The Last American Hammer (with music by Peter Hilliard and libretto by Matt Boresi) entertained a crowd about as large as the George R. White Opera Studio could accommodate last night, and the one-act mix of drama and satire measured up to the standard Pittsburgh Opera has set for its selection of “Second Stage” productions in past years. The action is set in a once thriving Ohio town now so “hollowed out” that only taverns and Dollar Stores remain. Even the Moose and Knights of Columbus are shuttered now that the factories are gone, but at a place called Zoltan’s one can find the best sauerkraut balls this side of Akron. Tink Enraught, her flower power days a thing of the past, has sunk her robber baron’s inheritance into the town’s Toby Jug Museum, so here she proudly remains as the curator with much feather dusting to keep her occupied.
The museum has a visitor – Milcolm Negley, a one-man “militia,” if anger and a hammer count as munition. He’s unemployed, a YouTuber and described as a “Thirteenther.” A short definition of the term would be a conspiracy theorist who believes that wording in the originally proposed 13th Amendment to the Constitution that failed ratification in the 1810’s – and not to be confused with the very real 13th Amendment we know today – all but negates federal authority. He chooses to stage a stand-off at Tink’s museum because it’s the only place left in town receiving federal funds. Tink complies with his request to call in the authorities before offering him tea and cookies while they wait. But even the government stifles a yawn, for they send in Agent Dee Dee Reyes, a rookie FBI field specialist, instead of the drones Negley imagined. Annoyed at being “hazed,” she hears out Milcolm and Tink, gradually being absorbed into their drama, before a mock trial ends with a crash.
Agent Dee Dee Reyes (Antonia Botti-Lodovico) listens to Milcom Negley’s (Timothy Mix) conspiracy theory and grievances
Matt Boresi’s libretto would hold its own as a play; so much so that the music comes close to getting in its way. The basic theme of despair is lightened by spots of droll humor. Mr. Boresi was in the audience last night, and had to acknowledge a rousing round of applause. Peter Hilliard’s music makes only occasional nods to the operatic idiom modern composers seem to avoid at all possible cost, for only here and there the singers are given opportunities to break away from the angular and jagged rhythms that accompany such sung speech, and are allowed to let their voices soar out in a melodiously arching phrase. It’s certainly a work that challenges the performing artists, because rapid-fire dialogue and the notes that accompany each syllable of it abound in what must be a tremendous feat of memorization for all concerned.
Without access to a score, it must be assumed that the instrumental accompaniment was in keeping with the composer’s intentions. Glenn Lewis conducted a string quintet augmented by a banjo and mandolin. Only occasionally did the latter instruments come to the fore, presumably because Hilliard exercised caution not to steer his material too closely to hootenanny farce. But hearing a bit more of them would have been a welcomed diversion.
Toby Jug Museum curator Tink Enraught (Caitlin Gotimer)
The cast is strong. Baritone Timothy Mix created and to date quite literally owns the role of Milcolm Negley. He sang the part for Urban Arias when the work was given four performances in Washington, D. C., in September 2018, and until last evening, The Last American Hammer had been heard nowhere else. The music requires a flexible range, some of it ringing on the high side, some of it dark and brooding in color. He was capable of singing both effectively, and in appearance can flip his posture and facial expression from menacing to hopeless helplessness on a dime. Caitlin Gotimer sang and acted the part of Tink with humor and a lovely quality of tone. This gifted soprano is consistently satisfying, and has been a solid source of excellence for Pittsburgh Opera this season and last. Much the same may be said of mezzo-soprano Antonia Botti-Lodovico, who sings Agent Dee Dee Reyes. The composer has given the role opportunity to shine only in the last portion of the opera. But she took the opportunity to give another example of why she was engaged for the company’s Resident Artist Program. Hundreds apply, few are accepted. The ones who are deliver the goods.
This is last Resident Artist production of the 2019-’20 season, and The Last American Hammer is worth the reasonable admission price.
For tickets, a complete synopsis, all you can ever hope to learn about “Toby” jugs and more, visit Pittsburgh Opera. While you’re there, take a look at the productions to come this spring – Bizet’s perennial favorite, Carmen, and Bellini’s bel canto masterpiece, Norma. And it’s never too early to subscribe to next season!
The Artistic Team for The Last American Hammer –
Conductor, Glenn Lewis; Stage Director, Matthew Haney; Set Designer, BinhAn Nguyen; Costume Designer, Jason Bray; Lighting Designer, Todd Nonn; Stage Manager, Alex Seidel
David Bachman Photography for Pittsburgh Opera
A Pittsburgh native, George B. Parous began his studies of music and the ‘cello in grade school before his interests turned to opera, its performers and history while in his teens. He has been acknowledged as a contributor or editor of several published works (the first being “Rosa Raisa, A Biography of a Diva,” Northeastern University Press, 2001), and is currently working on his own biography of the German-American dramatic soprano, Johanna Gadski, who sang at the Metropolitan during the “Golden Age of Opera.” A retired IT Analyst, he is an avid genealogist, and has traced his maternal line to 8th century Wessex, England. He’s been a contributor to Pittsburgh in the Round since 2014.
Categories: Archived Reviews