Michael Mayes talks about Dead Man Walking

Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking has quickly secured its place in the operatic standard repertory since its premiere in  2000. Some of operas most amazing performers have taken on the role of alleged killer Joseph De Rocher, including John Packard, Daniel Okulitch, Philip Cutlip, Etienne Dupuis, Jordan Shanahan, Thomas Gunther, John Arnold, Marcus DeLoach, David Adam Moore, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Zachary Gordin and Mel Ulrich. But no-one has distinguished himself more in the role more than Michael Mayes, who even the composer called the "definitive" singer for the role.

The opera, with a libretto by Terence McNally, is based on Sister Helen Prejean’s 1993 account of her work on death row at the Louisiana State Penitentiary. The opera now makes its debut in the state where the story takes place, as the New Orleans Opera performs the piece on March 4 and 6. The opera also stars Jennifer Rivera as Sister Helen Prejean, Margaret Lattimore as Mrs. Patrick De Rocher and Adrienne Danrich.

We asked Michael Mayes to talk about the role. 

Were this merely a piece designed to lionize a man whose life was absolutely torn apart by war but ended somewhat happily with an affirming end of life moment- such as in Unbreakable- one would probably not have much anxiety about playing this role in corny of his family... But Glory Denied is an unflinching look at two very flawed individuals who weren't equipped to cope with the fallout that 9 years in a brutal prison camp that would reek havoc in the lives of them and their children.  There was no silk scarf over the camera lens to blur the sharp edges- and in order to play this man- I had to tell the truth- much of which wasn't pretty.  Knowing they would be there- seeing  this man that very much wanted to be perceived as a hero (to my mind he still was despite the struggle that he had to endure) was something that kept me up nights.  As the day grew closer, the anxiety that I had began to evolve into a kind of electricity.  I'd done my homework, I knew this man as well as someone who'd never actually met him could- and I had to just trust that the choices I made were appropriate and somehow told a truth- even if it wasn't 100% him.  

As I wandered around the stage that evening- telling Jim's story in all of its dimensions, both brutally honest and sympathetic, I knew that the they were somewhere in the first rows, in a very small house.  As I became Jim I had to push that thought from my mind and simply tell his story as best as I knew how.  As the lights went down on our show, I was curled into a fetal position on the deck, after one of the hardest arias I've ever had to learn which depicts colonel Thompson, body ravaged by a stroke that took his most treasured ability with it- coherent speech (Col Thompson was known to be an incredible public speaker), a ratty bathrobe soaked in stage booze, and alone still fighting the demons that plagued him his entire life- I began to come back to myself and realize that it was done.  When the lights came up on the audience I recognized his son Floyd immediately.  All around him was his family- and they were smiling.  Some with tears in their eyes.  I knew in that moment that we'd done right by him.  

After the performance we had the chance to speak with them- and their words of affirmation still ring in my ears.  It was one of my proudest moments.  Col. Thompson 's story was so important to me- and knowing that we did him justice- that his family approved, was absolutely invigorating artistically.

Dead Man Walking is based on true events- but Joseph is a fictional character.  He's not meant to be a depiction of any one historical figure, but rather to represent the journey of a man convicted of horrific crimes, sentenced to death, and eventually led to redemption by Sr. Helen.  The genius of the collaborators Terrence, Jake, and Sr Helen is that they're free to tell a story that isn't held to a concrete narrative (the names and biographical tapestry of the characters are not taken directly from history) and spares the families of all involved the pain of having their lives put on display over and over again.  

That being said- when we arrived here in New Orleans we were invited to a meet and greet to meet some important members of the NOLA opera community.  The impact that the horror of the crimes Sonnier and Willey committed was immediately apparent.  One board member recounted that she has to drive by Robert Willey's grave every day on her way into town.  One woman told me emphatically that she's looking forward to the opera, but that she was most definitely in favor of the death penalty.  The significance of doing this opera, in this town was never lost on me- but was never more starkly apparent to me as I spoke to people for whom this isn't an abstract story that occurred someplace else- this is an opera that conjures the ghosts of people who are buried in the soil all around them.  

We were asked to speak a little bit about our impression of the opera- and your question is exactly the one that occurred to me as I began to speak.  Without a doubt, in the audience, there will be people for whom this is an intensely personal story.  The horror that the men on whom my character is based inflicted is very real for them.  There will be friends, acquaintances, perhaps even family of these young people that were ripped from their lives out there. Watching.  And this is a very different story from Col Thompson's in that he was very much the victim of a horrible circumstances.  In the case of Joseph- I'm playing the instrument of horror- a man whom to many is an irredeemable monster.  It's a very different experience- and I have no idea what it will feel like to be him on his home soil.  It's incredibly intimidating to say the least- but by the same token, it's an enormous privilege and one I look forward to with every fiber of my being.  

The most significant benefit of having had the privilege of performing this role as many times as I have, is the opportunity to economize and distill the epic nature of a character like Joseph down to a really streamlined and efficient portrayal.  When I first took on the role, I red-lined the entire night.  I put the pedal to the metal and kept it there for 3 hours.  I'd be absolutely wrung out physically and emotionally at the end of the night.  Now that I've had the chance to play him with many different players- I've been able to better recognize the ebb and flow of the character and use my energy in a much more effective way, so that in each moment, I'm always searching for the balance that is appropriate for that particular moment, instead of constantly feeling like I had to jump headlong into every interaction with abandon.  What I've found is the ability to relax into the natural ebb and flow of the narrative and allow the character to be carried along by the drama that Jake and Terrence have created , rather than feeling the need to control it.