MANIFEST DESTINY – press coverage



MANIFEST DESTINY

– press coverage

The following newspapers and programmes are among the many which have included coverage or discussion of 'Manifest Destiny' as the work evolved between 2002 and 2005:

Newsnight, BBC World Service (radio and TV), LBC, Reuters, Associated Press, New York Times, Le Monde, The Independent, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Observer, The Sunday Times, The Sunday Herald, Scotland on Sunday, British Theatre Guide, Finnish Radio, Sud Deutche Zeitung, The Miami Herald, The Los Angeles Times.

Press and Public Comment - Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 2005

- 1. Press Reviews

 "Excellent performances with truly amazing music.'Manifest Destiny' will haunt your soul for many a day. Of all the performances based around terrorism this year, this is the one to see. A miracle of a show that is sometimes beautiful and sometimes horrible. It is, however, always unforgettable." -

"A dazzling, dark opera... affecting, bold, potent and packed with melodic invention…A score that is so witty and so accessible…..Mahlerian harmonies and rhythmic patterns, a gorgeous waltz, and a cynical tango… Time and again – as in the greatest operatic works – tonal resolution and emotional closure come hand-in hand… it made me most mindful of Michael Tippett’s wonderful oratorio, 'A Child of Our Time'... Like so much great art, 'Manifest Destiny' marries the personal with the political, the particular and the universal… A simple and humanitarian message shines through unambiguously; that violence begets only violence in a cycle which must be broken as an act of human will; and that love is stronger than hatred… A brave, touching and timely work." - Scotland on Sunday

"A witty and surprisingly melodic neo-classical score... 'Manifest Destiny' is a considerable piece of work dealing with important themes that demands to be heard." - Sunday Herald

"Political, prescient and unmissable." - Sunday Telegraph

"A powerful piece, powerfully performed. Political opera is a very rare bird, even today, and this piece is one to be cherished." - British Theatre Guide

"Rigorous and high minded with a story in the environs of Greek tragedy... one admires Keith Burstein's ambition." - Daily Telegraph

"Operatic themes do not come more epic than this… fine performances from Bernadette Lord and Paul Carey Jones." - Scotsman

"Peter Willcock... comedy glee" - BBC Online

 

- 2. Audience Reviews

The following seventeen quotes are from 'Manifest Destiny's Edinburgh audiences, and are taken from comments written in an audience-response book after the performances:

"A magnificent opera which moved me frequently to tears, especially the lyrics and power of Daniel’s longing and his finding his own historical memory through the anguish of a Palestinian girlfriend suffering as his parents had.The lyrics focused strongly on the human pain in a world fractured by disproportionate power and fundamental beliefs that has forgotten, or not been allowed to know , the beauty of human relationships. BRAVO to all who produced this opera – may it go to the West End." - Sarah Wood, Edinburgh.

"Deeply moving – amazing voices." - Marie Bantor.

"Courageous. Truth well tackled." - Hala George, Edinburgh.

"A very powerful parable." - Gordon Stewart.

"Beautiful music." - Tom Burmester, Los Angeles, USA.

"Quite provocative! So much to meditate on. A prophetic opera. Aside from any number of topical things it deals with... said opera seems to posit that human love is eternal and all!" - J.B. Morgan.

"Very brave. Thank you!" - Margaret Krawecka, Canada.

"Congratulations, very moving. My wife was in tears throughout most of it. Ralph Steadman('s) backgrounds were horrific and very powerful." - Nicholas Wood, Edinburgh.

"Congratulations on your courage!" - Eugene Sigaloff, Netherlands.

"Excellent vocalists. Brilliant pianist." - Paula Boulton, Corby.

"Excellent - thought provoking, haunting. First class artists." - L. Wilson.

"IMPRESSIVE in ALL aspects - deserving of big audiences." - Philip Taylor.

"Music and singing very good." - Vivienne Levine.

"Ralph Steadman('s images were) a great idea." - Antoinette Duffy.

"Superb voices, brilliant music." - S.Davie, London.

