Short Black Opera Company. Adelaide Festival Theatre. 3 July 2014
Billed as Australia’s first indigenous opera, ‘Pecan Summer’ is essentially about the dispossession of indigenous Australians of their land, and the stolen generation. Written by the celebrated Deborah Cheetham, a classically trained and talented indigenous singer, it also touches on other important issues including racial vilification and the 2008 national Apology to Australia's indigenous peoples. There is also a subtle reference to the recognition of indigenous servicemen.
The plot is historically based and deals with the Yorta Yorta people who lived on Cummeragunja Station, an Aboriginal reserve established in 1881 in NSW on the Murray River. But in the time honoured tradition of interfering in the affairs of indigenous Australians, management of the station was taken over by the white man and conditions greatly deteriorated. This culminated in many residents leaving the reserve in protest and the so-called ‘Cummeragunja walk-off’ took place. Cummeragunja has produced some notable individuals, including Sir Douglas Nicholls who briefly served as the Governor of South Australia from 1976-77. Deborah Cheetham is also Yorta Yorta and her own grandparents were part of the walk-off.
The main plot focuses on the walk-off and the impact it had on the lives of those involved, particularly Ella (played by Deborah Cheetham), her husband James (Tiriki Onus), and her two children Jimmy (Eddie Bryant) and Alice (Jessica Hitchcock). We witness their maltreatment by the white overseers, and their continued abuses in their dispossession, which culminates in the forced and unwarranted ‘adoption’ – theft? – of Alice by a ‘well meaning’ white Minister (Jonathon Welch) and his wife (Rosamund Illing).
These events of the late 1930s – early 1940s are sandwiched between events of modern times. After a prelude that depicts the aboriginal myth of the creation of the River Murray, which firmly announces the indigenous milieu of the opera, the opera begins in 2006 and we witness Alice as an old woman being harassed by some white youths. Then commences the extended flashback to the time of the walk-off, and the opera concludes by returning to 2008 with a large gathering listening to a live broadcast of Prime Minister Rudd’s national Apology. The gathering includes old Alice and her daughter, but they do not know of each other’s presence – they don’t really know each other at all, for the daughter was a member of the stolen generation.
This final sad moment of the plot plunges the audience into emotional silence, before the heart felt applause erupts.
‘Pecan Summer’ traverses a lot of territory, and this is perhaps its major weakness, and like the curate’s egg it has good parts and not-so-good parts. Some moments are quite sublime – such as the affecting ending – but these are contrasted with others that are somewhat less pleasing. The action does not flow smoothly, and the bending of the time sequence is not entirely self evident. This may be a result of the minimalist scenic design, insufficient dramatic content or under-developed entr’acte music bridging, which can help to more firmly announce where in time and space the action is situated.
It is a modern opera, and at times it has all the hallmarks that one associates with opera. The scene in the church where we are first introduced to the Minister and his wife is archetypal opera, and includes wonderful ensemble singing and features the superb voices of Jonathon Welch and Rosamund Illing. From that point on the opera started to truly establish itself, but many previous scenes were uneven and were marred by an enthusiastic orchestra that over-powered less mature voices. Jessica Well’s orchestration of Cheetham’s eclectic score did not always suit the tessitura of some of the singers, and frequently the beginning phrases of arias were lost. Cheetham herself was masterful, and her performance of ‘Ella’s Lullaby’ was as heart rending as it was exquisite.
In her programme notes Cheetham states “It is an epic tale. One deserving of an opera.” She is right. There are many truths that need to be exposed about the history of indigenous Australians, and they need to be repeated, for there are too many who conveniently forget. Even today we have a Prime Minister who makes clumsy statements that devalue indigenous history.
‘Pecan Summer’ is a labour of love and is worthy of further development and refinement. It has been a vehicle to give a different voice to indigenous artists, and in that it has been most successful. The large opening night audience was enthusiastic in its reception.
Kym Clayton
When: 3 to 5 Jul
Where: Festival Theatre
Bookings: Closed
