At the Lyon Opera : Claude

On April 6th, I went to the Opera to see Claude. I did not know much about the show before going. All I knew was that the opera was based on a book by Victor Hugo and that it takes place in a prison. Robert Badinter, the writer of the opera, is a former senator who fought against the death penalty in France. In 1981, the death penalty was abolished. Victor Hugo was also famously against the use of the guillotine and the death penalty.

The opera almost entirely takes place in the prison where Claude is taken to serve a seven year sentence. He desperately misses his wife and daughter, but he finds companionship with a fellow prisoner named Albin. Unfortunately, the cruel prison director separates Albin from Claude and refuses to bring him back. Claude is devastated by his loss and plans to kill the director. The other prisoners support him but warn that he will certainly be sentenced to death if he goes through with the murder. Claude feels as though he has nothing left to live for, so he has nothing to lose. After killing the director, Claude suffers the guillotine. The opera concludes with a ballerina dancing like an angel beneath a cascade of falling mirrored confetti. She is eventually pummeled by the angry crowds rushing across the stage. 

Sarah Hoffman