A Jazz Opera

 By Sue Curtis and Jools Scott

Vice is based on The Revenger’s Tragedy, by Thomas Middleton, which is a sardonic seventeenth century tale of corruption, incest and murder. It tells the story of Vindice, the revenger of the title, who comes to court in disguise in order to avenge the murder of his sweetheart. His destruction of the ruling family, the Duke, the Duchess and their brood of sons, plunges the palace into mayhem, and eventually costs him his own immortal soul.

Strong characterization, vivid language and operatic storylines make revenge tragedy magnificently suited to musical treatment. The Revenger’s Tragedy in particular is wonderful material. The violent criss-crossing obsession with revenge and power which pits half the court against the other half, the gleeful energy with which Vindice stalks his prey, the gallows humour of a court hurrying to its own damnation, and, at the core of the satire, a moving and terrifying momento mori, give the piece a wild pace and often dizzying shifts from absurd comedy to stark terror.

The cynical humour of Vice sits comfortably with the world view of a modern audience. This is a small scale musical which demands minimal and witty staging. Whether performed as it was at the Arcola, in masked evening dress, or with Jacobean costumes as it was in Bath, the essential contradiction of Jacobean and Jazz give the whole piece a sharp edge and unexpected flavour. Vice is unique; no-one else is using language and music combined in quite this way; but it is also part of a distinct and well established modern trend of innovative and exciting musical writing for the stage.

Vice began its life as a jazz opera, but has evolved into a much more complex genre-crossing piece. It is scored for piano, double bass, drums, accordion, a small brass section, and choir. The choir is made up of those members of the cast that are not the theatrical focus of the scene and is used to provide colour and depth.

A half-hour segment of the opera was performed as part of the Grimeborn Opera Festival at the Arcola in August 2007 and the whole score at King Edward’s School as a workshop production the following December. The writers are currently engaged in reworking and finalising the score and libretto for performance.

Vice is written to be performed in an intimate space, with an on-stage jazz band. The optimum company size (including musicians and dancers) would be around 20, although it could be performed with less, especially if the cast is composed of actor/musicians, as it was at the Arcola. Dance is an integral part of the concept throughout.