Draft:Songbird (opera)

Songbird is a one-act, 90-minute jazz opera created by Eric Sean Fogel, James Lowe, and Kelley Rourke. The opera is an adaptation of Jacques Offenbach’s La Périchole, reimagined in the style of 1920’s New Orleans Jazz. It was commissioned by the Glimmerglass Festival in 2021, and a revised version premiered at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater, presented by the Washington National Opera in 2024.

Songbird tells the story of Songbird and Piquillo, two down on their luck vaudeville performers, too poor to afford a marriage license, and Don Andrès, the corrupt and licentious mayor of New Orleans, who wants to make Songbird his mistress. The show has been produced by several companies and universities, and as a crossover piece, has been performed by both opera and musical theater singers. The score encompasses styles ranging from jazz, ragtime, blues, march, vaudeville and opera.

Background

Songbird was commissioned by the Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, NY, as a vehicle for the acclaimed Grammy-winning mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard and leading tenor William Burden. The piece was created between January and April 2021, during the height of the COVID pandemic, and was performed during the company’s outdoor season that summer, dubbed “Glimmerglass on the Grass.” Due to the restrictions of the pandemic, the three-act La Perichole was adapted to a 90 minute one-act, to eliminate contact of audience members during an intermission. Offenbach’s large chorus became an ensemble of eight, each with their own identity and solo features.

Because the plot centers heavily on alcohol, the action was relocated to a speakeasy in prohibition era New Orleans. This setting allowed Songbird and Piquillo, street performers in Peru in the original opera, to be reimagined as vaudeville performers. An intensified focus on the corruption of the mayor became particularly apt in the new setting.

Songbird's instrumentation was modeled after prominent 1920 New Orleans bands, including Louis Armstrong and His Hot Seven, Jelly Roll Morton’s Red Hot Peppers, King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, and many others. The band consists of a rhythm section of piano, bass, drums, sousaphone and banjo, and a frontline of clarinet, trumpet/cornet, and trombone. With vaudeville and comedy elements being so important to the story, the score also includes xylophones, slide whistles, washboards, kazoos and timpani.

The multicultural flavor of New Orleans was reflected in Rourke’s bilingual libretto: the characters go back and forth between English and French, often rhyming in the same sentence. The original production was conducted by James Lowe, and directed by Francesca Zambello and Eric Sean Fogel.

Revisions and Subsequent Productions

In 2024, Songbird received a second production at Washington National Opera, in the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center, starring Isabel Leonard and Tony-nominated Broadway star Ramin Karimloo. For this production the piece underwent several important revisions. The book was expanded and clarified, and an entirely new aria was created for Don Andrès, called “I Put Her in a Gilded Cage, Now She Won’t Sing For Me.” A new reprise of Songbird’s “Letter” aria was added for Piquillo to sing, and several numbers, including the opening song and the parade, were expanded extensively. Another important addition was a Sousaphone to the orchestra, which did not appear in the Glimmerglass version. The WNO production was directed by Eric Sean Fogel, with sets designed by James Rotondo, costumes by Marsha LeBoeuf, Timm Burrow and Christelle Matou, lighting by Robert Wierzel and sound by Mark Rivet.

In addition to Washington National Opera and the Glimmerglass Festival, the piece has also been produced by Milwaukee’s Florentine Opera, as well as by the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere cast 2021 Glimmerglass Festival Conductor: James Lowe	Revised Version 2024 Washington National Opera Conductor: James Lowe
Songbird, a struggling cabaret artist	Mezzo-soprano	Isabel Leonard	Isabel Leonard
Piquillo, Songbird’s partner in cabaret and life	Tenor	William Burden	Ramin Karimloo
Don Andrès, the corrupt mayor of New Orleans	Baritone	Michael Pandolfo	Edward Nelson
Panatellas, a fixer for Don Andrès	Tenor	Kameron Lopreore	Sahel Salam
Don Pedro, the owner of the “Café des Muses” speakeasy	Baritone	Peter Morgan	Jonathan Patton
Guadalena, the head waitress, one of the café’s “three muses”	Soprano	Helen Zhibing Huang	Teresa Perrotta
Berginella, the entertainer, one of the café’s “three muses”	Soprano	Emily Misch	Kresley Figueroa
Mastrilla, the bartender, one of the café’s “three muses”	Mezzo-soprano	Ariana Warren	Cecelia McKinley
Celeste, a regular at the “Café des Muses”	Mezzo-soprano	Maire Therese Carmack	Taylor-Alexis DuPont
A Priest	Tenor	Aaron Crouch	Jonathan Pierce Rhodes
A Mobster	Baritone	Aaron Jacob Keeney	Justin Burgess
The Guide	Spoken	Michael Mayes	Justin Burgess

