Three Decembers

Based on an epistolary sketch by Terrence McNally, Jake Hegge's 2008 opera is an intimate look at family dynamics, warts and all. The disarming honesty—of the letters, phone conversations, and live interplay—in the expanded libretto has its operatic precedence, to be sure, but it is refreshingly topical.

Joyce Castle as Madeline Photo: Mark Kiryluk

Madeline Mitchell (Joyce Castle) is a reknowned actress who has raised her two kids, Charlie (Keith Phares) and Beatrice (Emily Pulley), after her husband and fellow actor died in a accident. The story unfolds in the course of three Decembers, each ten years apart (1986, 1996, and 2006).

The issues that come up—between mother and son, mother and daughter, and brother and sister—are both personal and universal: Charlie is gay and Madeline has a hard time accepting this at first; Madeline's self-absorption and talent makes Beatrice feel diminished; Charlie and Beatrice care for each other deeply.

Joyce Castle as Madeline Photo: Mark Kiryluk

When circumstances drive Madeline to tell Charlie and Beatrice the real story of their father's death, an entirely new set of issues—involving truth, lies, and everything in-between—are raised, forcing us to consider our own versions of personal, familial, and societal history.

Although more melodic than most contemporary operas, as one has come to grudgingly accept with this genre, Hegge's score and Gene Scheer's English libretto favor thoughts over sound, with melody often giving way to the rhythms of spoken prose. Nevertheless, the psychological dynamics ring true and gain momentum as the story unfolds.

Keith Phares as Charlie Photo: Mark Kiryluk

Castle, Pulley, and Phares are exemplary singers, as we are occasionally reminded when the music allows; their acting shines as well, filling the recitative interludes with a sophisticated form of repartee. John Baril and the festival orchestra are equally at home with Hegge's melodies, patter, and atmospherics.

Central City Opera's production of Jake Hegge's Three Decembers runs through August 6th, in repertory with Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly and Jacques Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld. 303-292-6700 or centralcityopera.org.

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