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Let me preface this post by saying that I’m really, really late. The new American opera of Margaret Garner was originally debuted in April 2005, but I wanted to highlight some of the new dates and events coming up to encourage some of our readers to expand their routine of a nice night out.

But first, some history.

Margaret Garner

This is an old story, dating back before the Civil War, of a young mother who killed one of her children after attempting to escape slavery in an attempt to circumvent their fate in that unimaginable reality. An inspiration to Toni Morrison’s Beloved, the story of Margaret Garner, and the legal battle that ensued, defined the core issue of the Civil War and challenged the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. From MargaretGarner.org:

One winter night, Margaret and her family joined an escape party and crossed the frozen river to find freedom in Ohio. Their hiding place was soon discovered and surrounded by pursuers. Margaret declared she would kill herself and her children before she would return to slavery. As her husband was overpowered and dragged from the shelter, Margaret seized a knife from the table and killed her daughter. She then attempted to take the life of her other children and to kill herself, but she was captured and jailed before she could complete her desperate work. The trial resulted in a major legal debate about whether she should be charged with murder or “destruction of property.” Margaret Garner was found guilty of “destruction of property” and was remanded back to slavery.

The Garner trial addressed crucial issues in constitutional law and posed key questions at the core of the rift in the Union. To abolitionists, the case decisively illustrated the pathology of slavery. The events leading up to and including the ultimate act of infanticide were endemic, they proclaimed, of slavery’s tragic heroism. However, on the other side, Margaret’s actions served only to underline the subhuman nature of all slaves and their absolute need for indenture.

A recent article over at Freep.com highlights how her story, retold in a critically-acclaimed self-titled opera, is making its way through the diverse efforts of the Michigan Opera Theatre in Detroit, MI and debuting at the Auditorium Theatre here in Chicago, IL.

Available through Ticketmaster, tickets range from $40 to $150, and are running in Detroit, October 18th through October 25th and Chicago, November 1st through the 9th.

As a bonus, if you’re in Chicago, special prices are open to college students and discussions sponsored by the DuSable Museum and Chicago Foundation of Women are going on.

A video introducing the story is below.

Have any of you seen this opera? Does it pique your interest? If you do decide to go, report back and let us know how it went!