'Glory Denied' by Vulcan Lyric

Colonel Jim Thompson’s service record was similar to John McCain’s; he was captured in 1964 and not released until 1973. Unlike McCain, Thompson came home to a broken marriage and became an alcoholic. He had chosen to go to Vietnam even though he was a father of three and could have asked for a deferment; his wife could have remained faithful during his absence. Those choices by Thompson and his wife can be seen as metaphors for the actions taken by the United States and all of the other nations involved in Vietnam and, later, in the Middle East — decisions made, often with good intentions, that resulted in unforeseen disaster.

Agitation and madness

The music reflects Thompson’s agitation and anger while it also rises to passionate expressions of his longing for the world he left behind. Tom Cipullo’s score is rough and uneven when Thompson’s being tortured and gnarly and clashing during his stressful scenes, but the composer pauses for old-fashioned arias that give the singers moments in the spotlight: Thompson’s remembrance of a happy marriage before the war is shown in romantic music that approaches Broadway accessibility.

Cipullo even wrote a mad scene, similar to the one Donizetti gave Lucia of Lammermoor in the 19th century, but here it’s a man losing his mind over the way the world has changed in his absence. It’s a showstopping moment as he catalogues all the things that he can’t get used to after his nine-year absence — “men with long hair, miniskirts, 8-track tapes, acid rock, Woodstock, Gatorade and Roe v. Wade, central air and no school prayer, see-through blouses and lying spouses, bucket seats and wives who cheat.”

Simultaneously old and young

Thompson endured torture by his North Vietnamese captors, then came home to find that his wife, Alyce, had been sleeping with another man. After anguished introspection, Thompson told his wife that he forgave her and he wanted their marriage to continue. She angrily denied that she did anything that required forgiveness, and she chooses to stay with a lover rather than her husband. She justifies herself in an aria, "He went through Hell, but so did I." (The real Colonel Thompson and his wife are now deceased.)

Writing both words and music, Cipullo chose to cast two Thompsons and two Alyces, and he developed a dialogue between past and present, with the older and younger couples singing duets, trios, and carefully interwoven quartets.

Younger Thompson (Brandon Snook) suffers in a North Vietnam prison while Older Thompson (Jason Switzer) is the man who comes home. His recollections allow both to appear side by side in some scenes. Switzer has never had such a spectacular role and he aces it, with a strong voice and riveting stage presence, especially during his mad scene.

Younger Alyce (Kate Oberjat) is the innocent bride and young mother with a lyric soprano voice who sweetly sings “My darling, my darling.” She is Jim's idealized vision of her during his captivity, while Older Alyce (Darla Diltz) is the mezzo who cheats on her husband and says she doesn’t “give a shit” what he thinks.

The composer’s score is friendly to singers and to audiences. Cipullo writes with natural grace, avoiding wide leaps of notes that sound strained.

Rich orchestral color is achieved by a nine-person ensemble that features a French horn and woodwinds along with many percussion instruments. Benjamin Grow expertly coached the singers and led the orchestra.

Editor's note, August 26, 2015: Tom Philpott, the author of the biography on which this opera is based, states that the real-life Thompson did not become homeless, as Cohen portrayed in the original version of this review. The panhandling Thompson presented in this opera was added by director Leland Kimball to represent a kind of "everyveteran." I have removed Cohen's reference to Thompson's homelessness in the third paragraph of this review. [Judy Weightman]