It is Miss Havisham's Wedding Day! Unique behaviour is expected... This is a one woman opera about loss, betrayal and revenge.
Drop by drop we take the poison of men til we become immune...
Expect vocal fireworks and female rage in this one woman opera about loss, betrayal, and trauma. Dickens's infamous character Miss Havisham relives the disastrous day of her intended wedding and imagines a life she never got to experience. Based on Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, the opera was composed by Dominick Argento in 1981 and is now performed by British soprano Rosie Rowell.
...she is called Aurelia. But for herself she is no one. No one. A body without a name...
Dickens's 1861 novel Great Expectations follows Pip's coming of age story, in which Miss Havisham attempts to use her adopted daughter Estella to exact her revenge upon mankind by scheming to break Pip's heart. Miss Havisham lives in a dilapidated mansion, amongst the ruins of her wedding day. After being jilted at the alter, Miss Havisham smashed all the clocks in her house, refused to remove her bridal attire, and vowed never again to see the light of day.
...I have done with all mankind... I am tired... Tired of what I have got... Tired of what I have lost...
Miss Havisham is an infamous gothic figure, synonymous with madness and malice. But Argento's tiny, 30 minute monologue explores her character with the sympathy she deserves. Often portrayed as elderly, she is actually only in her mid thirties in Dickens' novel. She is a powerful representation of the damage done to women when they are taught that their only worth lies in marriage.
...Yes, I went mad. No matter. I could have gotten over you...
Soprano Rosie Rowell studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and has performed with Welsh National Opera and Grange Park Opera. Her roles have included Stesha (Ivan the Terrible), Fiordiligi (Cosi fan tutte), and Sister Rose (Dead Man Walking).
...Now let us drink our tea and I will tell you all about men.
Miss Havisham's Wedding Night will be showing at Greenside @ Infirmary Street at 18:40 on the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th August 2023.
This project closed unsuccessfully on 26th May 2023