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Dead Man Walking
Jake Heggie
April 16th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st - 2002
"Dead Man Walking makes the most concentrated impact of any piece of American music theatre since West Side Story." Martin Kettle, The Guardian (London) |
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Score by Jake Heggie, Libretto by Terrence McNally
Place and Time: Louisiana in the 1980s
Prologue. Two teenagers on a date are brutally murdered by the brothers Joseph and Anthony de Rocher
Act I
Scene 1. Hope House
Sister Helen and Sister Rose are teaching a hymn to a group of children at their school in New Orleans. Rose expresses to Helen her misgivings about Helen’s plan to visit the death row prisoner Joseph De Rocher, who has become her pen pal.
Scene 2. The Drive to Angola
On the drive to the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, Helen ponders the step she is taking. She is stopped for speeding by a motorcycle cop, who lets her off with a warning and asks her to pray for his sick mother. She resumes her trip and prays for guidance.
Scene 3. Outside the Prison
Helen meets the prison chaplain, Father Grenville. He escorts her to his office through the prison yard, where prisoners are playing basketball.
Scene 4. Father Grenville’s Office
The chaplain warns Helen that she is wasting her time and that Joe is beyond help.
The warden then tells her that Joe will ask her to be his spiritual advisor to prepare for his execution. She readily accepts the duty.
Scene 5. Walk through Death Row
Inmates taunt Helen as she walks to the visiting room.
Scene 6. Death Row Visiting Room
The first meeting is awkward. Joe hides his fear with bravado as he tests Helen’s tolerance by recalling the pleasures he has had with women. Unyielding, Helen agrees to accompany Joe’s mother when she appeals to the Pardon Commission. Joe admits fear and asks Helen for help.
Scene 7. The Courtroom
Mrs. De Rocher’s hesitant pleading for her son’s life is interrupted by the angry words of Owen Hart, father of the murdered girl. Her only response is to say that another killing cannot undo what has been done.
Scene 8. The Parking Lot
Sisters Rose and Catherine and the parents of the victims wait outside the hearing room. Helen emerges with Mrs. De Rocher, and is confronted by the parents. News arrives that the appeal has been turned down.
Scene 9. The Visiting Room
Helen tells Joe that they are appealing to the Governor and that he should acknowledge his guilt and seek forgiveness. He sees no hope of redemption. She has not eaten and feels faint, and while reaching in her purse for change for a vending machine, she hears jumbled conflicting voices in her mind. The warden announces that the Governor has turned down the appeal, the voices in her head grow louder, and Helen faints.
Act II
Scene 1. Joseph’s Cell
Joe is counting out pushups when the warden comes to tell him that the date of his execution has been set for August 4th at midnight. Alone, Joe voices conflicting feelings about his impending death, Sister Helen and her advice, and his victims.
Scene 2. Helen’s Bedroom
Sister Helen awakens from a troubling dream about Joe and his victims. Sister Rose comforts her, and helps her admit that she still has to find in her faith the strength to forgive Joe herself, just as mothers forgive the failings of their children.
Scene 3. Joseph’s Cell
It is early evening on the night of Joe’s execution. Helen helps Joe pass time by telling him about seeing Elvis Presley in person when she was a girl. Unsuccessful, she attempts to urge Joe to admit his guilt and find forgiveness. The warden announces that Joe’s family has come to see him for the last time.
Scene 4. The Visiting Room
Joe has a tearful goodbye with his mother and two younger brothers. Helen takes the boys aside as Joe asks his mother for forgiveness, but she says that she thinks he is innocent. The prison guards’ voices are heard in the background, and Joe’s mother seeks comfort in reminiscing about Joe’s boyhood. He is led away and Helen consoles his mother. Alone, Helen ponders the difficult task she faces in the coming hours.
Scene 5. Outside the Death Chamber
The victims’ parents have come to view the execution; they upbraid Helen for siding with the murderer. Owen Hart is the only one that voices doubts about the value of Joe’s execution. Helen offers him her friendship and promises to visit him.
Scene 6. Preparing Joseph for Execution
Joe is manacled by the guards, who comment sardonically on his tattoos as they strip away parts of his clothes to prepare for the lethal injection.
Scene 7. Joseph’s Confession
In the short time remaining, Helen asks Joe for the truth about his crimes. Joe first blames the murder on his brother, but Helen reveals that she visited the crime scene. Joe tells the whole story, sobs, and admits his guilt. Helen assures him forgiveness - not only hers, but God’s as well.
Scene 8. The Execution
As the warden escorts Joe to the Death Chamber, Father Grenville intones the Lord’s Prayer, which is echoed by the inmates, nuns, guards, and the victims’ parents. Helen remains close and reads to Joe from the Bible. Barred from going farther, she exchanges an emotional good-bye with Joe, and takes her place with the others in the viewing room. After being strapped to the gurney, Joe asks for the parents’ forgiveness. The lethal injection is administered, and in his final moment, Joe whispers to Sister Helen, “I love you.” Her comforting hymn is the last thing he hears. |
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