Orchestration

Clarinet, Trumpet/Cornet, Trombone, Piano, Banjo, Sousaphone, Bass, Drums, 2 Percussionists, Timpani.

Synopsis

Place: The Café des Muses, a speakeasy in New Orleans Time: The early 1920’s It is Mardi Gras, and the speakeasy owned by Don Pedro is busier than usual (“Overture”, “Come One and All”). The café is run by three cousins, known as the “Three Muses.” (“Café des Muses”). Songbird and Piquillo, a couple of struggling artists, take the stage for a vaudeville number (“My Pretty Mademoiselle”). As they count their paltry tips, Piquillo tells Songbird he is getting weary of life on the road and would like to settle down. Songbird argues that they can’t afford a wedding when they barely make enough to feed themselves. Piquillo goes off to find food.

Don Andrès, the Mayor, has disguised himself — poorly — in order to keep tabs on the citizenry (“Incognito”). He puts the moves on Songbird, offering to install her in his mansion. When Don Pedro and Panatellas tell Don Andrès it would not look right for him to employ a single woman, Don Andrès charges them with finding Songbird a sham husband. Meanwhile, the famished Songbird agrees to join Don Andrès for dinner, leaving a letter to explain the situation to Piquillo (“The Letter”).

Piquillo, upon reading Songbird’s letter, is distraught and begins drinking heavily (“The Letter Reprise”). Don Pedro and Panatellas seize the opportunity: the Mayor is looking for a sham husband for his would-be mistress, and Piquillo looks desperate enough to agree to anything (“Listen Up!”). When Songbird returns from her dinner with Don Andrès, she is extremely tipsy (“Tipsy Aria”). Moments before the arranged wedding, Songbird recognizes Piquillo. She is now wearing a costume for Mardi Gras, so he fails to recognize her (“A Small Confession”). Encouraged by the crowd, the two say their vows (“Can-Can: Le Beau Mariage”). Don Andrès leaves a very drunk Songbird in the care of Mastrilla, the bartender.

As Piquillo begins to sober up, he is horrified to learn he has been tricked into marrying, not realizing that his “bride” was none other than Songbird. A couple of bystanders mock him (“A Sad Situation”). Don Pedro and Panatellas, trying to salvage the situation, attempt to commiserate with him (“Ah Women/Les Femmes”). When Don Andrès arrives to check on Songbird, Don Pedro and Panatellas hustle Piquillo out of the bar. Songbird, coming to, forcefully rejects Don Andrès, sending him into a rage (“I Put Her in a Gilded Cage, Now She Won’t Sing For Me”).

The Mayor, donning his full regalia as “Rex, King of Carnival” prepares for the Presentation of the Bride (“The Parade”). When Piquillo recognizes Songbird, he is furious that she agreed to take part in a sham wedding. She, in turn, is furious at his lack of trust (“You Men Are So Annoying”). He responds by publicly insulting her. With that, Don Andrès and the crowd turn on Piquillo and lock him up (“Sautez Dessus!”, “Aux Maris Récalcitrant”).

