In an instant, her world is swept away. Aurora, the young protagonist in The Good Peaches, running April 14-16 at the Cleveland Play House, must learn to cope after a flood claims her family and village. Although the play has a minimalist set and only three speaking actors, the flood is portrayed through a more visceral medium: music from an onstage orchestra. The third collaboration between the Cleveland Play House and the Cleveland Orchestra, The Good Peaches is written by Pulitzer Prize winner Quiara Alegría Hudes and directed by Cleveland Play House artistic director Laura Kepley. After collaborative brainstorming, Hudes selected two pieces of music from options chosen by Cleveland Orchestra associate conductor Brett Mitchell and wrote the play while listening to them. We take note of how the music carries two key scenes.
Scene 2: Four Sea Interludes, Op. 33a IV: Storm by Benjamin Britten
Cleveland Play House
Aurora's mother, a seamstress, has sent her to deliver a dress to the queen. But then, a sudden storm disrupts the fairy tale. An eight-member chorus of nonspeaking actors portrays the waves, and Aurora is swept up. "Where we thought we are going gets completely changed and thrown off course by the storm," says Kepley.
Cleveland Orchestra
As the storm crests, the orchestra plays as the acting pauses. "It's as though you were unconscious, immediately regained consciousness and then were in the middle of a hurricane. It's the middle of this enormous crash," says Mitchell. "It's just utter chaos — unbelievably musical chaos."
Scene 3: Shaker Loops I: Shaking and Trembling by John Adams
Cleveland Playhouse
Aurora pulls herself out of the water. Repurposing the dress and other debris, she assembles a boat using skills she learned growing up in a fishermen's village. "Aurora is able to build both on the sewing skills her mother gave her," Kepley says, "but also all those hours that she spent observing the fishermen now come in handy and, in fact, help her to survive."
Cleveland Orchestra
After constructing her boat, Aurora sets sail. As she heads to sea, attention shifts to the orchestra again. This time, Adams' light, strings-heavy music exudes serenity, a departure from Britten's full orchestration that clanged through in the last scene. "It's such a jarring juxtaposition that it really does feel like you're in a new world," says Mitchell.
Scene 2: Four Sea Interludes, Op. 33a IV: Storm by Benjamin Britten
Cleveland Play House
Aurora's mother, a seamstress, has sent her to deliver a dress to the queen. But then, a sudden storm disrupts the fairy tale. An eight-member chorus of nonspeaking actors portrays the waves, and Aurora is swept up. "Where we thought we are going gets completely changed and thrown off course by the storm," says Kepley.
Cleveland Orchestra
As the storm crests, the orchestra plays as the acting pauses. "It's as though you were unconscious, immediately regained consciousness and then were in the middle of a hurricane. It's the middle of this enormous crash," says Mitchell. "It's just utter chaos — unbelievably musical chaos."
Scene 3: Shaker Loops I: Shaking and Trembling by John Adams
Cleveland Playhouse
Aurora pulls herself out of the water. Repurposing the dress and other debris, she assembles a boat using skills she learned growing up in a fishermen's village. "Aurora is able to build both on the sewing skills her mother gave her," Kepley says, "but also all those hours that she spent observing the fishermen now come in handy and, in fact, help her to survive."
Cleveland Orchestra
After constructing her boat, Aurora sets sail. As she heads to sea, attention shifts to the orchestra again. This time, Adams' light, strings-heavy music exudes serenity, a departure from Britten's full orchestration that clanged through in the last scene. "It's such a jarring juxtaposition that it really does feel like you're in a new world," says Mitchell.
