Wednesday, November 9, 2022

"Omar," An Opera and True Story About A Scholar Who Was Enslaved

Jamez McCorkle plays Omar


By Darlene Donloe

The majesty that is the opera Omar is visually, musically, and narratively stunning.  

In fact, there aren’t enough adjectives to describe the reverential and historic new opera from Grammy winner Rhiannon Giddens and film composer Michael Abels.

The Los Angeles Opera’s West Coast premiere is currently playing through November 13, 2022, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. 

If ever there was a theatrical WOW moment, it was with Omar. 

The opera narrates Omar Ibn Said’s 1831 autobiography. The show is splendidly stunning and worshipful. It pulls at your emotions while pleasuring and widening your senses with regal wardrobes, lighting, scenery, music, and powerful singing. 

The real Omar Ibn Said


The show begins in 1807 when a 37-year-old scholar living in West Africa is captured and forced aboard a ship bound for Charleston, South Carolina. Omar Ibn Said's life and Muslim faith are remembered and retold in this inspirational West Coast premiere inspired by his remarkable 1831 autobiography (the only known surviving American slavery narrative written in Arabic). 

Set in the shifting darkness of memory and imagination, Omar follows his compelling journey from a peaceful life in his homeland to enslavement in a violent, foreign world. Reflecting on his life journey, he's haunted by memories of his family and the people he encounters along the way. Through it all, he somehow remains true to himself and his faith, against all odds. 

The score—composed by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels—incorporates distinctive West African traditions with traditional opera instrumentation.

Tenor Jamez McCorkle makes his company debut in the title role, with bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch in a double role as two very different enslavers. Norman Garrett makes his company debut as Omar's brother, with Barry Banks as the auctioneer and Jacqueline Echols as Julie, an enslaved woman who gives Omar the key to a better life. 

The cast of Omar


The show opens with an eerie, enlarged image of Said on a curtain made to look as if he was looking into the audience’s soul. It’s as if he is somehow brought to life when he seemingly appears to make a gesture just before the curtain opens.

Before the curtain opens, Jamez McCorkle walks onstage in a t-shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes and begins to dress in traditional African garb. He then becomes Said, who is here to tell his own story by taking the audience along on his spiritual journey.  

The story is inspired by the actual writings Said left behind – to establish his own legacy. His story began in Futa Toro, Senegal. He spent 25 years studying Islam. In his writings, Said describes his capture by saying “a big Army came and took me.” He eventually arrived in Charleston, S.C. It was 1807. Said was just one of the 20-30% of Muslims who were brought to America and enslaved.

Omar escaped his brutal master and walked more than 200 miles to Fayetteville, N.C.  He was caught and thrown in jail.  He is bought by a man who is Christian and introduces Omar to Christianity. 

McCorkle as Omar


It is thought that Omar died in 1864 at the age of 93.  After the Emancipation Proclamation and before the end of the Civil War. He was never freed.  

But the story is, that through it all, he maintained his faith and his resolve was unwavering. 

The story of Omar is yet another chapter of the Black experience that somehow was hidden or forgotten - or lost inside mankind’s white-washed narrative.

Even though he was never physically freed, Omar’s story is still one of a different kind of inner freedom - one of humanity, peace, and resilience. 

Omar recovers Black history and begins to tell the full history of the nation’s multicultural history.

This is truly a must-see! 

Amanda Lynn Bottoms plays Omar's mother, Fatima


What an impressive cast led by Jamez McCorkle, who was exceptional in exposing Said’s internal struggle. His luscious tenor is both soothing and powerful.  

The entire cast is extraordinary. 

The costumes are exquisite and the scenery is eye-opening. Both feel like additional characters. The singing is emotional and unforgettable!

Kudos to conductor Kazem Abdullah, Director Kaneza Schaal, designer Christopher Myers, scenic designer Amy Rubin, co-costume designers April M. Hickman ad Micheline Russell-Brown, and lighting designer Pablo Santiago.

There are only two performances left. The first is 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 9. The show closes at 2 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 13. 

On the DONLOE SCALE: D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likable), O (oh, yeah), and E (excellent), Omar gets an E (excellent).

Omar, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles CA; Wednesday, November 9, at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, November 13, 2022, at 2 p.m.; tickets begin at $15; 213.972.8001; for disability access, call 213. 972.0777 or email LAOpera@LAOpera.org; Masks are required indoors. 

 **photos by Cory Weaver



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