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A 'Righteous' path: Faith, power and ambition collide in Santa Fe Opera world premiere
鈥淭he Righteous鈥� will open Saturday, July 13, at the Santa Fe Opera.
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Faith, power and ambition collide in the world premiere of 鈥淭he Righteous,鈥� opening on Saturday, July 13, at the Santa Fe Opera.
Kevin Newbury will direct the production, set in an unnamed state in the American Southwest. Newbury is a theater, opera and film director and producer based in New York City. No stranger to Santa Fe, he directed 鈥淭he (R)evolution of Steve Jobs鈥� in 2017, 鈥淥scar鈥� in 2013 and 鈥淟ife Is a Dream鈥� in 2010.
A 'Righteous' path: Faith, power and ambition collide in Santa Fe Opera world premiere
鈥淭he Righteous鈥� opera opens with David, a preacher, building a church in the American Southwest. He marries into a wealthy oil family and is eventually pressed to run for governor of his state, succeeding his father-in-law. At the same time, he has an affair with Sheila, whose more mystical theology enraptures him, leading them both to a personal crossroads by the end of the decade.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about the tension between your faith and spirituality and the fraught world of 鈥�80s politics,鈥� Newbury said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about how his journey affects everyone around him.鈥�
That experience incorporates the current affairs of 1979, 1986 and 1990. The audience will see them on TV sets throughout the performance. The images include the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, the AIDS crisis, and film of Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev meeting in Iceland.
Newbury says he directs opera like a film and film like an opera.
鈥淓very scene has a natural element to ground you in place,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very cinematic.鈥�
鈥淭he (Santa Fe) sunsets are a character in the piece,鈥� he added. 鈥淲e鈥檙e revealing the sunset in a very meaningful way.鈥�
Influenced by movies such as 鈥淓.T. the Extra-Terrestrial鈥� (1982) and 鈥淐lose Encounters of the Third Kind鈥� (1977), Newbury uses lighting to stage moments when the characters reach a deep spirituality.
鈥淣ature becomes a metaphor for God and spirituality,鈥� he said.
As for costumes, audiences can expect shoulder pads and big hair.
David is an empathetic character who wants to do the right thing.
鈥淗e is seduced by the power and he genuinely wants to make a difference,鈥� Newbury said. 鈥淗ow does David stay true to his values and the compromises he makes?鈥�
Much of the text questions whether funding is really going to the underserved or to the wealthy. Someone presses David to sign an anti-gay bill when his best friend Jonathan is homosexual.
Although David at first seems to be the opera鈥檚 protagonist, the women gradually grow into prominence.
鈥淭he women become the spiritual heartbeat,鈥� Newbury said. The women reveal empathy, while the men struggle, he added.
Born and raised in Maine, Newbury was a pianist and an actor before opera beckoned. At 22, he landed a job with the New York City Opera.
鈥淚 fell in love with opera,鈥� he said.
Written by Gregory Spears and Tracy K. Smith, 鈥淭he Righteous鈥� features an all-star cast, including Anthony Roth Costanzo, Michael Mayes, Elena Villal贸n, Jennifer Johnson Cano and Greer Grimsley, among others.
鈥淭he cast is absolutely formidable,鈥� Newbury said, 鈥渢he best use of singing actors you could ask for.鈥�
Next, he鈥檚 organizing a national tour of the 2016 opera 鈥淔ellow Travelers.鈥� The Spears-composed show is about the Lavender Scare of the Joseph McCarthy years, Newbury said.
鈥淒irecting opera at the Santa Fe Opera is the culmination of my career,鈥� he added.
