Peter Grimes opens tomorrow!

Ten years ago, Patricia Racette sang Ellen Orford in the Met’s old Peter Grimes. Now she returns to the role in John Doyle’s new production. Does she prefer one version to the other? “I really can’t compare them,” Racette says in her dressing room during a break from final rehearsals, “it’s like apples and oranges. This production really concentrates on psychological aspects. There are many abstract moments in John’s interpretation, which I think relate to the story very well.” Working with the director has been a very positive experience for her. “He’s been a dream!” she says. “He works mostly in theater and so automatically brings a different sort of detail to what we’re doing, which I love. The process has been very communal, which I think befits this piece very much, it’s such an ensemble piece.” Doyle’s approach focuses on the psychological tension between the characters, Racette explains. “He’s very detailed and wants to be physically real, in terms of expressing the emotion of every situation. There’s a kind of physical austerity that lends itself to the culture that we’re portraying. And he wants to be economical,” the singer adds. “When you think about trying to recreate the exact and realistic elements of the story and this time, this community, the weather, the coldness, the dampness—that’s very hard to portray on the stage without overacting.”

Patricia Racette as Ellen Orford, seen here with Anthony Dean Griffey (Peter Grimes, at left) and Logan William Erickson (John)

Photos: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera

Another challenge in bringing the character of Ellen to life is that we know so little about her. Racette doesn’t see her as just the kind and caring person she is sometimes portrayed as. “We have to remember we’re catching the story at a certain moment in all these people’s lives,” she remarks. “And so perhaps we just don’t see some of the big mistakes Ellen might have made in her life or that she might make still. We don’t have a lot of information. We know she’s the schoolmistress, so she has a certain affinity for children and nurturing. We know she’s a widow. Was it a good marriage? Was it a bad marriage? Was he a fisherman? Was he perhaps more intelligent? We don’t know those things, but I think there is an aspect to Ellen that does not need to howl with the wolves. That uniqueness, that individuality I think is what it’s important. You have to play it very real. Just showing her as the little angel and do-gooder is not believable, because people are far more complex than that.” Still, Ellen is the only one who truly wants to help Grimes. “She doesn’t understand nor condone the way in which the community behaves towards him,” Racette continues. “What she’s trying to say is, Yes, he’s different, he’s rough around the edges, but give him a chance. I think only a person that has made some sort of mistake in their live can have that kind of compassion. If it’s done with any sort of self-righteous aspect, she becomes less likeable. That’s not her. In contemporary terms, it’s, Come on, people! Be fair! Give the guy a break! I think that’s an important aspect, and I hope that I bring that to the character.”

This entry was posted by Philipp Brieler on Wednesday, February 27th, 2008 at 7:19 am and is filed under Peter Grimes, New Production Countdown. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.