The Phoenix Pepper
Chamber Opera in One Act
for Soprano and Offstage Male Chorus
Synopsis
The action takes place in an unamed South American country a few years
after the Second World War. Selena, the wife of a British diplomat, is
hosting a grand dinner party. It is early evening, and she is impatiently
waiting for her guests to arrive. In particular, she is waiting for
three people. Her husband, Geoffrey, has been summoned to an important
meeting with government officials about the state of the country, which
is in crisis, and should have been back some time ago. Her lover,
Roderick, is to be one of the guests, and she is looking forward to
seeing him. Finally, she is waiting for a messenger, who has been sent
in search of a mysterious spice, the phoenix pepper, which only grows
in a remote part of this country. Selena has been hoping to use the
phoenix pepper in tonight's dinner. It's too late to include it in the
main course, but it may still arrive in time for the salad.
As she waits, she thinks about her life. She
has lived in many countries and had many affairs. But her main passion
is cooking. Her continual moving from man to man and country to country
has been mostly driven by her obsessive curiosity about national cuisines. The
only reason she is in the present country is the phoenix pepper. Her
marriage to Geoffrey is one of convenience (he was able to help her
stay in the country), and even her affair with Roderick is pepper-related
- he seduced her by promising to take her into the mountains to find it,
but the expedition failed.
As the action continues, it gradually becomes
apparent that the dinner party is not going to happen. A revolution
is taking place. The servants have fled, and Geoffrey has been arrested.
Selena is about to suffer the same fate. But just as she prepares to
flee, the messenger arrives with the phoenix pepper. She tastes it as the
opera ends.
Scenes
The scene is the dining room of a large house, the table laid for dinner.
Flashbacks are black-and-white silent films. Audio-visuals are colour slideshows with spoken voiceover.
- Establishing scene. Selena, still in her day-dress, checks table-setting etc and summons the servants without success.
- Audio-visual 1. Phoenix pepper, botanical description.
- Phone-call. Geoffrey explains that he's going to be late, and talks about the political situation.
- Flashback 1. Selena sings about her escape from Greece during WWII just ahead of the German army. Accompanying film.
- Selena tries to find servants, rings bell, shouts etc. Drunken chorus of servants singing folksong outside.
- Phone call. Roderick warning he might be late. Selena's anxiety about their relationship.
- Audio-visual 2. The menu.
- Selina describes her childhood, and love affair with food.
- Interlude. Selena leaves stage to dress for dinner. Drunken chorus returns, more menacing. Telephone rings.
- Series of phone-calls from guests, apologizing for lateness, non-attendance etc. Selena desperately tries to find replacements. Roderick phones again, ending their relationship. Tango.
- Flashback 2. Expedition into the mountains with Roderick and the messenger, Gustavo, that failed to find the phoenix pepper.
- Selena recalls her conversation with Gustavo, and imagines his new search for the phoenix pepper.
- Phone call. Admiral Ramirez Vasco, telling her Geoffrey has been arrested and warning her to leave the country.
- Panic. Folksong chorus builds to climax. Power cut - stage goes dark. As the opera ends, we hear Gustavo arriving and Selena welcoming him. She tastes the phoenix pepper, but we never hear what it was like.
Copyright © Matthew Francis, 2003.
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