The Consul - 1980

History

Notes on The Consul

1980 is the 30th anniversary year of the UCLA Opera Workshop and the 30th anniversary of our Spring opera production of Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Consul. In 1950 Dr. Jan Popper began instruction in opera at UCLA with a production of Gay’s “The Beggar’s Opera” in the Benjamin Britten edition. Across the continent in New York, Menotti was making history by producing The Consul on Broadway. A modern opera on the Broadway stage? Yes, indeed, and this milestone production won both the New York Drama Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Now, thirty years later, UCLA celebrates this double anniversary with a special new production of The Consul.

The story is a moving portrayal of a family caught between political terrorism and the unfeeling bureaucracy that prevents their escape. Thirty years ago the story had special significance to Americans caught in the struggles of the Cold War. Today the opera has, unfortunately, lost none of its significance. Bureaucracy has grown and political terrorism has become a daily occurrence. And so, while planning this production of The Consul, I find the music and drama speaks as directly to our cast of today as it did in the original production thirty years ago. – John Hall

On the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the UCLA Opera Workshop the Department of Music is pleased to announce that the Little Theater of Schoenberg Hall will be renamed the Jan Popper Theater after the founder of the Opera Workshop, whose personal dedication and enthusiasm brought opera to so many students.

Synopsis

Because the Secret Police have discovered his underground political meeting, John Sorel must leave his wife, Magda, his infant child and his mother and escape across the frontier. He tells Magda to go to the Consulate and obtain visas and join him but she cannot make any progress obtaining all the necessary documents and papers. Under constant surveillance and unable to escape the bureaucratic nightmare she begins to lose hope. Her sick child dies and John’s mother losing all hope of ever seeing her son again also dies and still Magda cannot even see the Consul. When she receives news that John is risking his life to return to her, she knows that he and his freedom loving friends will all be lost. She writes him a note saying he will not find her alive and returns home to commit suicide by turning on the gas jets. John returns too late to see his wife and is arrested. As Magda is dying she is haunted by specters of refugees she saw at the Consulate.


Time – The present
The action takes place somewhere in Europe

Act I

Scene I: The Sorel Home, early morning
Scene II: The Consulate, later the same day

Act II

Scene I: The Sorel Home, in the evening, a month later
Scene II: The Consulate, a few days later

Act III
Scene I: The Consulate, later afternoon, several days later
Scene II: The Sorel Home, that night

The UCLA Opera Workshop extends special thanks to Gloria Lane, the Winograds of Teddi of California, and to Peter Horton, Director of Bullock’s Westwood Beauty Salon for their assistance with this production.

The Consul is produced by arrangement with G. Schirmer, Inc. publisher and copyright owner.