World Premiere of Loving v. Virginia – BRAVO!

By Brenda H. Andrews
Publisher
New Journal and Guide

Publisher Brenda H. Andrews

There are two one-liners in the new opera “Loving v. Virginia”  that resonate with me two weeks after attending its world premiere in Norfolk on April 25.

One is from Mildred Loving, starring soprano Flora Hawk, who sings, “I feel free,” when asked her response to winning her 1967 U.S. Supreme Court case that is at the center of Loving v. Virginia.

The other is from her husband Richard, starring baritone Jonathan Michie, who makes known throughout the performance, “I just love my wife.”

This new opera, commissioned by Virginia Opera to mark its 50th anniversary, is a true story of forbidden love in an era of American history that was unraveling our nation’s racist and unfair separate but equal ideology. That makes this opera also about themes of social justice and civil rights.

This poignant story of the Lovings has been told before in newspapers, books and movies. Yet, its  current appearance in a new art form is special. Composer Damien Geter’s original music compositions – to include some authentic African-American styles of blues and spirituals – are sung beautifully in concert with English script written by Librettist Jessica Murphy Moo. This alone may attract some persons not inclined to attend or understand traditional Romance language operas.

The Virginia Opera commissioned  Geter and Murphy Moo in 2022.  Discussions for the new opera about a love  theme, centered in Virginia had begun as early as 2020, said Adam Turner, Virginia Opera’s Artistic Director, on opening night.

Advertisement

The world premiere is in collaboration with the Richmond Symphony.

Mildred, a “colored” woman, also called a Negro and part-Indian, and Richard, a white man, are the couple around whom the Virginia-based story takes place when interracial marriages are illegal in many states, including Virginia, and offenders can be imprisoned.

They fall in love in Caroline County, Va., but cannot live there as a married couple. Neither of them is on a mission to change America, but they do. They want simply to live together in their beloved Virginia homeland after getting married in Washington, D,C.

However, their marriage violates the Racial Integrity Act of 1924 that forbade interracial marriages, and is punishable by imprisonment. After failing in a series of legal twists to bypass the law, their case ends up at the U.S. Supreme Court where the court rules the antiquated discriminatory Virginia law violates the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. They win.

The Loving v. Virginia case is nine years in the making before being heard and decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, under Earl Warren. Warren, you will recall, was Chief Justice for the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case  in 1954 that declared segregated schools unconstitutional.

Geter and Murphy Moo, who are accomplished and well-respected in their respective fields, and celebrated mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, who directs the opera, comprise the spotlight of creative genius for the production.

NORFOLK NJG Publisher Brenda H. Andrews greets Composer Damien Geter and Jessica Murphy Moo, Composer and Librettist respectively, on Sunday during the world premiere at the Harrison Opera House of the new opera Loving v Virginia, See next week’s newspaper for her review.

There’s no doubt that the team behind Loving v Virginia accomplishes its challenging assignment. It is a true love story that displays the power of love under pressure, and importantly, it truly is a Virginia story in the annals of American history.

I was in attendance both for the Friday night opening premiere and the Sunday matinee at the Harrison Opera House, where I had the good fortune on Sunday to be seated two rows from Geter and Murphy Moo and captured a picture for the New Journal and Guide.

Advertisement

This story is so relevant today which makes experiencing it most worthy. As the opera debuts in 2025, decades after the Lovings’ case, we are at another critical time in American history that is seeing the roll back of years of progressive programs and policies of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), created to amend social and civil injustice for segments of our population in America.. For Black Americans, alone, we have seen federal mandates in the first four months of 2025 removing defining Black history moments, books and artifacts from libraries, websites, and museums, and perhaps yet to be seen, expressions of art.

For today’s America, it offers a new examination as it speaks to the continuing fight for justice and equality, and importantly, the supreme value of the American judiciary in our democracy to address and enforce constitutional rights and privileges, an emerging fragile topic in America in 2025.

The fight for social justice and racial equality  continues in many forms. The opera is a reminder that in America, freedom is not free which perhaps explains Mildred Loving’s response to her court victory: “I feel free.”

The opera makes its third and final Virginia appearance at the Dominion Energy Center in Richmond May 9-11, after having run two days in Fairfax (May 3-4).  Given an opportunity to attend a viewing, be sure to go. Loving v Virginia makes for an entertaining  and reflective outing, and afterward, an engaging discussion.