"Very moving. Sad and good to address these issues. Had to smile at the black comedy." - Mary Fowler.

"Very powerful and thought provoking and beautifully put together. The music complemented the acting and singing and the simplicity of the words inspired me. Thank you." - Philip George, Lancaster.

The four following reviews were posted on the reviewing website by other audience members who had attended one of the Edinburgh performances:

[pic]  Bold and beautiful 24 Aug 2005

reviewer: Margaret Krawecka, Canada

"What is the role of theatre if not to address the reality of everyday life? Manifest Destiny does so in a most sincere and unpretentious way - that's what makes it beautiful. It shows us that to begin to understand the political conflict of our times is to see its perpetrators not as madmen but as human beings. It forces us to openly face these elusive characters and to look back into our own hearts. It is an opera of hope and compassion, taking the audience on a journey of reflection. I have seen some great pieces at the Fringe but this one remains the most meaningful for me; to make theatre is one thing but to confront the daunting realities we face today and emerge with new hope is a real challenge. A must see for anyone concerned with the current political climate. And for anyone who knows how to appreciate beauty, this one's for you."

[pic]  Moving and thought-provoking 22 Aug 2005

reviewer: DJ, London

"Burstein and Edwards’ opera tackles the challenging subject of how people on all sides of the war on terror are forced to make the difficult choice between following their hearts or submitting to the forces of politics and religion which endeavour to manipulate them. It’s sometimes uncomfortable viewing, but 'Manifest Destiny' does adopt a largely humanitarian viewpoint, with love ultimately triumphing over death. The staging is sparse but this only serves to emphasise the wonderful music (played by the composer?) and moving vocal performances from the young and talented cast. It’s a great choice of venue - the acoustics are excellent and its large size enhances the effect of the powerful visuals by Ralph Steadman that are projected onto the backdrop. Manifest Destiny is not perfect, but it is deeply thought-provoking and packs the kind of emotional punch that most other fringe shows lack."

[pic]  stunning 12 Aug 2005

reviewer: William Leaf, UK

"A provocative and prophetic opera which manages to fuse the war on terror plot with a modern fable of the power of love over death.Often in tears, deeply moving.Singers stunning."

[pic]  Vital, humanitarian opera for our times 15 Aug 2005

reviewer: Arnold Baynes, UK

"'Manifest Destiny' was one of my more random choices of Fringe show, and I'm glad I made it. If you're prepared for the use of dramatic operatic plot and metaphor (rather than reportage) to investigate the currently raw and uneasy subject of suicide bombers, you'll find a lot to enjoy in this unusual and powerful chamber opera. Using four superb singers and a poignant score of stirring, emotional and tuneful music, it traces the often harsh journey of a pair of would-be Palestinian suicide bombers from anger and vengeance through to a kind of bittersweet and bleak redemption via the acceptance of love, with the growing War on Terror and superpower strategies as a shadowy, ominous backdrop. Minimal staging and the use of some suitably horrifying Ralph Steadman nightmare drawings as back projections add to the air of dark fable. But the travails of the central characters (juxtaposed with the grim clownish machinations of the White House characters) brought genuine tears to my eyes. I wasn't the only one who left deeply moved, either. Not a show for incurable cynics, perhaps, but definitely one for anyone who has any hopes that the solution to the world's current traumas can be found (if not without price) in the efforts of human beings to understand other human beings. Go see this - you won't regret it."

Press Comment and Public Quotes - prior to Edinburgh Fringe Festival run of 2005

"British Opera breaks new ground." - Reuters

"Burstein and Edwards had no idea how prescient their work would be." - The Guardian

"In his opera 'Manifest Destiny', Keith Burstein, one of Britain’s best known composers, foresaw the truth." - Sud Deutsche Zeitung

"Terrorist opera set to storm theatre world." - headline in The Observer

"'Manifest Destiny', a new opera in the works about American global power." - Los Angeles Times quote from a survey of new political theatre.

