The Perfect Screw

OVERVIEW

Title: The Perfect Screw
Composer: Abigail Richardson
Librettist: Alexis Diamond
Commissioned By:

Tapestry Opera's Composer-Librettist Laboratory

Language: English
Producer:

Tapestry Opera

Run Time:

Roles:

Role	Voice Type	Range ?	Character Description
P. L. Robertson	middle-low	G2-Bb4	Inventor of the Canadian Screw
Amalia	high	Bb3-D5	Modern-day woman, building furniture
Phillips	middle	C3-D5	Inventor of the American Screw
Henry Ford	middle-high	G3-F#5	Founder of Ford Motor

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Orchestration: Clarinet in Bb (+ slide whistle), Percussion, Piano, Violin, Cello

SYNOPSIS

Nominated for a 2009 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Musical/Opera, this 40-minute tragi-comedy about creative integrity, autonomy, and the right fit is an allegorical tale that dismantles the ironies of capitalism; a parody of cross-border relations; a romance.

Due to the all-powerful Ford selecting the American Phillips screw for the car industry, the technically superior Canadian Robertson screw got the short end of the stick. Yet, the Robertson lives on, honoured by true (Canadian) craftspeople. But who will DIY handywoman Amalia choose? Will she be seduced by the slick, fast-talking salesman, Phillips, or will she find the perfect fit with the creative inventor, Robertson?

MUSIC DESCRIPTION

Ranging from intensely dramatic to absurdly comedic, the music amplifies the storytelling, contrasting the epic past with the mundane present, drawing out the larger-than-life themes, ratcheting up the conflict and animating the pathos and drive of each distinctive character. An ensemble of violin, cello, clarinet, percussion, and piano creates a rich-sounding mini-orchestra with a wide colour palette, capturing every nuance of the interlocking storylines.

SCORES FOR PURCHASE

Libretto:

The Perfect Screw – Libretto

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Arias & Excerpts:

The Perfect Screw - Act 1, Scene 1: "Ladies and Gentlemen" (aria)

Robertson demonstrates the new “automatic spiral ratchet spring-loaded screw driver,” affectionately called the “Yankee.” The demonstration is cut short when the driver slips off the single slot screw, injuring Robertson’s hand.

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Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Robertson	middle-low	A2-E4

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The Perfect Screw - Act 1, Scene 2: "Fates, I curse you" (aria)

Robertson in his shop, Amalia (present day) in her bathroom with her antique vanity, Phillips in his workshop, also injured by a screw driver slip.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Robertson	middle-low	A2-G4
Amalia	silent-spoken	silent
Phillips	silent-spoken	silent

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The Perfect Screw - "In my journeys far and wide" (aria)

Phillips sings the praises of his new screwdriver.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Philips	middle	D3-C#5

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The Perfect Screw - "Wandering endlessly" (aria)

Amalia dreams of what can be accomplished with hardware.

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Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Amalia	high	C4-A5

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The Perfect Screw - "Hmm... he cuts quite a figure" (aria)

In the afterlife, Henry Ford invites Robertson to present his screwdriver.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Ford	middle-high	G#3-E5

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The Perfect Screw - "Double slit Phillips" (aria)

Amalia critiques the two screwdrivers and chooses the Robertson.

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Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Amalia	high	Bb3-Bb5

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The Perfect Screw - Act 1, Scene 2

Robertson in his shop, Amalia (present day) in her bathroom with her antique vanity, Phillips in his workshop, also injured by a screw driver slip.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Robertson	middle-low	A2-G4
Amalia	high	F#4-A5
Philips	middle	C3-C#5

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The Perfect Screw - Act 1, Scene 3: "Wandering Endlessly" (aria)

Wandering in a big box store, Amalia dreams of what can be accomplished with hardware.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Amalia	high	C4-A5

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The Perfect Screw - Act 2, Scene 1

In the afterlife, Henry Ford invites Robertson to present his screwdriver. Ford is rapturously impressed, and offers Roberston a deal - but with the catch that Ford would then own the rights to his invention (as Ford puts it, he demands "complete submission"). Phillips reveals himself and makes a sales pitch. Ford is less attracted, but offers the same conditions and Philips accepts.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Ford	middle-high	G3-F#5
Robertson	middle-low	G2-F#4
Philips	middle	C3-G4

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The Perfect Screw - Act 2, Scene 2

Ford and Phillips celebrate while Robertson is chagrined and depressed by his failure to get the contract. Amalia finally finds the screwdriver aisle in the store.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Amalia	high	Bb3-D5
Robertson	middle-low	A2-G#4
Philips	middle	C3-Bb4
Ford	middle-high	G#3-E5

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The Perfect Screw - Act 2, Scene 3

Amalia critiques the two screwdrivers and chooses the Robertson.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Amalia	high	Bb3-Bb5

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The Perfect Screw - Act 3, Scene 1

Phillips realizes he will not get rich in his deal with Ford, but Ford will.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Ford	middle-high	G3-F5
Philips	middle	C3-D5

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The Perfect Screw - Act 3, Scene 2

Robertson, still sad, hopes his screwdriver will still be of use to others.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Robertson	middle-low	A2-Bb4 (falsetto)

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The Perfect Screw - Act 3, Scene 3

Amalia at home, mounting her vanity. She praises the Robertson's screwdriver as he observes from heaven.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Amalia	high	D4-C6
Robertson	middle-low	G2-F4

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The Perfect Screw - Act 3, Scene 4

All sing the praises of the Robertson screwdriver.

