Flight (1998)

Act 1 – The Refugee cannot leave the airport because he does not have a passport or other documents to allow him to enter the country legally, therefore driving The Immigration Officer to look for the Refugee in order to arrest him. Surrounding this conflict is a cast of traveling characters involved in their own dramas. Married couple Bill and Tina are going on holiday to try to rediscover romance with the help of a sex manual. Minskman is a diplomat relocating for an assignment, and his wife, Minskwoman, is pregnant. The Stewardess and Steward, when not serving the customers, enjoy a vibrant physical relationship. At the last minute, the Minskwoman is afraid to fly, and her husband leaves without her. As Act I closes, the Controller announces that, because of the inclement weather, all flights are indefinitely delayed, and all the characters are suddenly stranded.

Act II takes place at night, just after the storm has grounded all the planes. After all the characters have gone to sleep, Bill, in an attempt to break out of his “predictable” nature, makes a pass at the Stewardess, but finds the Steward instead. The two of them agree to venture up to the heights of the control tower. The Refugee tries to insinuate himself with the various women and gives them (at various points) each a “magic stone” that he says will cure their individual travails. The women and the refugee decide to get drunk and, as the storm builds, the women realize that the Refugee has given them all the same “magic stone” and turn on him in a fit of rage, with dire consequences for the Refugee. The consequences of Bill and the Steward’s explorations are no less cataclysmic.

Act III takes place at dawn after the storm has cleared and every character is reeling from the events of the previous night. The Minskman has returned on the first available flight back, unable to face his separation. The Minskwoman goes into labor and delivers her baby in the terminal. The characters, with the insight of newborn life, reflect on the problems in their lives and offer forgiveness to each other for their wrongs. The other characters offer their help to persuade the Immigration Officer to reconsider the arrest of the Refugee, though all attempts are unsuccessful. The Immigration Officer says that the Refugee cannot leave the terminal, but he decides otherwise to “turn a blind eye” and not arrest him. Flights are called and under the Controller’s watchful eye, the airport returns to normal.

Glyndebourne, 1998

Artists:

• Conductor - David Parry
• Director - Richard Jones
• Refugee - Christopher Robson, countertenor
• Controller - Claron McFadden, soprano
• Bill - Richard Coxon, tenor
• Tina - Mary Plazas, soprano
• Stewardess - Ann Taylor, mezzo-soprano
• Older Woman - Nuala Willis, contralto
• Steward - Garry Magee, baritone
• Minskman - Steven Page, baritone
• Minskwoman - Anne Mason, mezzo-soprano
• Immigration Officer - Richard Van Allan, bass-baritone