Advertisement

Culture Opera

Oksana G. confronts sex trafficking with powerful results

OKSANA G. by Aaron Gervais and Colleen Murphy (Tapestry Opera). At the Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre (227 Front East). Runs to May 30. $50-$75. See listing. Rating: NNN

The ongoing issue of human trafficking seems more suited to an investigative news report or a TV movie, but composer Aaron Gervais, librettist Colleen Murphy and director Tom Diamond make a solid argument for it as an opera.

In the mid-1990s in a small Ukrainian town, the eponymous young woman (Natalya Gennadi) is lured by a man named Konstantin (Keith Klassen), who promises well-paying work cleaning hotel rooms in glamorous countries.

But Oksana and her friend Nataliya (Jacqueline Wooley) are instead stripped of their passports and transported to Greece, where theyre held captive, raped and auctioned off to be used as prostitutes throughout Europe.

Will they find that talked-about Canadian priest named Father Alexander (Adam Fisher) who runs a shelter in Italy? And will they ever make it back home to Oksanas concerned mother, Sofiya (Krisztina Szabo)?

Theres a lot of plot, and the first act of this ambitious, multi-language Tapestry Opera production has a lurid, sensationalistic feel at times. Warning: explicit scenes of violence and sexual abuse could be triggers for some.

But especially in the second act, Murphys libretto is clever in the way it depicts internalized shame. The most poignant moment comes when, thanks to the kindness of a stranger, Oksana begins to feel human again.

And although the relationship between Oksana and Konstantin feels underdeveloped, the latter has a tragic backstory that hints at the motivation for his behaviour.

Gervaiss score, conducted with passion and precision by Jordan de Souza, is rich and varied, at times evoking the jagged, disturbing effects of a horror movie. The most beautiful passage comes at the end of the first act, as Oksana, Nataliya and her fellow captives, including the feisty Lyuba (an excellent Andrea Ludwig), dream of escape and hope the wind carries their wishes across the sea.

Gennadi, who is of Ukrainian background, delivers a stunning performance that is piercing in its openness and vulnerability. Klassen handles the difficult role of Konstantin with skill and a focused intensity. The sweet-toned Fisher suggests a lot as a priest who refuses to judge Oksana. And Szabo is richly expressive, especially in her scenes with Kim Barbers Aza, a fortune teller their encounters provide a structural device for the opera.

Since the work spans several countries, the design must be flexible. Teresa Przybylskis set is wonderfully effective. Dominated by several vertical columns that are subtly lit (by Jason Hand) to evoke different places, its airiness gives the audience room to breathe in a work that can often feel like the life of its central character frighteningly claustrophobic.

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted