Soprano Elizabeth Norman plays the title character in the world premiere of Paul Carter Harrison’s “Doxology Opera: The Doxy Canticles”–the story of a troubled Southern woman and her search for meaning in a hard world. “Doxology Opera” premieres Friday at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave. 8 p.m. 312-397-4010. $18.
Q: When you were first approached about “Doxology Opera,” what did they tell you?
A: Actually, I wasn’t told very much, so I’m learning as everyone else is learning, but I know it’s a true account of a woman who lived in Georgia many years ago. She had a sordid past. She was a lady of the evening because of events in her young life. I think she had a dysfunctional home; I think she was molested by her father at a young age and lost her sense of who she was. So this in essence is about her life and how she got back to where she needed to be in life.
Q: I don’t want to pry too deeply, but I’m assuming you don’t have any lady of the evening experience?
A: No, although a few years ago I was Musetta in a Lyric Opera’s neighborhood production of “La Boheme.” So that’s the closest I’ve gotten. I may be earmarked for ladies of the evening as well! [laughs] See, the stories are still the same; it’s the characters that keep changing. Instead of Musetta’s boa, Doxy has high-heeled pumps.
Q: Obviously, singing is at the center of an opera, but like an actor, you also have to grasp and convey the nature of your character.
A: It’s been quite a challenge, because Doxy is quite a complex individual. This has been more of a challenge for me, vocally and character-wise, than any other piece I’ve ever done.
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