Romance of the Rose (Excerpt)
- Romance of the Rose (Excerpt)
Inspired by the bizarre and audacious thirteenth-century poem of the same name, The Romance of the Rose mixes medieval and contemporary allegory to dramatize the ways in which love, sex, and music wreak havoc on our sense of self. Lulled into a dreamlike state by a seductive M.C., “The Dreamer,” the members of the audience follow their modern-day avatar “The Lover” into a surreal landscape brimming with riddles. On a mission for the conquest of a literal rose, The Lover meets The God of Love, Lady Reason, Shame, and their retinues, but as the fable unfolds, these allegorical figures begin to warp, revealing the fractured sense of identity at the core of all human experience. Meanwhile, the music itself for this opera in two acts and two epilogues—with its modernistic shrieks and wails, madrigalistic finery, auto-tuned didacticism, and lush Romanticism—freely beguiles, charms, and terrifies with no moral allegiances. Le Roman de la Rose by Guillaume de Loris and Jean de Meun is the literary source for this new work. The cast features seven singing actors (three sopranos, mezzo, tenor, and two baritones). The ensemble includes clarinet, saxophone, piano/keyboard, electric guitar, harp, percussion, violin/viola, cello, and live electronics.
ACT I, PROLOGUE: PART 1
Bare stage. THE DREAMER enters, accompanied by a violinist.
THE DREAMER
Some say that dreams are flimsy doublespeak,And that we, once sleep has pulled its heavy blinds,Masquerade in fancy and deceitConjured by our thoughtless dreaming minds.
But may we not protest this condemnation?For dreams contain much more than artful lies,And, aside from granting nighttime recreation,May edify, illumine, prophesize… [End Page 51]
Prophetic visions are the most celebrated types of dreams. The most common types of dreams include: being chased or pursued; the feeling of flying; the feeling of falling; and erotic fantasies. All of which will be relevant for us tonight. Because this is no ordinary dream: this is a love story!
Enter THE GOD OF LOVE, voice processed with reverb, accompanied by clarinet and saxophone.
And who better to officiate than the God of Love?
A joie et a deduit t'atorne:
Amors n'a cure d'ome morne.
[“Adorn your self with joy and pleasure: Love cares not for the morose.”]
Sounds better in French, doesn’t it?
Enter LADY REASON, voice processed with a vocoder, accompanied by the percussionist on marimba.
But the flames of desire can be doused by good sense. Tell us, Lady Reason!
Love is a mental illness afflicting its victims with distorted perception. And their suffering will not be lessened until love is renounced!
Enter SHAME, voice processed with distortion. accompanied by electric guitar.
Love is a fraud
A hymn that’s fit for a junkyard
Enter Shame, an emissary from the gut to foil both the head (i.e. lady reason) and the heart (i.e. the god of love).
the god of love, lady reason, and SHAME stand assembled. Cello and harp join the band.
Behold: your allegorical dramatis personae! The requisite assembly for a love story. Which elemental force will prevail? (Indicating GOD OF LOVE) your yen for [End Page 52] romance? (Indicating LADY REASON) your faculties of logic? (Indicating SHAME:) your urge for self-annihilation? All will be revealed in your dream. But first… you’ll have to fall asleep.
________
ACT I, SCENE 3: LADY REASON’S FIRST TRY
LADY REASON, having banished THE ROSE, glares at THE LOVER haughtily.
(To THE DREAMER) Who is that??
Weren’t you listening during the prologue?
I am Lady Reason. And you are a fool, to succumb to the pangs of love, that weakness which preys on degraded minds! Fear not, I have come to instruct you on how to renounce this rose for good!
I don’t want to renounce it!!
Tell me, do the wounds in your breast not smart?
Yes…
Well then, do you not wish to be cured of your affliction?
