|
 Margaret
Garner
Margaret
Garner
is nothing short of stunning, overwhelming and remarkable. Get
thee to the theatre!!
Not that Toni
Morrison needed to confirm her brilliance, but as the opera’s
librettist, she did just that once again. Morrison first
tackled and fictionalized the almost forgotten story of Margaret
Garner in her Pulitzer Prize winning “Beloved.” In 1856,
escaped Kentucky slave Margaret Garner upon recapture killed her
daughter rather than see her re-enslaved.
The essence of
the opera Margaret Garner is its depiction and
examination of the inner lives of slaves. Rather than follow
the traditional arc of slave narratives of bondage, escape and
freedom, Morrison deals deeply with the fundamental humanity of
Margaret and her family. Of course, this approach undermines
the false notion that buttressed slavery – the idea that slaves
had no souls; that they were not fully human. One way Morrison
reveals their human complexity is through her poignant depiction
of the love between Margaret and her husband Robert. The depth
and intensity of their love is palpable. Their ability to love
so tenderly under the harshness slavery wrought is amazing. (I
am amazed that out of 150 cable channels, I can rarely find
healthy depictions of Black women and men loving each other;
that instead I have to go to an opera depicting Black slave life
150 years ago to see that affirming imagery, but I digress.).
Robert’s love for Margaret is as strong as his yearning to
fulfill his role as husband, father and protector beyond the
physical and psychological boundaries of slavery.
 Margaret
Garner forces us to consider the psychological costs of
slavery. How painful is it to live with the knowledge that
“loving too much is dangerous” because your family may be torn
asunder as a matter of a man’s whim or financial calculation?
Alas, slavery was the site of the original broken family. How
do you persevere when “every day is like yesterday” and you work
all day, from sun up to sun down, with no pay?
Margaret loved
her life and believed in its integrity so much that she dared to
stand up and fight for it. She declares not only her dignity as
fully human, but her individuality. “Margaret Garner” is the
story of the triumph of the human spirit, the audacity to love
and the daring to live on your terms. I left inspired, uplifted
and affirmed.
The opera, led
by Denyce Graves (Margaret) [and Tracie Luck for the remaining
performances], Gregg Baker (Robert) and Karen Slack (Robert’s
mother), sounds and looks great. The Auditorium Theatre is a
spectacular venue in which to hear and see it. The staging was
beautiful and well done.
My only concern
is whether the opera gives sufficient weight to the notion of a
mother killing her children rather than having them returned to
slavery. Are these murders just perceived as the act of a crazy
woman? Are they simply crimes of passion committed in a moment
of outrage? What is it about the peculiar institution of
slavery that makes a mother kill her own children so they can
escape it? I would have liked more direct treatment of these
fundamental questions. But perhaps the horrors of slavery are
generally sufficiently known such that there is no need to
address them specifically.
This historic
operatic event ends soon. Get there while you can!
-Lauren
Comments? E-mail me at:
Lauren@so-LAZE.com
© 2010 - Unauthorized use is prohibited.
Margaret Garner continues on November 6th, 8th and 9th,
2008 at
the Auditorium Theatre.
|
