boston lyric opera fall of the house of usher

He becomes agitated, and William tries to soothe him. Roderick reveals that he and Madeline were twins. William helps Roderick carry Madeline’s coffin down to the tomb under the house. In the dollhouse, Madeline’s death casts a shadow over the House of Usher. Madeline has died, as has Luna’s pet chick. Images describe dancing, joyful gatherings, and birds flying free, which soon are replaced by news reports showing crowds of migrant families. Luna stares out the window at the other children in the detention yard.

He tries to sleep, but is awakened by troubling dreams of Roderick and Madeline. William observes Roderick brushing Madeline’s hair and is unnerved. Outside the House of Usher, a storm rages. Archival footage shows images of life in the United States. His nerves are overwrought from caring for Madeline, and he says that he cannot leave the house. Roderick, pale and drawn, greets William, but when William gives him a music box as a gift, Roderick recoils from its sound. We learn that the Ushers’ story is taking place within that dollhouse and Luna’s imagination. Luna stumbles across an abandoned dollhouse. Meanwhile, archival television footage juxtaposes idyllic images of American family life, with that of children in detention centers, like the one where we see Luna again. Upon entering the gloomy home, William meets a physician, who warns him not to upset the household. Roderick and his sister, Madeline, are the last left of the Usher family, and Madeline is mysteriously ill. Simultaneously, William rushes to the home of his boyhood friend, Roderick Usher, who has sent him a letter begging him to visit. Luna, a young girl, is watching television at home in Guatemala City when her mother receives a phone call. Please note this synopsis contains spoilers for the film experience. These pieces frame the original opera libretto. This synopsis represents three interwoven stories – Poe’s original story the story of Luna, a young girl from Guatemala City and references of an American story shown through archival images.

Boston lyric opera fall of the house of usher