The Wall is a concept album by Pink Floyd that tells a story in 26 songs. It is a cautionary tale of a disaffected and disconnected rock star who, as his life crumbles, builds a metaphorical wall around himself. Another Brick in the Wall Musical opera is based on Roger Waters’s 1979 album The Wall and features original words and music by the former Pink Floyd bassist. Composer Julien Bilodeau and director Dominic Champagne have adapted the music to create a full opera with eight soloists, 48 chorus members, and a 70-piece orchestra.

Cast

The cast of Another Brick in the Wall Musical opera is composed of a variety of talented singers who perform in English and French. The cast includes baritone Nathan Keoughan, mezzo-soprano Gillian Lynn Cotter, sopranos France Bellemare and Caroline Bleau, and tenor Etienne Dupuis. Actors and musicians in the cast of Another Brick in the Wall Musical opera wear costumes that represent the era when the album was released, blending into the ambiance of 1970s London. This makes for an intimate experience as Pink (Nathan Keoughan) and his bandmates (Caroline Bleau and France Bellemare) navigate the challenges of being rock stars while trying to maintain a personal connection with their fans. This production has a sense of humor and whimsy, especially in how the characters respond to the audience. As a result, the performance is more accessible to a wider range of audiences than a traditional opera. Adapted for the stage by Julien Bilodeau, Another Brick in the Wall Musical opera presents a more contemporary take on Waters’s iconic lyrics and music than his original album. The resulting product is more than just a tribute to one of Pink Floyd’s most celebrated works: It’s also a timely evocation of contemporary issues facing our society today, including the rising threat of violence.

Another Brick in the Wall – The Opera

It is currently being produced by Cincinnati Opera and Montreal Opera as well as many other regional and international companies. Its world premiere was at the Opera de Montreal in March 2017. Johnny Ranger designs the opera’s production. It features two immense movable panels that project computer-generated backdrops, strobe lights, and other eye-popping visual effects that add to the psychedelic mood of the piece. The set design departs from the lavishly designed classical opera sets common in this genre. A harrowing and thought-provoking exploration of the human condition, Another Brick in the Wall will appeal to opera buffs and Pink Floyd fans alike. Composer Julien Bilodeau has written an engaging score for this opera that brings a fresh perspective to the story of The Wall. Whether or not this version will be a hit is yet to be seen. The production of Another Brick in the Wall was a highly successful world premiere at the Opera de Montreal. It is now making its American debut with Cincinnati Opera at Music Hall. The stage production was a big hit with the audience and garnered standing ovations.

In an era of political uncertainty and the rise of fascism, Pink Floyd’s 1979 concept album The Wall may seem like an unlikely candidate for a rock opera. But Quebec composer Julien Bilodeau’s Another Brick in the Wall, based on Waters’ lyrics, is a unique take on the genre that defies the traditional notions of rock music and aims to tell a story that would be impossible to convey in conventional musical form.

The creative process

When Pierre Dufour, director of Opera de Montreal, first approached Roger Waters about creating a musical version of The Wall, he didn’t expect that Waters would be interested in making it an opera. But after hearing Bilodeau’s proposal, Waters immediately endorsed it and signed on as the singer of Pink in the opera.

At the time, Dufour had been working with Waters on his previous work, Les Feluettes, which was also created from a novel concept. While rehearsing for the latter, he had been listening to The Wall and realized that it could be the perfect basis for an opera.

“I think it is a great idea,” Dufour said, adding that he felt The Wall’s strong narrative structure and thematic elements make it a great fit for an opera. And so he began to work on a draft of the libretto.

The production process

Once that was approved, it was time to write the score. The team began with the lyrics and adapted them to suit an opera’s needs, meaning that each song is written for the specific character who sings it. The opera is about a man named Pink, whose life comes back to him in flashbacks after he collapses in a hospital. The lyrics tell the story of a broken man who has constructed an emotional wall that he builds around himself to isolate himself from the world.

There are some striking moments in the opera, such as Pink’s girlfriend attending a protest where police beat down prisoners. And the way that the riot-police swoop in to chase down prisoners in slow motion is harrowing.

But the opera doesn’t always succeed in achieving its symphonic vision. The vocalists’ performance is not always as smooth as it should be, and some dialogue isn’t quite right.

It explains why it is sometimes difficult to keep track of the singers and what they are doing at any given moment.

Despite the speed of the production, however, it remains a fascinating look at how a band can take their music and create something new from it. It’s a testament to how artistic directors and performers are willing to embrace change and try to create new works with fresh perspectives, even in a world where everything is becoming more standardized and predictable.

For many, prog-rock and opera have always seemed an unlikely pairing. Yet, when composer Julien Bilodeau and playwright Dominic Champagne adapted Pink Floyd’s groundbreaking 1979 album The Wall for the Stage, it changed the music world. The result is an entirely new genre: the musical opera.

The opening scene of Another Brick in the Wall at Music Hall strips away the glitz and glamour of a typical opera. Rather than most operas’ extravagant sets and costumes, a simple curtain rises to reveal a bare backstage view of an arena-style concert filled with flashing lights and a rowdy crowd.

This scene is a recreation of an incident at a Pink Floyd concert in 1977. During the performance, Pink invited a fan to climb onstage. When the fan spit in Pink’s face, Waters became agitated. He mused about building a wall between himself and his fans.

It is a frank and often poignant story of isolation and alienation, a theme that’s as relevant today as ever. The opera’s creators tapped into that sentiment, crafting a tale of an isolated rock star who builds a psychological wall around himself.

In this case, Pink constructs his wall to protect himself from trauma and loneliness. But unfortunately, throughout his life, he endures a series of traumatic events that eventually become his source of isolation.

Ultimately, however, the protagonist’s relationship with himself heals and allows him to reconnect with others. Whether it’s through his father’s death, a disastrous marriage, or a series of rage-fueled benders, Pink eventually reclaims his life and rebuilds his walls.

Aside from a few rearranged lyrics, Another Brick in the Wall keeps most of the songs’ original melodic themes and vocal lines. That may seem daunting initially, but it’s important to remember that the alterations don’t mean Bilodeau changed everything about the original compositions.

One of the most notable alterations is in the song “Part 2,” originally written as a single track to be used as a part of the album The Wall but has since been interpreted as a protest against corporal punishment and rigid school systems. However, the song has been embraced by conservatives who see it as an anti-establishment chant.

This interpretation has led to some controversy, with Waters arguing that he doesn’t agree that such an approach is appropriate. However, he also points out that he has never been a fan of governmental corruption and has consistently denounced it in his work.

The other major change in this adaptation is the presence of a children’s choir. The chorus is an integral component of the story, and in this version, it plays a much bigger role than it did in the original.

In the original version, Pink’s parents are just a voice in the background, but they’ve fully developed characters here. In addition, the character of his sadistic teacher is fleshed out with a full cast of voices.