Sweet Land Opera: A Delightful Feast
I was asked by a patron and constituent to review Sweet Land. They even bought me a ticket. I know little about opera and have only seen a few in my life, but I was happy to fulfill my constituent’s request and accept their gift. This performance was far different from any opera I had ever seen. It took an entirely new approach by combining two operas into one, converging at vital parts of the story. Sweet Land shows how history repeats itself from the Pilgrims to the Wild West and how the natives extend their generosity to European colonists time and time again, and are always met with fierce cruelty and betrayal.
As we arrived at the Los Angeles State Historic Park, sandwiched between Dodger Stadium and Chinatown, we were greeted by an usher who assigned us one of two tracks, “Feast” or “Train”. We would come to learn that Sweet Land was not just one opera, but two separate stories of colonization and industrialization. We were assigned to the “Feast” and asked to sit on the right side of the stage reserved for Feast designees. Train took the left side. I read about the “Train” story presented in our brochure, but that had little to do with our show.
The show initially began with two seemingly disgruntled musicians, separated from each other, playing idly on improvised instruments. Then, the narrators (coyotes) appeared and began dancing wearily and interacting with audience members, sniffing them, and leering. Behind a veil, a scene consists of the Arrivals shipwrecked with slaves dragging their supplies, and the Natives saving them. The coyotes appear suspicious! As the initial act ends, our coyote motions us to follow them toward the next destination, Feast.
The Feast is extravagant and deserving of a king. The natives donned rich and vibrant garb while the arrivals wore conventional colonial outfits with excessively large hats resembling the Pilgrims. We take our seats, sitting directly across from a native. As the performers begin ceremonial greetings and dancing, the cowboy-outlaw, Jimmy Gin, states his superiority and shuns the festive natives and denounces their generous feast as “savage”. He demands a marriage to Makwa and confidently declares that he will improve their lineage by impregnating her with his own superior, “white” ancestry. The scene ends with Makwa hovering over Jimmy Gin with a knife raised in her hand, but not before a brawl. The Coyote provides a comic relief, snapping their fingers as the stage has frozen. Confused, the Coyote leads us to “The Crossroads” where we are reacquainted with the “Train” track.
The two coyotes continue narrating on both sides of a horrifying Wendigo, a native American legend that feeds on gluttony, fear, and excess. The Wendigo has an insatiable appetite for human flesh and is a manifestation of the Arrivals’ sins. Draped in bloody white fur, the character’s face was painted entirely white. On the back of their head, a grotesque mouth with large teeth was evident. The Wendigo only walked backwards facing the audience filling me with a surge of fear. As the Arrivals sit with white bags over their head around a dinner table with Makwa trapped between them, they demand more and more food gathering seconds, and thirds. The Wendigo is enthralled with Makwa and clearly starving. The Coyote beckons us to the final act.
The finale depicts a curated reflection utilizing an empty billboard and nearby bridge in the park providing text. As “the voices of America’s history rise up around him”, a lone character is presented at a makeshift campsite appearing demoralized and disappointed struggling to survive. Words of struggle and heartbreaking stories of pain appear on these different structures and allow the audience to read both stories simultaneously at a slightly uncomfortable pace. This last act replaced my fear and elicited a deep sadness in me.
Sweet Land reveals the vile history of American colonization and the destruction of Native peoples’ land and culture. It assures us that America is far from this “Sweet Land” that Jimmy Gin claims. It takes the generosity of Native populations and reminds us that their gifts were rejected and not reciprocated by the colonists. This opera should be a reminder to everyone to view others’ cultures objectively, through minimal bias, and an open-mind. With an expert performance, fantastic costume and set design, and a brilliant story, I offer Sweet Land my utmost recommendation and implore you to see the show!
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