Theatre Review by Ron Fassler . . .

Starting and ending with the question “What makes a person?,” the new American opera Blind Injustice deals head on with weighty matters of existential crisis. It is based on the work of lawyers and advocates who make up the Ohio Innocence Project, whose mission is to free every innocent person in the state who has been convicted of a crime they didn’t commit. Beginning in 2003, their mighty efforts have led to the release of 42 wrongfully convicted Ohioans who spent over 800 years in prison. In this majestically sung piece, staggering statistics are given full life by way of real-life stories depicted onstage that are never less than harrowing. Sung with a fierce intensity, a talented cast of twelve men and women gathered for a two-night only engagement courtesy of Master Voices at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theatre. Ted Sperling, its artistic director and conductor, leads twelve musicians and a chorus of a few dozen more in a glorious testimony to the pursuit of justice. In these current, trying times it provides most welcome testimony that sometimes there can be light at the end of the tunnel. It’s hard to say the end result is worth the journey, but at least seeing wrongs made right offers some solace in a world that often feels like its spinning off its axis.

Blind Injustice’s origins began in Ohio when Cincinnati Opera partnered with Young Professionals Choral Collective for a theatre piece based on a book by former prosecutor Mark Godsey which deals with six separate cases taken up by the Ohio Innocence Project at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Composer Scott Davenport Richards and librettist David Cote conducted interviews with those falsely accused and imprisoned. Then, under the guidance of director and dramaturg Robin Guarino, this production had its world premiere in 2019 in Cincinnati. Here a formidable cast of singers has been recruited by Master Voices for a taught 90-minute presentation that captivated its first-night audience at the Rose.

Victoria Okafor (Alesha), center, with from left: Joshua Dennis (Defense Attorney) , Eric Shane Heatley (Rickey Jackson), Thomas Capobianco (Clarence Elkins) and Reilly Nelson (Nancy Smith) in Blind Injustice.

Led by the booming bass-baritone of Christian Pursell as a character only referred to as Prosecutor, the entire company excelled in vocal excellence. As one of a trio of prisoners known collectively as the East Cleveland Three, Orson Van Gay II’s piercing tenor stood out for its clarity and passion. Performances from Thomas Capobianco as another prisoner and Victoria Okafor also thrilled with soaring arias. Especially welcome is Broadway mainstay Marc Kudisch, recruited for a number of roles that offered him the chance to show his wide range and versatility. The entire ensemble is to be commended as is Robin Guarino’s able direction and staging. Tracy Christensen’s costumes are both pragmatic and visually arresting, as are the lighting by Jason Flamos, and the commendable sound design from David Meschter. 

Orson Van Gay II (as Laurese Glover) in Blind Injustice.

At the short length of ninety minutes (especially for an opera), a lot is packed into its multiple plots. If one were potentially eliminated in order to that the others be strengthened, I would nominate the Rickey Jackson storyline which, in spite of his imprisonment resulting in a thirty-six year incarceration, didn’t resonate as deeply and felt underdeveloped (no fault of Eric Shane Heatley’s performance).

But for an evening of strong, impactful music aided and abetted by a worthy desire to get stories like these out there for people to understand “What makes a person,” attention should be paid to Blind Injustice. It doesn’t get more real than this.

Blind Injustice is being presented February 3rd and 4th by Master Voices at the Rose Theatre, Broadway at West 60th Street, NYC. For further information, please visit https://www.mastervoices.org/events/blind-injustice/.

Photos by Erin Baiano

Headline photo: Members of the company of Blind Injustice.