Women strive against repression in Seattle Opera’s “A Thousand Splendid Suns”

Maureen McKay as Laila (left) and Karin Mushegain as Mariam (right) in A Thousand Splendid Suns at Seattle Opera. Photo credit: Sunny Martini.

Seattle Opera’s world premiere of “A Thousand Splendid Suns” plunged me into a world that was fascinating, sad, exotic, tragic, hopeful, and illuminating. The production I experienced at McCaw Hall on March 3 was outstanding and unsettling and deserving to be seen and heard in more opera houses.

Based on the best-selling, award-winning novel of the same name by Khaled Hosseini, the opera tells the story of two women and their resilient quest to find love and meaning in life despite the oppressive male-dominated culture of their homeland, Afghanistan. With evocative music by Sheila Silver and superb libretto by Stephen Kitsakos, “A Thousand Splendid Suns” was enhanced by an exceptional cast led by mezzo-soprano Karin Mushegain and soprano Maureen McKay. The production also benefitted from the stage direction of Roya Sadat, who is Afghanistan’s first woman film and television producer during the post-Taliban era and winner of more than 20 international awards.

Deftly creating a unique blend of Hindustani and Western music, Silver used a full orchestra augmented by South Asian instruments, such as the tabla, daf, dholak, and Tibetan bowls (played by Deep Singh) and the bansuri (played by Steve Gorn). The sound-world drew was inspired by ragas – with their drone-underlayment and myriad of microtonal shifts. The trombones were especially effective to conveying the wiggly tones of the call to prayer from a minaret. Conductor Viswa Subbaraman guided the orchestra with lots of dynamic contrast that matched the text and action extremely well.

Kitsakos condensed the plot of Hosseini’s novel to fit into two acts with five scenes each. Altogether, the opera covers a 30-year period from 1970 when the Soviets occupied Afghanistan to 2001 with the 9/11 attacks.

Foreground, from left: Andrew Potter as Mullah, John Moore as Rasheed, Karin Mushegain as Mariam, and Martin Bakari as Jalil. Background, from left: Ibidunni Ojikutu as Wife #2, Sarah Coit as Wife #3, and Sarah Mattox as Wife #1 in A Thousand Splendid Suns at Seattle Opera. Photo credit: Antone Patterson.

Mushegain made a totally convincing, Mariam, the “illegitimate” woman who was forced into marriage and then abused by her husband. Her voice expressed a big range of emotion – from anger to pleading prayerfulness. McKay excelled in the role of Laila, who lost her parents because their home was bombed. Laila then became the second wife and also suffered abuse. The stunning duet with the two women discovering that they are allies rather than rivals, was a highlight of the opera.

Baritone Jon Moore embodied the harshness and rigidity of the women’s husband Rasheed with such conviction that the audience erupted in cheers when Mariam slayed him with a shovel. Tenor Rafael Moras embraced the role of Laila’s lover Tariq with terrific vitality and energy. Tariq’s love-duet with Laila was another high point of the opera. Bass-baritone Ashraf Sewailam exuded warmth and understanding as Laila’s father, Hakim. Mezzo Sarah Coit in the role of Laila’s mother countered her husband’s bookishness with a back-to-reality directness.

The very tall bass, Andrew Potter, made an imposing Mullah. Tenor Martin Bakari was superb as the duplicitous Jalil. Soprano Tess Altiveros made the fear and frustration of Nana palpable. Sopranos Sarah Mattox and Ibidunni Ojikutu joined Coit as Jalil’s three wives who coerced Mariam into marriage. Grace Elaine Franck-Smith portrayed Rasheed’s son Zalmai with panache.

An ingenious set by Misha Kachman rotated to display the mostly drab interior and exterior of Afghan homes. Just a few people were needed to quickly change the scene, which helped to keep the story moving forward, although sometimes it seems to revolve a bit too much. Lighting by Jen Schriever accented the singers, the buildings, and the mountains in the background, but the illumination of Miriam at the end of the opera, giving her a Virgin-Mary-like glow that defied the militia men and the rifle pointed at her, was one of the most striking and memorable images I have ever seen.

Guided by cultural advice of Humaira Ghilzai, production consultant Aziz Deildaar, and costume-historical consultant Rika Sadat, the production offered an authenticity that revealed a glimpse into the complexity of Afghani life. During the Q and A after the show, attendees found out more about differences in customs and language in Afghanistan. Hopefully, other opera companies that choose to present A Thousand Splendid Suns will have access to cultural advisors like Ghilzai, Deildaar, and Sadat.

Unfortunately, “A Thousand Splendid Suns” has become extremely relevant because the Taliban are again in command of Afghanistan and have crushed women’s rights. In the Seattle Opera’s printed program, Hosseini writes that he hopes that circumstances there will improve and rights will be returned to women so that “’A Thousand Splendid Suns’ will become one day a relic of an erstwhile era.” Amen to that.