Steve Jobs and the (R)evolution of Opera

What’s Good

When I say The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs is a good opera, I mean good in the sense that, yes, I actually enjoyed it as theater rather than an interesting academic exercise. But I also mean that it does the things an opera is supposed to do, and it does them well. It also does some new things that you don’t expect from opera, and it does those well, too.

What Opera Does

If you’re looking for a biography, get a book. Opera is drama. Opera is powerful emotion squeezed through familiar plots and draped over music. The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs is an opera. It feels the passion of a genius’ ambition, the obsession of a perfectionist striving for control; it falls in and out of love, betrays friends and lovers, denies and finally accepts mortality.

The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs tells the familiar story of talented underdog who rises to the top, only to become the very thing he hated, finding redemption just in time for a too-early death. Could a story be more operatic?

Opera has singers who don’t just hit the high notes, but also act. The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs has a small cast, and most of the weight falls on baritone John Moore, who cut his beautiful curls for the role of Steve Jobs. I adore his voice, but felt like this role kept him higher in his range than I like; that made it easier to notice how fully he embodies the role as an actor. The tenor Garrett Sorenson is his sidekick, Woz. He doesn’t get a lot of airtime, but it’s enough to make us feel his devotion to Jobs and later his bitterness and feeling of betrayal.

Adam Lau’s bass is getting to be quite common around these parts, but I feel like the monk Kobun is the first role I’ve seen that really showed off his voice.

Jobs’ two love interests were the soprano Madison Leonard as the youthful Chrisann and mezzo Emily Fons as Laurene, the woman who could handle Jobs. Both were more significant for illuminating his character than for their own characters, which is, alas, operatic as well.

As for the music that supports the whole thing, naturally that must be beautiful. The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs has beautiful music, but it is not what you expect from opera.

What Opera Doesn’t (Usually) Do

For many people, the simple definition of opera is “classical music with unamplified voices.” But this doesn’t apply to The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs at all. The opera opens with the start up sound of a computer (not the super-famous Brian Eno startup chime, but equally recognizable for what it is). Throughout the opera the score is supplemented by electronic sounds and electric guitar.

The singers’ voices are amplified, not for volume, but for sound quality, so that the electronics and the vocals won’t clash. You can see the mixing board in the audience. But what was most notable to me was not how different Mason Bates’ music sounded; it was how operatic it was. So often when genres are combined, the result is more mosaic than mix. In The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs the synths and strings played well together, creating interesting, but still beautiful, music together.

The other thing opera doesn’t usually do is give you three-dimensional characters. Opera rarely gives you a literary story with a nonlinear structure (a commentary on file navigation?) and a story that asks questions instead of serving up platitudes about virtue. The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs has its tropes – mystical bass, soprano love interest. But the mystical bass is as down-to-earth as a real-life monk, telling Jobs, “Karma can suck,” and refusing to let him live at the monastery because he would drive people to murder.

The opera doesn’t shy away from it’s protagonists flaws, either. Jobs is clearly what in today’s parlance would be called “neural atypical” but the story doesn’t use it to excuse his behavior. His response to hearing that his girlfriend is pregnant is, “How could you do this to me?” It’s a miracle that we can care about anything that happens to him after that. When his best friend Woz (The tenor! A sidekick!) calls him out as “a mega-corporate prick” we feel like he’s letting Jobs off easy.

Technology vs. Technique

It’s true, you will not hear the vocal pyrotechnics in The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs that you get from Figaro’s “Largo al factotum” or the explosive scales of Handel’s Semele. Jonathan Dean mentioned a high B flat in his pre-show talk, but I don’t think technicality is the draw for this opera.

Technology is the draw for this opera. From the digital soundscapes to the projected sets that shift from apple orchards to motherboards. From the plot about a tech company to the questions that the opera asks about what the technology costs – why is everyone so lonely now that we’re all so connected? – this opera is about technology first.

And that’s okay. Every opera doesn’t have to be Every. Opera. Strong story, three-dimensional characters, innovative and engaging music –The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs has enough in its favor. Nobody is suggesting that we discard the classics. When I want vocal acrobatics, I can still see Verdi. When I want tradition, well, Carmen is the next production this season. (And was, in its own time, scandalous for breaking tradition.

The Last Word

I attended The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs on opening weekend courtesy of Seattle Opera. I will be attending it again next week on my own dime.

The Details

The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs

Music by Mason Bates

Libretto by Mark Campbell

In English with English captions

Marion Oliver McCaw Hall

Remaining Performances: February 27, March 2, 6, 8, and 9, 2019

Approximate Running Time: 1 hours and 25 minutes with no intermission

Evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m., Sunday matinee at 2:00 p.m.

Premiere: July 22, 2017, Santa Fe Opera

Seattle Opera premiere

Cast:

Steve Jobs                      John Moore

Laurene Powell Jobs         Emily Fons*

Steve Wozniak                Garrett Sorenson*

Kōbun Chino Otogawa      Adam Lau

Chrisann Brennan            Madison Leonard*

Paul Jobs                         Morgan Smith

Conductor                       Nicole Paiement*

Stage Director                 Kevin Newbury

Scenery Designer            Vita Tzykun

Costume Designer           Paul Carey*

Lighting Designer            Japhy Weideman*

Video Designer                59 Productions*

Sound Designer               Rick Jacobson*

* Company Debut