As Piquillo languishes, a Guide appears to him, suggesting freedom is possible but not supplying any tangible help. Panatellas and Don Pedro arrive and tell Piquillo they admire his courage (“A Remarkable Performance”). When Don Pedro and Panatellas exit, Piquillo laments his position (“My Songbird”). He is near despair when Songbird visits and convinces him of her love (Tu N’es Pas Beau”). Don Andrès interrupts their reconciliation, but he is so overwhelmed by jealousy that the couple manage to turn the tables and lock him up (“Tender Love Cannot Be Bought”). After a furious chase sequence (“The Chase”), Songbird and Piquillo perform a last number for the customers about the power of love (“Écoutez, I’ll Tell You the Story”). Don Andrès agrees to bless the marriage of Songbird and Piquillo — for real, this time (“Can-Can Reprise: Le Beau Mariage”).

Musical Numbers

• “Overture” - Orchestra
• “Come One And All” - Company
• “Café des Muses” - Guadalena, Berginella, Mastrilla and Company
• “Vaudeville: My Pretty Mademoiselle” - Songbird, Piquillo
• “Incognito” - Don Andrès
• “The Letter” - Songbird
• “The Letter Reprise” - Piquillo
• “Listen Up!” - Company
• “Tipsy Aria” - Songbird
• “A Small Confession” - Songbird and Piquillo
• “Can-Can: Le Beau Mariage” - Company
• “A Sad Situation” - The Priest and The Mobster
• “Ah Women/Les Femmes” - Piquillo, Panatellas, Don Pedro
• “I Put Her in a Gilded Cage, Now She Won’t Sing For Me” - Don Andrès
• “The Parade” - Orchestra
• “You Men Are So Annoying” - Songbird
• “The Presentation of the Bride” - Piquillo
• “Sautez Dessus!” - Don Andrès and Company
• “Aux Maris Récalcitrant” - Don Andrès and Company
• “A Remarkable Performance” - Panatellas, Don Pedro, Piquillo
• “My Songbird” - Piquillo
• “Tu N’es Pas Beau” - Songbird and Piquillo
• “Tender Love Cannot Be Bought” - Songbird, Piquillo, Don Andrès
• “The Chase” - Orchestra
• “Vaudeville: Écoutez, I’ll Tell You the Story” - Songbird, Piquillo and Company
• “Can-Can Reprise: Le Beau Mariage” - Company

Critical Response

In the Washington Post, Michael Andor Brodeur called Songbird “An absolute hoot!”, and commented that the band “sounded convincingly shaggy and unbuttoned, lending the impression of clambering behind the show’s procession like a second line…with little dramatic flourishes catching light like rhinestones…lively xylophones scampering over a trap kit, adding lots of unexpected timbral pop”.

The Wall Street Journal’s Heidi Waleson called the piece “An ingenious creation…something completely new…SONGBIRD is its own thing”, and wrote that “The big ensemble numbers were effervescent!”

In Broadway World, Roger Catlin wrote “SONGBIRD is a delight…In James Lowe’s orchestration, the alluring Offenbach melodies are presented in a manner that seems fresh and open-never heavy-allowing vocalists to shine even more clearly.” He added that “SONGBIRD seems to zip by as breezily as one of the production’s melodies.”

TheaterMania’s Keith Loria wrote “Don’t miss the chance to see this highly entertaining jazz-fused opera!”

In the Milwaukee Journal, Dominique Paul Noth wrote, “If the Florentine Opera Company is concerned about expanding its audience to the adventurous young and novices to classical music, if it wanted to capture new patrons by mixing 19th-century operatic flourishes with 1920s speakeasy jazz, if it wanted an impish enlivening of the standard comic opera pantomime, it couldn’t do much better than its recent “Songbird” weekend.”

In D.C. Theater Arts, Susan Galbraith wrote that “The creative team got it just about perfect for SONGBIRD…like a cordon bleu chef whisking a lighter-than air soufflé…lovely arias and duets, including songs in alternating lines rhyming in French with English and English with French. (Ah, that clever Rourke)…from the opening number, the joint started jumping, and it never stopped.”