Displaying items by tag: CHAMPION

Terence Blanchard's "Champion" delivers a powerful blow to the stage, not through physical force but with its emotional resonance. Based on the life of  boxer, Emile Griffith, the opera is told through the memories of an older Griffith, (played by Reginald Smith, Jr.)  Suffering from dementia and a lifetime of pain and regret the older Griffith  prepares for a meeting with Benny Paret Jr. the son of his one-time opponent, Benny “The Kid” Paret. (both Parets are played by Leroy Davis)

We travel to St. Thomas, where, abandoned by his mother, little Emile, (played by Naya Rosalie James, exhibits signs of sensitivity which his fanatically religious cousin view as demonic. Cousin Blanche verbally and physically abuses him. Having him stand in the island sun holding a cinder block above his head only served to make him physically and emotionally strong.

Confident in his abilities as a singer, baseball player and hat maker, Young  Emile Griffith (played by Justin Austin) arrives in New York City.  He reconnects with his elusive mother (Whitney Morrison) and is introduced to Howie Albert (played by Paul Groves ) the owner of a hat manufacturing company. Albert notices Griffith’s muscular frame and guides him to the boxing ring becoming his manager.

Emile Griffith’s life is a stark reminder of the era he lived in. In the hyper-masculine realm of boxing during the 1960s, homosexuality was an unspoken taboo, a secret that could destroy careers and lives. Griffith's inner conflict is palpable - he is a champion in the ring, yet forced to live a double life, constantly repressing his identity from a world that would not tolerate it.

The opera's most poignant moment comes in the aria “What Makes a Man a Man?” Griffith grapples with society’s toxic definition of masculinity. Blanchard's haunting jazz-infused score underscores the question, making the audience acutely aware of the psychological toll that repression and denial were taking on a man trying to conform to an impossible standard.

The pivotal moment of the opera is the fateful fight with Benny “Kid” Paret. Paret's homophobic taunts, cruel words wielded as weapons, pierce Griffith's carefully constructed facade. While audiences may have suspected Griffith's private life, like the unspoken reality of JFK's affairs, public discussion remained taboo. Benny “The Kid” Paret crossed an unforgiveable line in the mind of the very proud Griffith.  In a burst of blind rage, Griffith's pent-up pain and frustration violently boil over, and he delivers the tragic blows that end Paret's life ten days later.

The libretto missed an opportunity for deeper exploration. Instead of delving into Emile Griffith's inner world at his career peak and aftermath, it presented extraneous scenes. A fabricated marriage, a warning aria from his mother, and a sexually charged encounter in a gay bar, though interesting individually, felt tangential to the core narrative. These detours could have been replaced with moments that illuminate Griffith's psyche, motivations, and struggles, offering the audience a clearer understanding of the complex man behind the champion. Additionally, the inclusion of Griffith’s adopted son and caretaker, Luis Rodrigo Griffith's (played by Martin Luther Clark)  story and the development of their relationship could have offered a powerful layer of complexity and provided a window into the challenges and triumphs of navigating identity and love in a complex world.

Through Griffith's journey, "Champion" shines a spotlight on the lingering prejudices within the world of sports. Even today there are athletes who feel they must hide their sexuality for fear of rejection, discrimination, or even violence. Their struggles are real. Their stories deserve to be heard.

Blanchard’s score is a masterful blend of jazz and classical styles. It mirrors the turbulent emotional world of Griffith, sometimes mournful, sometimes furious, always stirring. The opera leaves a lasting impression, resonating long after the curtain falls.

In collaboration with “Champion” is an exhibition of Patric McCoy’s seminal collection of Black male photography, curated by Viktor L. Ewing-Givens of Southern Android productions. “Concrete, rose” is an exploration of Black men wanting to be seen. “Champion," becomes a mirror in which the striking portraits of "concrete, rose" are reflected. Both the opera and the photographic collection delve into the often-concealed lives of Black men, their struggles, their sexuality, and the delicate dance they perform at the intersection of personal truth and societal expectations.

"Concrete, rose" exhibit (left) and photographer Patric McCoy

The characters in “Concrete, Rose” and Emile Griffith could easily be contemporaries, existing in worlds that have evolved but are still shaped by the same biases and expectations. Sports, much like other arenas of public life for Black men, are often hyper-masculine spaces, leaving little room for the fluidity of gender and sexuality.

“Champion” is a testament to the psychological toll exacted on those forced to compartmentalize their true selves. And, like “concrete, rose,” the opera stands as a reminder of the ongoing struggle Black men, particularly Black LGBTQ+ men, face in a world that often rejects those who dare to exist outside of narrow societal definitions.

