The new Life Stories chamber opera by Tim Benjamin: easily digestible music, poignant human interest, or both?

Taylor Wilson as Silent Jack; photo credit Radius Music

The ever-talented Taylor Wilson (mezzo-soprano) invited me to review Tim Benjamin's new chamber opera double bill, Life Stories, at The Place in central London this week. The results were intriguing.


I reviewed Tim Benjamin's last opera, Madame X, for I Care if You Listen last August: you can read that review here. I gently questioned the tropes of the opera, casting women as old, delusional women and demure women who get an offstage death to further the emotional character arc of the leading man.

This time, composer Tim Benjamin has come up with something new: a double bill chamber opera which contains 2 one-singer stories, entitled Life Stories. With this new work, though still telling known stories, he did so in a reflective way that delved deeper into the soul of the characters.

The first piece in the double bill, R.I.P, is based on Anton Chekhov's work, ''Life Through Questions and Exclamations.'' James Fisher (bass) played an old homeless man, recalling the traumas of his life that led him to where he is.

James Fisher as Ezdeyev in R.I.P: photo credit Radius Music

The story began at infancy, with Fisher casting away empty boxes of diapers and children's clothes. It quickly became apparent that the character is the victim of an abusive, cold father, and a mother who is powerless to change the family dynamic. Fisher frequently sang in a convincing falsetto for a bass, as he took the character through childhood. The character tried to recite the 7 times table, and the accompaniment was reminiscent of Leonard Bernstein's ''Quod Erat Demonstratum'' from the work Candide, evoking a convincing school-like environment.

Fisher traveled through adolescence, discovering the opposite sex, and young adulthood. The orchestra ''pit'' was in fact not in a pit, but onstage, and Fisher yelled to the conductor, ''Give me some work! Give me a job!'' This kind of desperation for validation and employment still rings true today, especially with the Millennial generation.

Fisher sang through the rest of the character's life, riddled with a gambling addiction in which he threw playing cards around the stage, alcoholism, infinite doctor's bills, and finally, a terminal diagnosis. As he laid down in his filthy sleeping bag, singing, ''Time to sleep,'' the first half was complete. Stage hands clad in high-visibility Transport for London vests shuffled the homeless man along and prepared the set for the second half: Silent Jack.

Taylor Wilson as Silent Jack: photo credit Radius Music

 I first saw Taylor Wilson as Lady Brannoch in Tim Benjamin's Madame X. She was by far the most engaging character even with the limited scope of the production. As Silent Jack, she was incredibly convincing, engaging, and full of emotion.

The second half began with Wilson stumbling onto the stage with a lantern and a gun, holding her left side as though mortally wounded. She recalled the story of Lady Katherine Ferrers, a young well-to-do woman who was bankrupted by her husband who chose bad investments. She turned to a life of crime for survival, robbing carriages with nary a word, nothing but a lantern and a gun.

Throughout Silent Jack, Wilson was immersive and convincing. She never let her audience forget that she was mortally wounded, and gave a truly remarkable performance that is nearly unheard of within smaller opera companies and festivals. The juxtaposition was palpable as she sang ''No words, no pointless words,'' while recounting her story in a detailed musical monologue.

Though these two stories, R.I.P and Silent Jack, are separated by centuries, there is a definitive line that draws them together. Just as Ezdeyev angrily threw playing cards down onto the stage, Silent Jack tossed worthless investment papers into the air. Both characters resist sleep, and both characters dance a waltz. Life Stories is a short, 75 minute glimpse into two characters' lives that are separated by time but united by human frailty and fault. This easily digestible morsel of contemporary opera is one to see the next time it takes a tour.

You can read more about Life Stories and see a trailer by clicking here, and you should check out the rest of the Tete a Tete opera revolution by clicking here. Check out this review on Classical Diary!

Please subscribe to Musically Notable via bloglovin so you don't miss a post: you especially don't want to miss my exclusive interview and podcast with Taylor Wilson, coming up soon!


Follow