The title track is more than catchy. Not only may it inspire humming the hook long after the show is over, but it’s a clever tribute to a saint that was motivated to accomplish her mission from God at all costs. It’s inspirational, fiery, and sung with a rock growl by Liza Giangrande, a charismatic actress with a dynamite vocal range who also portrayed Jo in Greater Boston Stage Company’s Little Women the Musical last year and received an Eliot Norton Award nomination for her performance. Giagrande was definitely born to do this.
Giangrande does a spectacular amount of heavy lifting for this role which contains a large repertoire of original musical numbers with a large cast that take her from Domremy, France to the City of Orleans at the age of 16 to attempt to accomplish what no woman has before.
With book and lyrics by Zoe Bradford and co-directed by Zoe Bradford and Sally Ashton Forrest, music and lyrics by Melissa Carubia with collaborator Michael Hammond and musically directed by Robert McDonough, Company Theatre unveiled the world premiere of Born to Do This: The Joan Of Arc Rock Opera live and in person at Company Theatre in Norwell, MA continuing through August 20. Click here for more information and for tickets.
Illustrations, painted detailed backdrops of the French countryside, and dank dungeons with wrought iron gates by Ryan Barrow are illuminated by lighting designer Dean Palmer Jr. with visual projections by Logan Puleikis. Purple lighting, flaming lanterns and intermittent celestial brightness blended with dynamic visual projections of a gorgeous church altar, a brilliant starry sky, luminescent flames and lit church windows create the mysterious and humble atmosphere of the Middle Ages.
Born to Do This: The Joan of Arc Rock Opera tells a broad and epic historical tale that delves into Joan Of Arc’s life, but also explores the Hundred Years’ War between France and England. The show has an uplifting overture and begins with a glimpse into one of Joan of Arc’s victories before rewinding the clock back to her childhood. Francesca Miele depicts the younger version of Jeanne with effervescent charm, determination, and chiming vocals. Miele and Anne Martland share some sweet scenes together as Jeanne’s conflicted and compassionate mother with the beautiful number, Angels All Around.
The enigmatic manner in which Jeanne learned of God’s mission is peculiar and fascinating involving Dru Daniels as Nanette and Zion Amparo as St. Michael. It is unimaginable, and yet so clear and extraordinary. It would have been nice to have seen Amparo’s encounters with Jeanne more often just to see the progressive building of that bond. Amparo soars for the number One Life and the angels’ presence during battle scenes were a beautiful touch. Laird LaCoste is enchanting as Henry IV as he flaunts around playfully for the adorable number, The King with Two Crowns oblivious to the weight of his future accompanied by Kevin Groppe as the Duke of Bedford and Bishop Cauchon by Steve Dooner who both deliver impressive performances especially for Sold for a King’s Ransom. Giangrande and Dooner create some riveting tension, especially later in the production.
However, this show has its uneven moments and does not fit squarely as a rock opera. The music is considerable with a weighty storyline and would like to have known some of the characters better. With so many other cast members traditional and faithful to the era in boots, plain garments, and royal vestiges, some of the other costumes in leather, feathers, sneakers, and eyeliner are so contemporary, they seem out of place. For example, in the number, Nobody Parties Like a Bastard, the party scene seems to not quite fit with the mood and manner of the rest of the production.
Jeanne is trying to accomplish a tremendous mission which makes an indelible impact, breaks societal norms, and the production makes it as plain as day that Jeanne is doing what is considered a man’s job. It is critical to the story, but is emphasized much more than Jeanne’s accomplishments which weren’t as clear. What warrior Joan of Arc accomplished being different is also what made her special, extraordinary, and the very reason this musical was created. Her adversity and faith becomes her greatest strength.
Greatness isn’t always understood, and her destiny was built on exactly who she was and stands as a testament to the good she accomplishes at such a young age and an inspirational life that should never be forgotten.
With book and lyrics by Zoe Bradford and co-directed by Zoe Bradford and Sally Ashton Forrest, music and lyrics by Melissa Carubia with collaborator Michael Hammond and musically directed by Robert McDonough, Company Theatre unveiled the world premiere of Born to Do This: The Joan Of Arc Rock Opera live and in person at Company Theatre in Norwell, MA continuing through August 20. Click here for more information and for tickets.
This article repeats the play’s central claim that Joan of Arc “broke all the rules” by “doing a man’s job”, which has been debunked by many historians and in fact it was borrowed from the slander generated against her by her enemies while ignoring the actual context. Joan herself said (during the fourth session of her trial) that she didn’t fight, which is confirmed by eyewitnesses who likewise said she carried her banner in battle rather than fighting. She denied calling herself a commander since there was always a nobleman in command. She was a religious visionary in an era when there were many women who had been accepted in that role (e.g. St. Catherine of Siena advised Pope Urban VI). Her so-called “male clothing” was just the soldier’s riding outfit that was given to her to wear for practical reasons by the soldiers who escorted her to Chinon and which she continued wearing in prison so she could keep it “securely laced and tied” to prevent her guards from pulling her clothing off, according to quotes from her relayed by several eyewitnesses. This practical usage was allowed by the terms of medieval Catholic theology since the standard summaries such as the “Summa Theologica” explicitly grant an exemption in cases of necessity. None of this would violate any of the rules of the era, and in fact she had a lot of support from high-ranking clergy such as the Inquisitor for Southern France (Pierre Turelure), the Archbishop of Embrun (Jacques Gelu), the famous theologian Jehan Gerson, and many others aside from the pro-English clergy who put her on trial. English government records prove the English manipulated her trial and their collaborators falsified the transcript and convicted her on false charges. The play largely just repeats the claims made by her judge, Pierre Cauchon, who had served as an advisor for the English occupation government for much of his life and had a long and well-documented history of crime and corruption, including a criminal conviction in 1414 by a secular judge. The play should at least get some of this basic history correct. Some of the play’s characters are entirely fictional, such as Nanette and Clarisse, and some of the costumes are just bizarre (as this article briefly mentions).
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