“The Shining” opera brings its supernatural tale to the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre from Oct. 11-19.
The opera debuted in 2016 by the Pulitzer Prize-winning duo of composer Paul Moravec and librettist Mark Campbell in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Utah Opera is the eighth company to produce the show since it opened.
Stephen King has publicly stated his dislike of Stanley Kubrick’s film version of his book, but the author approved the libretto for this opera in less than two days. According to a press release from the Utah Opera, both the composer and the librettist saw King’s novel as inherently operatic, making it the perfect foundation for a new work.
“The story dramatizes three of the most basic aspects of opera — love, death and power,” said Moravec, the composer. “To me, above all, it’s about the power of love in the presence of evil and destructive forces.”
Craig Irvin and Kearstin Piper Brown, who play Jack and Wendy Torrance, previously performed in “The Shining” at the Atlanta Opera.
Based on King’s spine-tingling novel, “The Shining” plunges viewers into a realm of physiological unraveling. Jack Torrance, the main character of the opera, accepts a winter caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel. He brings his wife Wendy and his son Danny (“Doc”) with him in hopes of a fresh start after his troubled past. As the family settles into the remote hotel, demonic spirits from the hotel’s past begin to take hold of Jack as he becomes a vessel for their murderous intentions.
“The best way to describe [Jack Torrance] the character, I think, is very different from the movie. People who have watched the movie, I mean, Jack Nicholson is amazing. He’s crazy from the beginning,” said Irvin. “Jack Torrance in the book is a more complex character who’s a recovering alcoholic trying to make up for his mistakes in the past.”
The opera has a warmer tone than the movie, and Irvin reinforces that tone, bringing more character depth to Jack. (Plotline spoilers ahead for those unfamiliar with the cult classic that has influenced the horror genre since it was written 48 years ago.)
“He [Jack] really wants to be a good husband, a good father, and provide for his family. But the hotel is basically a demon and gets inside of him,” Irvin said. “The really thrilling part for me as a performer is the character line of a loving father who is completely corrupted, who at the end, through fight[ing] back the demons, sacrifices himself in order to save them.”
Many audience members may be familiar with Kubrick’s film version of “The Shining,” but Utah Opera’s production stays true to the novel. The most notable difference being that Jack dies from a boiler explosion rather than freezing to death.
“I think the movie is a masterpiece in itself, but it’s very different from the book. So, if you’re expecting to see just crazy [like Jack Nicholson] the entire time, you’re going to get more than that [from the opera],” Irvin said.
While the story of “The Shining” involves ghosts, the location of the production has its own haunted past.
“What makes ‘The Shining’ special is that this is the first time a haunted opera is being staged in a theatre that’s known to be haunted, too,” said Christopher McBeth, Utah Opera artistic director. “Given the amount of enthusiasm that exists in our community for Halloween, fall seemed like the perfect time to stage the production; I knew the audience would connect with the story and that its mood would match the season.”
In 1949, a fire started in the basement of the Capitol Theatre; to this day, the cause remains unknown. 600 guests were able to escape the blaze without any injury, all leaving behind a 17-year-old usher by the name of Richard “George” Duffin, who had fallen during his attempted escape.
Legend has it that George haunts the building. He is known for moving objects around the building, whispering through the backstage areas and playing tricks on the employees. He seems to be most active during runs of “The Nutcracker,” for reasons unknown.
The production of “The Shining” uses projections and lights to create an eerie atmosphere that captures the audience. The walls of the hotel are made of scrim, a material that is translucent when backlit; this gives a creepy illusion of ghosts when in action. The director of the show makes a cameo as one of the projected ghosts during the New Year’s Eve scene.
If you haven’t been to an opera before, this performance is sure to catch your eye.
“I think this is a great first opera. I really consider it almost more of a night at the theater with music than what you expect when you necessarily go see an opera,” said Irvin. “It’s going to be an evening that should capture the audience’s attention and really take them on a journey. I love that about the piece.”
The performance run time for “The Shining” is approximately two hours with one intermission.
Content advisory: Strong language, instances of violence and mature themes.
