IN EMILY’S WORDS
Famous as it is, “Wuthering Heights” has already inspired at least three operas and a musical. Its latest incarnation, sort of, is “In Emily’s Words” by Jessy Tomsko, now being seen briefly at MSU’s Pasant Theatre as the featured attraction of the 9th Annual ImaGen program to showcase new musicals.
“In Emily’s Words,” sung-through as it is, approaches being an opera more than a musical; except that its music rarely has any of the grand flourishes one finds in an opera. Indeed, there is a present-day quality to the music that hardly evokes the mid-19th Century story being presented.
The words don’t help either, with a freewheeling use of anachronisms which clang in the ear when you’re trying to get into a Victorian frame of mind.
But enough of negativity (well, almost) – despite being billed as a “concert reading,” you hardly notice the few actors not yet off book. Everyone moves smartly around the stage, with even some choreography here and there. This is remarkable given that the performers barely had ten days of stage rehearsal (which is normal for the ImaGen program).
All the 25 student singers are top-notch, in addition to Equity actor Jordan Christopher as Heathcliff, with Mel Dyk as Emily, Rachel Vos as Cathy, Zach Deande as Hindley and Grace Heemstra as Isabella. As Edgar, Andrew Brown has a dynamic stage presence and a killer tenor voice.
Ah, but back to the negatives: there are really three story frameworks going on here – Emily Brontë and her sisters; Emily and the characters she is creating; and interactions between the Heights characters themselves. We see all the actors onstage; but which of them are supposed to be real, and which are not? It can be a little confusing.
Nevertheless, this barebones production of “In Emily’s Words” is a worthy effort, with plenty of good material to tweak and nudge into a truly effective work of theatre. Bravo! to the ImaGen program for getting it going – but if you want to see it, you only have one more chance, this Sunday (9/25) at 2:00 pm at the Wharton Center’s Pasant Theatre, 517-432-2000.
by T.E. Klunzinger