More than a story about a boxer, "Champion" is a story about the battle for acceptance — for oneself and, more broadly, from a world still grappling with the nuances of sexual identity. In its collaboration with "Concrete, Rose," the opera expands a necessary conversation, bringing to light voices that are often unheard, revealing truths that have long been veiled.

When: 2 p.m. Jan. 31, with four additional performances through Feb. 11

Where: Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker

Tickets: $49-$339

Info: (312) 827-5600; lyricopera.org/champion

Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature's laws wrong, it learned to walk without having feet. Funny, it seems to by keeping it’s dreams; it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else even cared.

― TUPAC SHAKUr

www.lyricopera.org/shows/upcoming/2023-24/champion/concrete-rose/

From the sunny shores of St. Thomas to the gritty streets of New York, from the violent brutality of the boxing ring to the raucous gay bar scene in the mid-1960s, Lyric Opera’s Champion is a sweeping saga of one man’s search for redemption and his true sexual identity. With music composed by Grammy Award-winner Terence Blanchard and libretto by Tony Award-winning Michael Cristofer, Champion is an emotional tour de force that draws the audience in from the opening curtain to its final notes.

At the center of this true story is Emile Griffith, a professional boxer whose fatal punch in the boxing ring in 1962 after being taunted for his sexuality by his rival, has haunted him throughout his life. Emile’s story unfolds through a series of flashbacks, from his abusive upbringing in St. Thomas after his mother abandoned her eight children, to being pushed into boxing ring on the basis of his strength and physique, to coming to terms with his own sexuality as a gay man.

Emile’s character is brilliantly portrayed by three different singers. Reginald Smith Jr., a Grammy- and Emmy-winning baritone, portrays the aging Emile with a vulnerability and pathos as he searches for forgiveness and peace. The younger Emile is played by Justin Austin, a rising star and a 2023 Marian Anderson Vocal Award winner, whose heartfelt portrayal brings to life Emile’s struggle to discover what it means to be a man. And finally, Naya James, a sixth grader at Highland Elementary School in Downers Grove, rises to the occasion in his portrayal of the young Emile, who is abused by his strict religious aunt. In one particularly moving moment, all three appear on stage as the aging Emile prays for strength.

Sharing the stage with Emile is an impressive ensemble, many of whom are drawn from Lyric’s acclaimed artist-development program. Soprano Whitney Morrison shines in her role as Emile’s estranged mother, Emelda Griffith. In one of the lighter moments, when Emile reunites with his mother on the streets of New York, his mother confuses him for his brother, Frankie. She sings to Frankie to give mommie a kiss, but when Emile tells her he’s not Frankie, she responds, “Well, who the hell are you?” And then, without skipping a beat as Emile tells her who he is, she immediately serenades him with the same song. As Emelda sings to Emile, “I may not be the mommie you want, but I am the mommie you got.”

Billed as “an opera in jazz,” composer Terence Blanchard brings his storied jazz career, which has earned him seven Grammy awards and two Oscar nominations, to the score. The musical score ranges from soaring operatic arias with full orchestration to the jazzy, bluesy beat of New Orleans enhanced by a jazz combo embedded in the orchestra. In one particularly poignant moment, mother Emelda sings about her efforts to survive and escape her life of poverty, accompanied only by the haunting beat of the bass. It is a show-stopping moment.

The ensemble, which joins the stage in key moments, such as when as Emile leaves St. Thomas, as he searches for comfort in the gay bar scene, as he trains for his boxing matches, brings an energy and vibrancy to the production and an escape from the heaviness of Emile’s struggle. The story is moved along by the ring announcer/narrator, wonderfully played by the legendary Chicago actor Larry Yando in his Lyric debut. Towering floor-to-ceiling video screens that flank the action on stage also help move the narrative along with black-and-white depictions of Emile’s career as he goes from champion to has-been, whose battered brain can’t even remember three simple words.

In the end, it is Emile’s dual performances that give the audience an emotional one-two punch. The younger Emile, after nearly being beaten to death by a gang of thugs shouting anti-gay slurs, laments, “I kill a man, and the world forgives me; I love a man, and the world wants to kill me.” But it is the aging Emile who finally finds the redemption and peace he has been searching for when, with the help of his younger self, realizes that who he ultimately must seek forgiveness from is himself.

Through the life and story of Emile Griffith, Champion seeks to shine light on all who are marginalized, whether because of race or sexuality, to bring the underrepresented to the operatic world, and to challenge us, the audience, to be champions for justice and equality.

Champion is playing at the Lyric Opera through February 11. For tickets and information, visit the Lyric Opera website.