My favorite Stephen
King novel, The Shining, got the opera treatment.
I hope it makes
it to DVD.
Classical
Music Features
Jay
Gabler
October
31, 2016
'The
Shining': Listen to the Minnesota Opera's complete production | Classical MPR
The Shining
Minnesota Opera
Classical Minnesota Public Radio
This past May, the
Minnesota Opera presented the world premiere of The Shining. The opera was an
immediate sensation, selling out completely and earning critical raves. In
cooperation with the Minnesota Opera, Classical Minnesota Public Radio is now
pleased to present the complete streaming audio of The Shining, as performed
live during that premiere run. This exclusive listening opportunity will be
available for a limited time only: through Nov. 30.
The opera, composed by
Paul Moravec with libretto by Mark Campbell, is an authorized adaptation of
Stephen King's classic 1977 novel about a family haunted by ghosts at a remote
mountain hotel. Many are familiar with the story through Stanley Kubrick's 1980
movie, but King was displeased with some significant changes Kubrick made to
the novel's story and tone; the opera hews much more closely to King's original
vision.
To guide your
listening, below is a scene-by-scene guide to the complete opera. (The scene
titles and summaries are my own.) Credits for the production appear at the end
of this post; this recording is an edited composite of multiple performances.
Now, settle in to enjoy
The Shining...and don't forget to leave a light on.
Act One
Scene 1: Outside the
Overlook Hotel (0:00)
It's November 1975.
Jack and Wendy Torrance arrive at the Overlook Hotel, high in the Colorado
Rockies, with their young son Danny. Jack and Wendy sing about their hopes to
bond as a family during the winter they'll spend at the hotel, where Jack will
work as caretaker while he writes a play he's been planning.
An ebullient Jack plays
vigorously with his son, making Wendy nervous.
Orchestral Interlude
#1: Welcome to the Overlook (5:21)
The Overlook Hotel
rises up — ominously.
Scene 2: Touring the
hotel (6:34)
Mr. Ullman, the hotel
manager, shows the family around — bragging about the hotel amenities
(including "Denver croquet...same as croquet, but twice the size")
and its storied past.
While Mr. Hallorann,
the hotel's cook, shows the kitchen to Wendy and Danny, Ullman pulls Jack
aside. Hinting about "a terrible tragedy" in the hotel's past, Ullman
tells Jack he's concerned about Jack's history of alcoholism and an incident of
schoolboy violence. "The winters here are cruel," says Ullman.
"Solitude exacts a toll." Jack tells Ullman he didn't bring any
alcohol, so there's nothing to worry about.
Meanwhile, Hallorann is
getting friendly with young Danny. The cook calls the boy "Doc," and
Wendy wonders how Hallorann knew that's a nickname she and her husband use for
Danny. Hallorann shrugs. "Looks like a 'Doc,' I guess."
In the basement, summer
caretaker Mr. Watson shows Jack how to use the hotel boiler — noting that the
boiler needs to be emptied twice a day, or "you and your family will be
blown sky-high." Jack notices that the basement also contains documents
from the hotel's past, and asks Watson about the incident Ullman mentioned.
Watson mentions a few
scandalous incidents. A former caretaker — Delbert Grady — went
"amok" and shot his wife and two daughters before taking his own
life. Mrs. Massey, a "fancy old broad," killed herself in the bathtub
after a young lover abandoned her. A male senator died wearing a bra and
panties.
Up on the porch,
Hallorann tells Danny that he's sensed the boy's talent for precognition.
Hallorann says he has it too, and so did his grandmother, who called it
"the shining." He asks Danny to "think as hard as you can"
and strike out with his mind. Hallorann is blown back by the force of Danny's
mind, and correctly guesses that Danny has terrible nightmares. As Jack and
Wendy share a romantic moment, Hallorann tells Danny that if he runs into
trouble, "Holler for Hallorann. I know I'll hear you."
The hotel staff depart
for the winter, Jack assuring them there's "nothing to worry about."