Character	Voice Type	Range ?
Amalia	high	C4-B5
Robertson	middle-low	A2-F#4
Philips	middle	Eb3-Bb4
Ford	middle-high	G#3-Eb5

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PREMIERE PRODUCTION INFORMATION

Premiere Production:

Opera to Go 2009, March 27, 2009 at Enwave Theatre, Harbourfront Centre,Toronto ON

Producers:

Tapestry Opera

Cast:

Role	Name
P. L. Robertson	Peter McGillivray
Amalia	Sally Dibblee
Phillips	Keith Klassen
Henry Ford	Scott Belluz

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Premiere Production Team:

Role	Name
Director	Tom Diamond
Music Director	Wayne Strongman
Set and Costume Designer	Julia Tribe
Set and Costume Designer	Jung-Hye Kim
Lighting Designer	Kimberly Purtell

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CREATION

DEVELOPMENT

Commissioned by Tapestry New Opera for its 2009 Opera to Go program, The Perfect Screw premiered on March 27, 2009. The one-act opera was directed by Tom Diamond, with music directed by Wayne Strongman. Set and costumes were designed by Julia Tribe, with Jung-Hye Kim, and lighting by Kimberly Purtell. The cast included Peter McGillivray as Robertson, Sally Dibblee as Amalia, Keith Klassen as Phillips, and Scott Belluz as Ford. That same year, the opera was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Musical/Opera.

QUOTATIONS FROM CREATIVE TEAM

The Perfect Screw is a chamber opera created with librettist Alexis Diamond and commissioned by Tapestry. It is scored for soprano, countertenor, tenor, and baritone, with instruments clarinet, violin, cello, percussion, and piano. As the title suggests, the opera is an outrageous comedy, but the music and characters are often played quite seriously, making it even funnier. The music emphasizes and exaggerates the story and characters. A fictional Henry Ford/aka the Devil (countertenor), has seductive or evil music. Robertson's music is steady and dependable, while Philips is appealing, yet can be fickle. As Amalia wanders in a big box store with nobody around, we hear a clip of "The Girl From Ipanema" over the speakers while the ensemble starts to play alienated disparate music. The question of which screwdriver to buy turns into a racy love aria in the store aisle. This fun work, while not taking itself too seriously, is filled with dramatic and satisfying music filled with character.

- Abigail Richardson-Schulte

QUOTATIONS FROM MEDIA

“The Perfect Screw, at 37 minutes, the evening’s longest and strongest piece, by composer Abigail Richardson and librettist Alexis Diamond. It uses the Phillips vs. Robertson screw debate as a metaphor for Yanks vs. Canucks, to brilliant, comic effect. All hail new opera!”

- John Tetrauds, The Toronto Star (26 March 2009)

“The scene where the contemporary Amalia pushes the orange shopping cart of a well-known hardware chain through imaginary aisles, poignantly singing of ‘wandering endlessly,’ was priceless. And the opera’s climax slyly subverts its own over-the-top phallicism: When Robertson magically witnesses the modern-day triumph of his screw, it’s clear the real turn-on for Amalia is her newfound power as a handywoman. Like all good metaphors, the story spoke to people on its nuts-and-bolts level. Richardson’s well-paced score leapt agilely from thought to thought, and included several satisfying ensemble numbers.”

-Tamara Bernstein, The Globe and Mail (28 March 2009)

“At times hilarious, at other times moving, The Perfect Screw explores the whole range of the operatic emotional canon. That it does so while giving a history lesson on the invention of the Robertson and Phillips screw— that it’s so very big while about something so very small—is a remarkable feat.”

- Ryan Oakley, mooneyontheatre.com (29 March 2009)

AWARDS

Nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Musical/Opera (2009)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

“P.L. Robertson was a Canadian inventor who was one of the first to solve successfully the major drawback of the common slot screw fastener: its annoying tendency to cam out and strip the head and damage the surrounding surfaces.

His invention, the Robertson square drive fastener, was simple to manufacture, requiring only two blows from the stamping head to shape the head and form the tapered recess for the driver. Robertson was so assured of the superiority of his invention, that he tried to sell it to Henry Ford to facilitate the assembly of his automobiles. Henry Ford saw the merit of his invention and the time he could shave off the assembly line, so he offered to buy outright the rights to the invention.

P.L. Robertson refused, wanting to keep the rights to himself. So the Robertson never made it in the US, while it became a staple here in Canada, and Henry Ford, still liking the idea, had someone else come up with an alternative... The Phillips cruciform (or star) fastener.“

- Valley Woodworker Blog

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