The Lyric Opera of Chicago is refreshing classical music by bringing in newer works. The Listeners is written by Missy Mazzoli with a libretto by Royce Vavrek based on the novel by Jordan Tannahill. It is an exciting performance that keeps one foot in tradition and the other firmly set in an expansion of classical.
The Listeners 2022 world premiere production in Oslo was directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, and the Chicago revival is directed by Mikhaela Mahony. This is a significant endeavor with many moving parts that could quickly become chaotic. Blain-Cruz set the template, and Mahony takes the reins. The rhythm of the movements has to be considered almost as important as the vocal work.
The Listeners is a story about a woman driven mad by a sound only she seems to hear. She finds a community of others who can hear and understand her torment. Claire (Nicole Heaston) alienates her family, loses her job, and is led to a community of others who can also hear the Hum. She takes a student, Kyle (Jonas Hacker), under her wing because he also hears the Hum. Hacker is a superb tenor making his Lyric debut in a challenging role. His tenor is warm and clear, and his portrayal of an outsider teen has the perfect touch of angst without going emo.
Chicago native Heaston makes her Lyric debut as Claire, a middle-aged suburban school teacher and mom. This is a delightfully subversive choice from the start. Heaston has a tremendous and forceful dramatic soprano. She adds shading to the music and the character without a hint of sounding shrill. Claire's husband, Paul (an underused Zachary Nelson), is worried about his wife and afraid of losing her to an imaginary enemy.
On a night of debuts, Jasmine Habersham bursts onto the stage as Claire's daughter Ashley. She is brilliant in the role of an angry and disaffected teen. Her soprano reaches the rafters with power behind her high notes. I hope to see more of Habersham at Lyric. She has great vocal chops and dynamic stage presence going head to head with Heaston. The mother-daughter dynamic pulses with their onstage chemistry.
Claire and Kyle join a group led by Howard (Kyle Ketelsen), who draws people in with pseudo-psychology and rituals to become one with the Hum. Ketelsen is creepy as the leader with a mannered way of moving and a hypnotizing gaze. One of the tactics in the community is called the confessional. Those given entry must confess what they hear and believe because of the endless tone. The live video-taping is projected onto a screen, adding another dimension to the creepy factor.
Soprano Daniela Mack gives a scary and darkly comic performance as Angela Rose, or as she says, "Howard's Number Two." The double entendre is not lost as Howard exploits her worship and obsession with him. It is not a spoiler to say that Howard is a cult leader whose behavior escalates to a dangerous point with tragic consequences. As members begin to think for themselves and challenge Howard's authority, the drama becomes more explosive.
The story is set in a Southwest American suburb, which is perfect for the setting because it has a New Age mystique and generic housing developments. The set and backdrops have a desert vibe with a gothic edge. Adam Rigg designed the set with muted shades of beige, pink, and blue as contrast. The curtain has Hieronymous Bosch vibes with the houses as jagged trapezoids placed like game pieces on cul de sacs. Tune up Pete Seeger singing "Little Boxes" and do not drink the purple stuff.
Ironically, a coyote (Rachel Harris and Morgan Reed McDaniel alternating) creeps across the stage as a lead-in to the first act. The coyote can have a mystical role in Indigenous culture as the one who is a wise shape-shifter. It is the counterpoint to the Vodun loa called Papa Elegba, the Trickster. Claire befriends the Coyote and finds herself kindred to this wild animal. Claire speaks to the Coyote, and they howl together. More irony is that coyotes now wander through many urban neighborhood. It ignites a mystery. Is the Coyote sent to Claire to lead her to her community of like-minded and afflicted people? Or is the Coyote a personal totem for Claire as she shifts her life?
The Listeners has so many fantastic performances, giving members of the Lyric chorus a chance to perform individually. Kelsea Webb plays Danica, who is more Charles Manson than New Age desert dweller. The chorus is full of professional singers getting the notice they deserve. Adia Evans plays Theresa Alvarez, the newscaster on the scene when things hit the fan, sparked by a conflict between Howard's number twos, Claire and Angela Rose.
Enrique Mazzola has more than proven his brilliance as the Lyric music director and conductor. Mazzoli's music is labyrinthine without any specific arias or sweeping chord runs. Maestro Mazzola has the skill, precision, and command of the score to lead the musicians as a part of the story and the accompaniment.
My first experience with composer Missy Mazzoli was her composition Millennium Canticles, which Third Coast Percussion performed. The Listeners is an adult opera with language, sexual situations, and violence. The lyrics resonate with how we live in this moment. The sociological shift that is taking place in America is seen in The Listeners. People want to belong, be understood, and be heard over the distractions. America's Hum at this time is political, no matter where your ideology stands. I highly recommend The Listeners to see a reflection of our current dystopia. The harsh and terrifying glare counters the warm and safe glow.
Also note the Lyric's audience advisory: "The Listeners includes explicit language and sexual content, along with brief mentions of self-harm and suicide, that may be triggering to some audience members. This production also includes the occasional use of strobing/flashing lights and theatrical gunfire. Recommended for mature audiences."
The Listeners runs for 2.5 hours including an intermission. The production continues through April 11 at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive. Please visit https://www.lyricopera.org/ for tickets and more information.
For more information on this and other productions, see theatreinchicago.com.
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