The Makropulos Case, Royal Opera – Pointless Feminist Complications
Janáček described his nature-versus-humanity fable The Cunning Little Vixen as “a merry thing with a sad end.” By contrast, the even stranger Makropulos Case is a chattery legal mystery with a transcendent conclusion: the 337-year-old (437 in this update) protagonist decides life only has meaning within its natural span and rejects the formula she pursued.
The director Katie Mitchell’s production fails to convey this transcendence, instead complicating the already verbose text by adding a subplot where minor character Krista falls in love with Emilia Marty.
Although the original play, written by Karel Čapek, also a man, tries to evoke sympathy for Emilia Marty—forced as a girl to take a potion of eternal life and subsequently used and abused by men—the feeling fluctuates throughout the performance.
Viewers hope for clarity to emerge from the frequent, irritating internet-like exchanges between Marty, Krista, and the boyfriend Krista manipulates to sneak valuable documents from the singer’s bedroom. These documents are intended for sale to reach Berlin.
Meanwhile, the complex legal case “Causa Gregor-Prus,” dragged out over many years much like Dickens’ Jarndyce v Jarndyce, proves difficult to follow and ultimately gets lost in the narrative.
“a merry thing with a sad end” — Janáček on The Cunning Little Vixen
Legal complications of "Causa Gregor-Prus" have dragged on over years like Dickens' Jarndyce v Jarndyce, hard to grasp at the best of times.
Author’s summary: Katie Mitchell’s production of The Makropulos Case overcomplicates Janáček’s legal drama with confusing subplots, losing its thematic depth and the intended transcendence.