Orchestral Interlude
#2: Room 217 (22:21)
As Danny walks through
the hotel, he pauses by Room 217. Shuddering, the boy runs away. Meanwhile,
Jack works on his play and Wendy happily knits.
Scene 3: Family time
(23:22)
Wendy reads to Danny,
then tells him it's time for bed. Watching Danny hug Jack goodnight, Wendy
remembers how she never stopped loving Jack, even in "our hardest
times" when Jack drank and lost his job. Jack and Wendy flirt, lovingly.
Suddenly, Wendy
discovers that Danny's locked himself in the bathroom. Jack is at first
impatient at the distraction from his writing, then shares Wendy's alarm and
breaks the door open. Danny's parents find the boy on the bathroom floor,
terrified and foaming at the mouth. Jack shakes his son roughly to snap him out
of it, and Wendy pleads with Jack not to hurt Danny — "like you did
before."
"How many times do
I have to ask you to forgive me for breaking his arm?" asks Jack in
frustration.
While Wendy puts Danny
to bed, Jack has a vision of his own father, teaching young Jacky "a
lesson" by beating him with a cane at bedtime. "Daddy, stop!"
cries Jack, flashing back to his past. "You're hurting Mommy."
As Danny finally gets
ready to drift off to sleep, he has two questions: "Daddy, you'd never
hurt Mommy, would you?" Also: "What's 'redrum'?" Wendy jokes
that "it sounds like a pirate drink," and the two parents leave Danny
to sleep. The boy is uneasy, though, sitting up in bed as if terrified.
Scene 4: In the
basement (35:45)
Minding the boiler in
the basement, Jack starts looking through the historic papers. Among the past
incidents he reads about is a 1966 "gangland style bloodbath" in the
Overlook's Presidential Suite. He also reads about the Grady murders, and a
1973 suicide by the "society broad" Watson mentioned earlier. When
Jack discovers an invitation to a 1945 grand opening ball, he flashes back to
that masquerade.
"Here is the
story," Jack muses, "the real story." Vowing to "screw the
play" and tell the story of the Overlook's tragic history, Jack is
startled by an unexplained noise. In the corner, an outsize croquet mallet
gleams ominously.
Scene 5: Mother and son
(44:06)
Back from a medical
checkup for Danny, the boy and his mother talk about Jack. "The hotel is
inside him," Danny warns his mom — who tells her son to be strong.
Jack enters, in a great
mood, surprising his family with a "Boo!" Wendy relates some news
about Danny's "clean bill of health," then notices the scrapbook of
clippings Jack brought up from the basement. Jack tells Wendy he's putting the
play aside to focus on the story of the hotel.
Wendy tells Jack she's
reconsidering their stay at the hotel. Insisting that they have to stay, Jack
nonetheless agrees that there's reason for concern about Danny. "If
anything ever happened to the two of you," says Jack, "I could never
live with myself."
After a warm kiss
between the couple, Wendy goes off to make dinner.
Orchestral Interlude
#3: Return to Room 217 (50:08)
Danny once again
approaches Room 217. He listens at the door, then runs away. Meanwhile, Jack
looks through the Overlook clippings and Wendy finishes the scarf she's been
knitting.
Scene 6: A mallet in
the first act... (51:10)
When the elevator makes
an unexpected noise, Jack goes to investigate — snapping at Wendy when she asks
him to stay with the rest of the family. "It's my goddamn job,
Wendy," he says. "When will you understand that?"
Jack looks around the hotel,
finding nothing out of the ordinary — until he gets to the ballroom, which
seems to come alive with noise as the bar lights up, apparently full of
bottles. Jack nervously swings a croquet mallet, but hits nothing as the vision
ends.
Bringing the mallet
back to the caretaker's quarters, Jack tells Wendy everything is fine but that
he feels the need for "a little insurance." He barks at his wife
again, telling her she's worried about nothing and that he needs to get back to
work. Wendy goes to Danny's room to comfort the boy, as Jack, agitated, returns
to his typewriter.
Orchestral Interlude
#4: Inside Room 217 (56:50)
Danny returns to Room
217, this time with a key. He enters the room, where he finds a bathtub with a
shower curtain. Suddenly, a naked woman with rotting flesh grabs Danny's hand
and pushes back the shower curtain. As Danny struggles to break free, the
lights go out.
