Audience members in the sold-out Carrier Theater gave a strong affirmative vote in the form of a standing ovation for the Jan. 21 world premier of "Pushed Aside: Reclaiming Gage." Told in a series of vignettes, the two-act opera sheds light on the pivotal role Central New Yorker Matilda Joslyn Gage played in winning suffrage for American women. The opera has been commissioned and produced by Society for New Music, and it is a triumph for the 46-year-old institution.
With a stellar local cast weaving together a tapestry of historical characters, mezzo-soprano Danan Tsan is the cord that holds the entire fabric together. Her clear, expressive voice, nuanced gestures and graceful stage presence make it easy to suspend disbelief and become caught up with her in the dramatic events and civil rights struggles of the 19th century.
Having been one of the original suffragist triumvirate, with Susan B. Anthony (Juliane Price) and Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Laura Enslin), to spearhead the women's movement, Gage was later shunned, and her contributions have been largely overlooked. Her fault, as it was perceived by her suffragist sisters, was not in lack of energy or courage, but rather it was in her determination to extend liberty to all people, including the African-Americans and Native-Americans that she saw as equals. She was too radical even for the radicals, who feared such wide inclusion would detract from the vision of the movement.
Librettist Gabrielle Vehar, whose research brought her to the Matilda Gage House in Fayetteville for a lengthy initial visit and had her reading more than 40 books on the struggle for women's rights and other social issues of the period, presents Gage's story in a framed setting.
The opera opens and closes at the grave of Matilda Joslyn Gage. The overture plays as, in 1901, her daughter, Maude (soprano Julia Ebner), and son-in-law, author L. Frank Baum (Steven Stull), discuss Matilda's opposition to their marriage. The plot unwinds in a series of flashbacks from 1852 through 1890, when Gage, convinced that the human rights of all people are interconnected, is rebuffed.
Gregory Sheppard's sonorous bass is heard in Act I on a fictional character, John, a runaway slave who is moving North through the Underground Rail Road, and, in Act II, on Frederick Douglass as he and Juliane Price sing a duet about similarities between the women's movement and the struggles of African Americans. Gage's advocacy for Native Americans is revealed through her admiration for her doctors, Isaiah (Jonathan Howell) and Electa Thomas (Jennifer Stevens), who are healers from the Mohawk and Onondaga Nations.
Hamilton College faculty member Heather Buchman conducts a chamber orchestra on the score by Persis Parshall Vehar that references American music of the period as well as Native American rhythms and melodies. The music conveys a sense of each individual's character, with the motif for the title character revealing her endless energy and intelligence.
This production uses one basic set with the illusion of expanded space created with projected images and graphics. Sign-carrying women, woodland scenes, and vintage portraits help the audience grasp activities that take place beyond the Gage parlor. Authentic costuming helps delineate character for the leads and the lively 10-member chorus, comprised of 10 stellar vocalists.
Stage director Victoria King bolsters the dramatic impact of the opera by calling upon actors to not only produce outstanding vocal performances, but also to move naturally among one another, acknowledging each other's presence and influence. The result is a production that seamlessly presents a window onto a previously forgotten chapter in the story of the American Suffragist movement.
With a minimum of revision and tightening, particularly in the framing vignettes at the gravesite, "Pushed Aside: Reclaiming Gage" is ready to move beyond its Central New York roots. It is a landmark achievement for the Society for New Music, a successful historical opera that can be produced across the nation as America celebrates the 2020 Centennial of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote.
Title: "Pushed Aside: Reclaiming Gage"