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A quick overview of Jake Heggie’s 2000 opera based on the book by Sister Helen Prejean.

Premiered

2000

Music by

Jake Heggie

Libretto by

Terrence McNally

Language

English

Though Dead Man Walking is based on the book that chronicled the real-life experiences of Sister Helen Prejean, the plot of the opera features characters that are modeled after more than one person. The fictional figure of Joseph De Rocher, for example, shares certain traits with two separate men counseled by Sister Helen, both of whom asserted their innocence. The opera also blends together certain events in order to build tension or intensify emotion.

Another thing to keep in mind: Justice and the law are not new themes for opera. Dead Man Walking may have first appeared on stage in 2000, but composers were tackling scenes of crime and punishment hundreds of years beforehand.

And finally: Since Dead Man Walking takes place in Louisiana, you may hear a lot of names and terms that have French or Creole origins. “Zydeco,” for example, is a type of Creole dance music that uses the accordion.

Louisiana: The 1980s.

Audience members witness a shocking and brutal crime as two brothers assault and kill an innocent young couple in cold blood.

The action then flashes forward to some time later. Music and laughter can be heard inside a residential project called “Hope House” as Sister Helen Prejean and her colleague, Sister Rose, teach a new song to some local children. Once the music class is dismissed, Sister Helen reveals she’s been in contact with a murderer on death row at Louisiana’s Angola State Penitentiary and that the convict wants to meet her. She’s frightened, but she’s determined to drive to the prison and show the murderer some compassion in his final days.

On the long road to the prison, Sister Helen reflects on the choices that led her to join the church and to begin writing to a man who was found guilty of rape and murder. Once inside the prison, some inmates scream obscenities at Helen while others beg for her prayers. Soon she’s face-to-face with Joseph De Rocher, her unlikely pen pal and the man convicted of the atrocities shown in the opening scene. Though Joseph is aloof at first, he eventually asks her to stand by his side at his final appeal before the judicial pardon board and serve as his “spiritual advisor.”

At the appeal hearing, Joseph’s mother pleads with the board to spare her son from lethal injection. She claims too much blood has already been spilled and too many hearts have already been broken. This fails to satisfy the parents of the murdered teens, all four of whom confront Sister Helen and ask why she’s made such an effort to comfort the De Rochers but has made no attempt to reach out to the victims’ families. Helen apologizes just as the board reaches its decision: The appeal is denied.

With Joe’s execution looming, Sister Helen tries harder than ever to get him to own up to his crimes and seek forgiveness. When he refuses, she becomes overwhelmed with emotion and collapses in the death row waiting room.

Execution day draws nearer. Alone in his cell, Joe lashes out at Louisiana society for condemning him to death. Alone in her room, Helen has nightmares about Joe’s victims and is comforted by Sister Rose.

During Joe’s final hours, his family, Sister Helen, and the families of the victims gather at the prison. As time moves forward, Helen implores Joe to tell the truth about the horrible murders. Will he confess? Will Helen find the strength to forgive him despite everything he’s done?

Listen to the Story

Photo by Cade Martin.

Presented by Washington National Opera, host Saul Lilienstein takes you through the musical world of Jake Heggie’s 2000 opera based on Sister Helen Prejean’s book, Dead Man Walking.

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