Scene 7: Batten down
the hatches (57:46)
In the hotel office,
Jack turns on the CB radio to hear a warning that there's a "helluva
blizzard" on its way. Jack wishes he had a drink.
Suddenly, the ranger's
voice changes to the voice of Jack's father, who urges his son to kill his wife
and child. Jack, shocked, destroys the radio with the mallet. Wendy enters,
worried that Jack's just smashed the family's "only link to the outside
world." Jack tries to explain about the "dream."
Then, both notice that
their son is missing. When they open the office door, Danny is standing on the
other side — soaked with water and covered with bruises. "The dead lady
kissed me," says Danny, as his parents fight over which of them might have
abused the boy. Wendy says the family have to leave, but Jack notes the
oncoming blizzard and swears to protect his family.
A chorus of ghosts
appear. A bartender is ready to offer Jack a drink, while Delbert Grady says
his daughters need "correcting." Mrs. Grady is shocked to find her
girls dead, and partygoers prepare to unmask. Society woman Mrs. Massey tries
to woo her lover back to bed, while a crossdressing senator promises to protect
children from "moral decay." In come a group of mafia hitmen — and
the action freezes.
"Hallorann,"
calls Danny, "come quick!"
Act Two
Scene 1: Jack unravels
(65:14)
Jack, who looks like
he's seen better days, heads down to check the boiler. He muses about letting
the hotel "blow sky-high" after getting his family out of there.
"They could start a new life," he says, "a new life without me —
which is what they want anyway."
A tuxedoed Grady
strolls in, inviting Jack to "join the party." Jack accuses Grady of
a triple homicide. Grady denies any knowledge of such an act, but suggests to
Jack that perhaps Danny and Wendy need to be "corrected."
Jack is initially
resistant, but finally agrees that "we husbands and fathers have
responsibilities" and their wives and children "must be shown the
errors of their ways."
Scene 2: Discomfort
food (72:26)
In the hotel kitchen,
Wendy serves milk and cookies to Danny, assuring the boy that park rangers will
be by to check on the family soon. Suddenly, Danny has a vision and declares
(voiced by a chorus) that "the people in the hotel" have got Jack.
Wendy tells her son to be brave, and goes off to the ballroom to check on Jack.
"That wind,"
she says as the storm gusts. "When will it ever stop?"
Scene 3: Having a ball
(78:20)
Jack arrives at the
ballroom, where he finds Lloyd the bartender waiting with a fully stocked bar.
Ordering a couple dozen drinks, Jack carps about his "bitch of a
wife" — but becomes unsettled when he's told his drinks are "on the
manager" and Lloyd offers a toast to Danny.
Suddenly the ballroom
comes alive with a party, complete with a man in a dog mask. Jack settles in to
enjoy the festivities, as a chorus of partiers compliment him. Grady, Lloyd,
Mark, and Derwent (the hotel's founder) sing a tribute to Jack — who joins in,
until the ghosts disappear and Wendy walks in.
Jack grabs Wendy's leg,
threatening to hurt her and saying "you never loved me," that
"you turned Danny against me." He grabs his wife by the neck, and
she's gasping for air when Danny comes in and yells for his dad to stop.
Wendy
manages to grab a bottle, bringing it down over Jack's head.
Wendy tells her son the
two need to "put Daddy where the hotel can't hurt him." The boy
agrees, and the two drag Jack out of the ballroom.
Scene 4: Locked up
(87:00)
Jack awakens in the
pantry, where Wendy and Danny have dragged him. They lock him in (Danny:
"It's bedtime, Daddy"), as Jack curses them both. Wendy, assuring her
son that it's the hotel talking, grabs a knife for protection.
After mother and child
leave, Grady appears and scolds Jack for not having attended to "the
business we discussed." After Jack swears he'll "take care of
them," Grady points out that there's a safety latch allowing Jack to let
himself out. Jack escapes, cackling as he grabs the croquet mallet.
