Story by Ali Costellow
Photos by Megan Geisler
A local courtroom was packed with people this weekend to witness not a real legal dispute, but a dramatic comedy opera mirroring one.
On Friday, April 17 and Sunday, April 19, the WKU Opera Theater program debuted their rendition of “Trial by Jury,” a one-act British satire opera about a breach of promise lawsuit.
The show is an inherent over-the-top juxtaposition, showcasing a very biased judge, jury and bailiff who sing their love to the plaintiff in a very real room where very real legal decisions are made.
Stage Director Liza Kelly said Judge J.B. Hines suggested the idea to actually perform the opera at the Warren County Justice Center.
“He was very supportive,” Kelly said.
The opera began with the character bailiff, played by student Lane Tenbarge, introducing the case’s scope to the jury, played by opera students, and the public, the unsuspecting audience. Short and sweet, the 45-minute opera went as follows.
The bailiff, the jury and the judge, played by student Ashleigh Chapman, are evidently head-over-heels for the plaintiff Angelina played by sophomore vocal music education and performance student, Kiris Ray. Angelina’s character is a beautiful bride donning an extravagant lace wedding gown.
This obvious bias for Angelina dominated the punchline for most of the show, an insult to her ex-fiancé defendant Edwin, played by Noah Chudgar. The disheveled Edwin, hair slicked all the way back, wore a white button-down with the collar popped to claim the dispute could settle if he could marry both Angelina and the woman he left her for.
All the while, he flirts with Angelina’s bridesmaids, played by students Ginger Pinotti, Mary Helen Kirkland and Olivia Booher. The heartbroken Angelina shrieks and sobs throughout the hearing, which concludes with the judge professing his own love for her and Edwin walking out arm in arm with the bridesmaids.
Jereal McTier, a freshman vocal performance student who played a jury member, said students and faculty spent the whole semester preparing for the show on campus, using blocks to represent what the courtroom would look like. McTier said the cast only practiced on-site once before the actual performance, and additionally prepared the sound logistics.
“A judge room isn’t meant for acoustics,” McTier said. “But for a one-day rehearsal, it was very put-together.”
Ray said that since the show had a shorter run-time than most, the preparation process was streamlined.
“We really invested in the text and the historical significance of what a courtroom looks like and what people wore,” Ray said. “This is set for a British audience, so we’ve had to change a lot of things, and ad lib things in, which was a really fun experience.”
Those ad libs included mentions of Warren County and Kentucky, prompting chuckles from the audience throughout the whole opera.
“I’ve done theater for so long, but I’ve never had an immersive experience like this,” Ray said. “I just feel very fortunate.
