brandie Inez Sutton as Young Ida
All photos © Eric Woolsey, 2025