Scene 5: Go fish
(90:55)
Wendy and Danny are
playing cards, believing they're safe from Jack. Danny is worried, and Wendy
assures him "that man isn't your daddy." She leave to make dinner as
Danny calls after her.
Scene 6: Battle in the
ballroom (92:38)
Wendy enters the
ballroom and is taunted by the Grady girls, the crossdressing senator,
and...Jack! "Thought you could outsmart me," says Jack as he chases
his wife with the mallet.
"Forgive me,"
says Wendy as she stabs her husband with the knife. A ghost appears, saying
what a terrific party they're all having. Wendy runs out as her husband, the
knife still in his back, chases after her.
Scene 7: An outside
party (94:40)
Wendy runs into the
caretaker's quarters and locks the door behind her. Jack smashes at the door
with the mallet, as Wendy slashes at him with razors. Grady and Derwent tell
Jack to go after the boy first, since Danny has summoned "an outside
party." A snowcat is heard outside, and Wendy assumes it's the rangers.
Calling for her son, she falls to her knees.
Scene 8: Hallorann is
here (96:06)
Hallorann enters the
ballroom, calling for Wendy and Danny. The boy shouts a warning to Hallorann,
but Jack beats the cook down with a mallet and takes chase after Danny.
"You are not my
father," insists Danny as Jack hesitates. Though Jack continues to
threaten the boy, Danny reminds his father of their love. Ultimately, Jack
tells Danny to run away.
As Danny flees, the
ghosts tell Jack just how disappointed they are in him. They remind him that
he's forgotten to empty the boiler, and he runs off. As a chorus starts a
countdown, the ghosts seem optimistic that carnage may yet ensue: "There
may be hope for you after all."
Scene 9: Run! (100:10)
Wendy and Danny return
to the ballroom, and Hallorann — recovering from the blow Jack struck — says
they all have to leave immediately. "The boiler!" cries Danny.
Scene 10: Let's blow
this thing (100:30)
Steam fills the
basement as pressure builds. Jack stands before the boiler, refusing to take
action as the ghosts warn his family is getting away and urge him to stop the
explosion. "I'm afraid it's too late, gentlemen," says Jack, who
tells his family he loves them as the hotel goes up in flames.
Scene 11: Epilogue
(102:57)
It's nine months later.
Danny fishes in a pond, as Wendy sits on the porch of a cabin reading a book.
Hallorann enters, there to check up on the pair. "Ain't like the
Overlook," he observes, "but it's cool being the cook here, and Maine
suits me fine." Wendy says that Danny is still having bad dreams, but
Hallorann assures her the boy is going to be okay.
Hallorann goes to sit
with Danny, who admits he misses his father. "Sometimes I wish it had been
me and not him," he says to Hallorann. The cook tells Danny to be strong
for his mother.
When a fish tugs on the
line, Danny repeats his call for Hallorann to come quick. "You're doing
just fine by yourself," says the cook. "Just fine."
Credits
Composer: Paul Moravec
Libretto: Mark Campbell
Conductor: Michael
Christie
Stage director: Eric
Simonson
Choreographer: Heidi
Spesard-Noble
Scenery and properties
design: Erhard Rom
Animation and
projection design: 59 Productions
Costume design: Kärin
Kopischke
Lighting design: Robert
Wierzel
Sound design: C. Andrew
Mayer
Cast
Jack Torrance: Brian
Mulligan
Wendy Torrance: Kelly
Kaduce
Danny Torrance:
Alejandro Vega
Dick Hallorann: Arthur
Woodley
Mark Torrance: Mark
Walters
Delbert Grady: David
Walton
Horace Derwent: Alex
Ritchie
Lloyd: John Robert
Lindsey
Stuart Ullman: Robb
Asklof
Bill Watson: Rick
Penning
Mrs. Massey: Shannon
Prickett
Mrs. Grady: Jeni Houser
Digital feature
Recording engineer:
Zack Rose for Minnesota Public Radio
Recording editor: Kate
Saumur for Minnesota Public Radio
Photography: Ken Howard
for the Minnesota Opera
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