A Thousand Splendid Suns, adapted from the novel of the same name by Khaled Hosseini has been transformed into a breathtakingly beautiful opera. Put on by Seattle Opera, the opera tells the story of two women and their struggles through decades of violence, turmoil, and societal pressures. It speaks to the bonds of family, especially motherhood, of love lost and the things that people have to do in order to survive.
The story is laid out incredibly well, with each transition being signified by a swift and seamless changing of the immersively engaging set, always accompanied by the transcendent sound of the orchestra at each instance. The passage of time throughout the story (which spans 27 years) is flawless, with the aging of characters and their changing of emotional states of being portrayed in a fittingly complex manner, watching the characters grow up as time passes in the story, deepening the audience’s emotional investment in both the plot and the characters. Stage Director Roya Sadat does an excellent job of arranging the story in a visually appealing manner.
Karin Mushegain and Maureen McKay make for an absolutely stunning pair of female leads for the show. Their voices are beautifully harnessed, always wrought with intense emotion, resonating throughout the large hall. They make you feel as if you are in their place with each song, giving insight to their thoughts and feelings and making you feel as close to them as they are with one another. Their relationship progresses from jealous wives to mother/daughter, and the change in their demeanor towards one another is believably developed, with the passage of time and trauma bringing them together to create an unbreakable bond together.
John Moore excellently embodies the villain to the story, being the brutish husband to both the female leads. His voice, strong and commanding, suits the character he is playing. He is a figurehead of the abusive men that women have to struggle against, and his change from sweet and loving to scary and dominating is frighteningly real, bringing the audience to gasp many times throughout the performance.
The supporting gaps fills in the in-between moments of the story with ease, each of the members adding to the story as friends, family, and lovers of the leads, helping to give depth to the characterization and past of those surrounding them.
The orchestral performance stands out throughout the opera, with every emotional swell comes an appropriate musical swell, every time of danger is subtly forewarned by a shift in the tonality of the music, and every break or transition is filled with sound that invites contemplation on the events that just unfolded. Viswa Subbaraman does an excellent job as a conductor, and the story is brought to life through the orchestral accompaniment composed by Sheila Silver.
Deborah Trout and Misha Kachman breathe life and realism into the performance with the costume and set design respectively. Every detail of both is so meticulously handled that each scene feels like a picture brought to life. From the bustling hustle of a town market to the intimate closeness of a household, each scene increases the audience’s immersion within the world of the story.
The story is absolutely heartbreaking yet transcendently gorgeous, a reflection upon love and family, the intersection between the two, and the struggles of women in everyday life. I found myself in tears by the end of the performance, the emotional weight of the words of the actors washing over me in waves throughout the opera. I would highly recommend attending if given the chance, the story is unique and the entirety of the performance is very well put together. I will also caution a trigger warning as the play does include violence and domestic abuse.
March 3rd is pay what you will day for tickets, with a minimum of $15. If you want to see the show before it closes on March 11th, the 3rd would be an excellent opportunity to see the show for a good price!
A Thousand Splendid Suns is Running at McCaw Hall (accessible by both link and bus) on February 25th & 26th, March 3rd, 5th, 8th, & 11th 2023. The performances are at 2:00 PM for the matinee showings and 7:30 PM for evening showings. It runs about 3 hours with a short intermission between the 2 acts. English captions are included in the performance.