‘The Fall of the House of Usher’
Experimental and obscure operas have been finding a port of refuge with Long Beach Opera for nearly 35 years. At times the company barely scrapes by, but thankfully there are enough – although always barely enough – fierce supporters who recognize how much poorer we’d be without its reassuring presence. There was a decent turnout Sunday afternoon at the Warner Grand for the first offering of the new season: “The Fall of the House of Usher,” by Philip Glass. Something of a “pocket opera,” which is to say it’s unlike “Aïda,” let alone the composer’s own “Akhnaten,” “Usher” was composed (with a libretto by Arthur Yorinks) in 1987 and is only now receiving its West Coast premiere. Despite the roominess of the Warner Grand itself, “Usher” is an intimate and one might even say claustrophobic work, and better suited to a smaller venue. Lee Gregory as William, Suzan Hanson as Madeline Usher, and (seated) Ryan MacPherson as Roderick Usher. Photo by Keith Ian Polakoff The opera follows the well known short story by Edgar Allan Poe in which Roderick Usher (Ryan MacPherson) summons a childhood friend, William (Lee Gregory), to visit him in his ancestral home. Roderick’s twin sister, Madeline…
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