by Emily Parkhurst

Westbrook, ME, 14 July 2010. The only way to describe the Intermezzo Festival’s July 14 production of "The Turn of the Screw" by Benjamin Britten is deliriously haunting. While I am quite familiar with Britten’s works and the themes common throughout them, I still found myself slightly unprepared for the weight of this opera.

The Intermezzo Festival is looking for a permanent location for its four-week opera training camp, and is currently considering Portland as a home base. This production was staged at the Westbrook Performing Arts Center. For the past four years, the Intermezzo Festival has been based in Brugge, Belgium. The singers are primarily music school graduates looking to see more stage time and learn from some of the coaches and mentors the program brings in to work with them. For this performance, the cast, particularly Bryna Berezowska, who played Miles, was incredible. Never once did it strike me as a student performance. These were professionals and their performances lent even more weight to what was already a behemoth of a production.

For those unfamiliar with the story, I should explain that this is a ghost story that embodies the themes for which Britten is famous: pedophilia and loss of innocence. The Governess is assigned to care for two young children, Flora and Miles, and instructed not to bother their guardian with communication about them. After arriving, the Governess quickly discovers that the ghosts of the former governess, Miss Jessel, and Peter Quint, the guardian’s valet, haunt the house and the children. She then discovers that Quint preyed upon Miles, and that both Miss Jessel and Quint had inappropriate sexual relationships with each other and the children. Jessel died after getting pregnant with Quint’s baby, and Quint died under suspicious circumstances. By the end of the opera, Flora is sent away and Miles dies in the Governess’ arms.

So, for those familiar with Britten, pretty standard material.

The opera is based on the Henry James novella of the same name. The themes are interwoven with the melodies in such a wonderfully intentional way. The music is lyrically intricate while still sparse and confined. The Intermezzo Festival singers did it justice. Dara Epstein, who sang the role of The Governess, was well-suited to the part. While I would have liked for there to have been more of an obvious connection between her and the children, her concern for them came through in her voice. Epstein was able to express true emotion while she was singing, which is so important for a role such as this. She was the audience’s connection to the story, and she was the best ambassador we could have hoped for.

However, the second Berezowska stepped onto the stage, she nearly stole the show. Singing the role of Miles, she was arresting to watch and listen to. Faced with what was the most challenging acting role – a grown woman playing a young boy – she was Miles, there was no doubt. My mind never once strayed from the drama while she was on stage and she kept me emotionally engaged the whole way through. She is definitely one to watch for.

Tenor Dorian Balis, who played Peter Quint, also did well with his role of creepy ghost. Even when he was not singing, he was very much a presence on stage. When he was singing, I didn’t want him to stop.

I wanted to love Miriam Kushel, who played the housekeeper, Mrs. Grose, but I couldn’t get into her character. I found her a distraction from the story, which made enjoying her performance a challenge. I hope to see Kushel in a stronger role soon, as she has a voice that can carry a meatier part. I found Yuri Park’s role as Flora forgettable. While she is a lovely soprano, her stage presence was lacking, her expressions understated. The venue was intimate, so a smaller interpretation would generally be fine, but I still found myself wondering if her expression had changed at all. Hei-Kyung Yu who played the ghost of Miss Jessel, was a beautiful apparition, understated in the creepiest of ways.

I would be remiss not to mention the chamber orchestra, which handled the difficult and often dissonant music professionally and gracefully, even when Conductor Jorge Parodi had to call out rehearsal numbers to get everyone back on track.

There are more Intermezzo performances coming up for a variety of Broadway shows and operas. I would definitely recommend checking them out.