The singers who played the couple became Treemonisha and her adoring friend, Remus, in the opera proper. More stylized — and effective, and relevant — was the conception, in an entirely different sound world than Joplin’s, by the Isango Ensemble. “We wanted to show quite clearly that if Monisha doesn’t take that child, that child is going to die,” Dornford-May said. With the poverty in the townships — life expectancy of 49, TB rife, H.I.V. rife — with that sense of poverty, disease and death hanging over people, to take in another mouth to feed is extraordinary.”

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Persons: Louis, Berlin, Chilton, Joplin, Remus, Alexander —, Rajendra, Justin Austin vibrated, Mark Dornford, wasn’t, “, Monisha, ” Dornford, ” Locations: St, Joplin, Cape Town, South Africa, Caen, France, America