Like Lewis Carroll’s Alice, the title character of Neil Gaiman’s 2002 children’s novella “Coraline” passes through a magic portal into a world that’s oddly similar to her own. In Coraline’s case, though, the difference between the two is a source of uneasiness and dread.
That unsettled quality — the immediacy with which an imperfect replica of the familiar can inspire fear — lands with a visceral punch in the bright-hued, ragtag production of composer Mark-Anthony Turnage’s operatic adaptation that opened at West Edge Opera on Saturday, July 30.
In this vividly theatrical staging, directed by Tara Branham in a physical production created byFenlon Lamb’s Papermoon Opera Productions, every primary color and every piece of childlike scenic design feels worrisome. The production takes up residence in the region that AI scientists refer to as the Uncanny Valley — where not-quite-human robots inspire queasiness — and the rest of us know as Why We Hate Clowns.
低级恐怖的感觉是Coraline冒险的基础，并且发现克服它的勇气是她英勇追求的本质。在建立新学校的一周前搬进了新房子后，这名富丽堂皇的11岁男孩穿过一扇砖砌的门走进一个镜子世界，居住着父母的棍子人物，她将她的另一个母亲和另一个父亲配音。
They’re living cartoons, put together out of doll costumes and construction paper and featuring sewn-on buttons for eyes. But they hold a certain appeal, at least for a while, because they promise Coraline a reprieve from all the shortcomings of her real parents. Roast chicken for lunch instead of parsnip soup! Piles of toys and treats, and best of all, endless attention as a contrast to the distracted workaholics she lives with back home.
当然，正如Coraline迅速确定的那样，这都是邪恶的魅力，因为她既聪明又勇敢。(The misogyny of Gaiman’s original material, which makes the Other Mother the source of all villainy and the Other Father merely a henpecked stooge, is a regrettable undercurrent.) One’s real parents, the tale reminds us, are preferable even with their quirks to pasteboard mock-ups.
The Papermoon production, on the big, wide-open stage of the Oakland Scottish Rite Center, brings the audience into the heart of this storybook world. The detritus of Coraline’s family move-in still litters the stage, and the world of the Other Parents is conjured up with ebullient flourishes of paper, vinyl and lace. The design team — Jefferson Ridenour (scenery), Christine Crook (costumes), Pamila Gray (lighting), Kris Kirkwood (projections) and Roxie Johnson (wig and makeup) — have done valiant work to create an alternate landscape.
不幸的是，“ Coraline”缺少的是一分钱，肩负着这种创造性劳动的任何部分。在美国首映式中，Turnage的2018年创作与剧作家Rory Mullarkey的歌曲作品，原来是一个单调的和纠结的集合，几乎完全没有异想天开，威胁或独特的角色。
The piece is scored for a spiky chamber orchestra, and there are occasional instrumental interludes that have a certain fun-house bounce. Conductor John Kennedy led the performance with all the taut mastery it required.
But Turnage’s approach to text-setting is the same one that dooms so much contemporary opera to tedium: an unwavering medium tempo, speech-bound rhythms and a resolute avoidance of characterization. Turnage is happy to engage in pastiche for the other inhabitants of Coraline’s building (a pair of superannuated actresses and a mad Lithuanian conductor), but he never uses music to craft an original expressive world.
令人高兴的是，West Edge为这部作品组建了一流的球员，他们热切而熟练地绘制了乐谱所能提供的音乐寄托块。在开幕之夜，mezzo-soprano Kendra Broomwas a marvel in the title role, singing with fervor, precision and muscular grace. Stephanie Sanchez and Efraín Solís made a formidable team as both pairs of parents, the real and the ersatz. Krista Wigle and Jazmine Olwalia, as the actresses, and Joseph Meyers as Mr. Bobo the conductor, all brought vocal and theatrical panache to their assignments.
In spite of its musical weaknesses, though, “Coraline” offers a persuasive retelling of an age-old narrative trope. It’s hard not to be caught up in Coraline’s journey and her ultimate triumph.
“Coraline”:West Edge Opera. 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5. 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 7. $10-$140. Scottish Rite Center, 1547 Lakeside Drive, Oakland. 510-841-1903.www.westedgeopera.org