Review: DEAD MAN WALKING at London Coliseum

With a score by Jake Heggie and libretto by Terrence McNally, DEAD MAN WALKING is a modern opera which pulls no punches in its dynamic ENO staging at the London Coliseum.

Based on the acclaimed book by Sister Helen Prejean, the story details her time spent administering to the spiritual needs of a convicted murderer while he serves out his sentence on death row at a Louisiana facility named Angola. Originally commissioned by the San Francisco Opera, the production has taken a full 25 years to reach London. But it was most definitely worth the wait.

We open with a young man and woman playing music as they cavort on and around their car, which is parked out of town, near a lake. As the orchestral score becomes more tense and strained, two men, the De Rocher brothers, walk stealthily down the Coliseum’s stalls steps towards the illuminated setting. As they skirt the edge of the orchestra pit and mount the stage, our sense of foreboding and powerlessness increases. Their horrific rape and murder of the young couple is the culmination of the opening segment, but once all trace of their car is swiftly removed from the stage, the shock and menace evaporates. Instead, we are transported to The Projects where Helen (Christine Rice) and her fellow nuns work tirelessly to provide a safe home for the many children who depend on their charitable assistance through the work of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Medaille. Key among them, is Sister Rose (Madeline Boreham) who is the first of many to question Helen’s choice in focusing her efforts to save the soul of a convicted murderer.

The cast of Dead Man Walking. Photo by Manuel Harlan

Following the receipt of a letter, Helen journeys 3 hours in soporific heat to meet Joseph De Rocher (Michael Mayes) for the first time. During the journey, she is stopped for a traffic violation by a motorcycle cop (Zwakele Tshabalala) and arrives late at the prison, where she is greeted by a combative priest Father Grenville (Ronald Samm) and a more conciliatory Warden George Benton (Andrew Manea).

The remainder of the opera covers courtroom dramas involving the families of the victims pressing for execution and pleas for clemency from Joseph’s mother Mrs Patrick De Rocher (Dame Sarah Connolly). Each scene reinforces Helen’s resolve that this man deserves understanding and forgiveness as one of God’s children, but she seems singularly incapable of comprehending how her well meant intentions will hurt and confound those who lost loved ones to such a heinous crime. One individual in particular, Owen Hart (Jacques Imbrailo), the father of the murdered girl, vents his fury and heartbreak, but by the end, sees the comfort in mending bridges with Helen as he resolves to come to terms with his grief.

The rousing almost cinematic score with its Bernstein-esque orchestrations, is occasionally fleshed with strains of both blues and soul elements which surreptitiously find their way into scenes. On press night, the whole was delivered by a superbly on-form orchestra under the masterful control of conductor Kerem Hasan.

It was also a night of exceptionally well-realised vocals, with two particular stand-out moments for me. Near the beginning of Act II, Helen confides in Sister Rose that she is haunted by the murders. She is in turn encouraged to find a way to bestow her own personal forgiveness upon Joseph. It is a deftly and beautifully penned moment which was delivered beautifully and could be considered the work’s Lakmé Flower Duet moment. Secondly, as the parents of the murder victims gather for the administering of the lethal injection, we are treated to a heartbreaking section written for six voices which speaks to the tragedy and waste which can result from a moment of madness.