LW Opera Club Free Screening: ‘Lakme’

All are invited to a free screening of Leo Delibes’ tale of intercultural love in India, “Lakme,” on Tuesday, May 19, at 1:30 p.m., in the Learning Center of Clubhouse 3. Margaret Gillon will introduce this tale of East-West romance written 150 years ago when speculation substituted for knowledge about the emotions of people.

Act 1 introduces Lakme, the daughter of a Brahmin priest who is singing with her friend and servant Mallika while gathering flowers in a secret garden. A British officer, Gerald, passes by and is so taken with Lakme’s beauty that he proceeds to sketch her. However, when her father sees that, he swears revenge against the foreigner who invaded the sacred space.

Act 2 shows the father, Nilakanthe, forcing Lakme to sing in the marketplace to attract the return of Gerald who is then stabbed by the father. However, Lakme helps the wounded Gerald escape to the forest, choosing love over loyalty to her family.

Act 3 finds that Lakme has chosen love and nursed Gerald back to health. The two confess their love and Lakme fetches sacred water to seal their union. Yet, when Gerald’s friend Frederic arrives to remind Gerald of his obligation to the military, Gerald yields to his duty. Lakme then consumes the poisonous bark of a tree and dies, preserving her love in death, as her father arrives.

This 2022 production is performed in French with English subtitles by Opéra Royal de Wallonie. People are encouraged to wear masks indoors. For more information, contact Margaret Gillon at 562-370-3844 or Margaretgi@ yahoo.com. —Sylvan Von Burg

Opéra Royal de Wallonie