The Jailer’s Tale

a new opera by Malcolm Singer with libretto by Nick Toczek

Finchley Children’s Music Group was formed to mount a production of Benjamin Britten’s children’s opera Noye’s Fludde. To celebrate the choir’s 50th anniversary, Musical Director Grace Rossiter commissioned composer Malcolm Singer and poet Nick Toczek to create a new children’s opera for the same forces – 3 adult roles, children’s choir and soloists, strings, piano and percussion.

The result is The Jailer’s Tale, which was premiered by three professional adult soloists together with some 170 young people, aged 5 to 18 years, from the Finchley Children’s Music Group with the orchestra from the Yehudi Menuhin School conducted by Grace Rossiter in February 2010.

This is the tale of Citizen X – the man in the street – an archetypal scapegoat, put on trial for the woes of the world. It is also the story of his community who move from anger and protest, to silent collusion and the forces that act upon them to create their silence. The story is universal and timeless, but also very much of today.

Newspapers flood the public square, shouting the headlines that will sell. Soldiers patrol the streets, keeping unruly citizens at bay while The Cabinet make sure that anyone that does not agree with them is labelled a troublemaker. But the country is in a parlous state and unrest is bubbling. The Cabinet decides upon their favourite tactic in such circumstances - shift the blame. With the assistance of a professional informer, they isolate one ordinary man and, with the help of force, persuasion and propaganda make sure that the citizens believe his demise will solve all their ills.

Will the trial of Citizen X solve the crises of society? How do we make a different sort of future? And how do we deal with the part of ourselves that always seeks the scapegoat?

The three adult soloists will play the cynical and witty Jailer – the deft narrator of our tale, the slippery and sultry Informer and the pompous Judge, who presides over the public trial that takes place at the heart of our story. Children will play all the other roles, including Citizen X and his family, the cabinet ministers, soldiers, newspapers and the community that are at the centre of the tale.

Nick Toczek’s rhyming text brings a very light touch to these dark issues, with the jokey Jailer at the centre of the piece. Malcolm Singer’s music creates three strongly characterized adult roles. He is very experienced in writing for children’s voices and has created music which will challenge and delight both singer and listener. Director Hannah Mulder will bring her lively and physical style to the piece, harnessing the potential of our young performers.

The Jailer’s Tale received its premiere staged performances at the Pentland Theatre - artsdepot, Finchley on Friday February 26th and Saturday February 27th 2010. Prior to this it received a concert performance at The Menuhin Hall, Stoke D’Abernon, Surrey on Sunday February 7th 2010.