"Burstein's atmospheric melodious neo-classical score... with a tango for torture and a waltz for the Oval Office." - The Observer

"Very moving - powerful and frighteningly topical." - comment by BBC Editors.

" This most experimental of operas, the first truly political opera this side of the seventies." - Camden New Journal

"If opera is not to tackle such issues, then what?" - Peter Sellars (reknowned director/co-originator of 'Nixon In China', 'The Death of Klinghoffer', 'I Was Looking at the Ceiling And Then I Saw the Sky' and others) commenting on 'Manifest Destiny' on BBC 2’s Newsnight, July 2003.

"I find it restorative." - actor and human rights campaigner Corin Redgrave, describing 'Manifest Destiny' in The Independent.

"Very provocative …Absolutely brilliant music." -  Nicolas Kent (director of the Tricycle Theatre).

"The words of Hamlet spring to mind. When Horatio is trying to stop him following the ghost, Hamlet says ‘my soul cries out’. I think that's how writers feel - their souls cry out. That phrase describes the physical sensation when you're compelled to write by what you're feeling, seeing, hearing and knowing." - actress and human rights campaigner Vanessa Redgrave, interpreting 'Manifest Destiny's ethos in The Independent.

 

The creators speak:

"Our starting point was: where do suicide bombers come from? They don't just drop from the sky. This whole thing goes back way before 9/11; the jihad began in Afghanistan with the Russian invasion and then it was carried on with the Americans in Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War. To say they are mindless people is not addressing the problem. To be a suicide bomber is an act of despair; there's nothing more useless or hopeless." - Dic Edwards, speaking in an interview with The Observer.

"As has so often been the case since 9/11, the rate of events is breathtaking; the ability of the mind severely challenged to process and accommodate what we experience. The mere reiterating of the ‘facts’ seems inadequate, the emotions lagging behind, oppressed, startled. One area of our culture, though, is perhaps better equipped than others to mediate the tumbling fall-out - the arts. What we need now are visions of healing and light. It is the duty of artists to provide them... ('Manifest Destiny' ) imagines a scenario in which the protagonists - would-be suicide bombers - are stopped in their tracks. Not by the security services, but by their own humanity: a process of love, springing from within the peaceful teachings of Islam and triumphing over their anger and fear. In the near-future envisaged in the opera, it is Mohammed, a Jihadist committed to violent direct action, who is transformed by discovering the human-scaled, yet overwhelming nature of his love for a fellow suicide bomber. Leila, a London-based Palestinian poetess turned potential Jihad martyr, has so overwhelmed his emotions that he can neither let her die, nor let her or himself kill others..." - excerpts from an article written by Keith Burstein for The Scotsman newspaper. 

"I've always believed theatre is a place of debate... What we wanted to show is that terrorists are human beings, with the same emotions as the rest of us. While it's impossible to sympathise with terrorism, I think we have to, for the sake of the future, try and understand it... We wanted to show that potentially we are all suicide bombers if there is a cause." - Dic Edwards, speaking in two interviews with Reuters.

"Opera is peculiarly able to X-ray issues and X-ray the soul in a way that other media do not.I hope the opera will surprise people by making the characters in this story seem to be very immediate and very real...There is also a symbol at the end of a possible reconciliation between Palestinians and Jews." - Keith Burstein, speaking in an interview with Reuters.

"I think we are too unwilling to think about terrorists and their motives seriously. Most people, even enlightened and liberal ones, still think that suicide bombers are evil, mad and totally fanatical. But maybe it's more a case of normal people whose values and existence are threatened. I don't think we can allow ourselves to see Islamic fundamentalists simply as enemies. Perhaps Manifest Destiny can contribute to that...it describes a process of redemption... An opera can penetrate contemporary events emotionally and lay bare the motives of the characters with absolute clarity. Operas are principally concerned with love, but also with feelings like anger, fear and confusion - all the emotions that were encompassed in the reaction to September 11th... Opera needs to be reinvigorated so that people realise just how well it can deal with contemporary themes." - Keith Burstein, speaking in an interview with Sud Deutsche Zeitung (South German Times).

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