West Bay Opera
The Turn of the Screw
A young Governess has been engaged to take care of Miles and Flora,
two children who live in a remote house on an English country estate.
The Governess has been warned by the children's guardian that she is
to take care of everything, and that she is not to bother the guardian
with problems. At first, the Governess is enchanted with the beauty of
the estate and the charm of the two children. But soon, she becomes aware
of a strange sense of mystery which hangs over the house. Two former
servants - Peter Quint and Miss Jessel - have recently died, under strange
circumstances. The Governess sees glimpses of their ghosts. From Mrs. Grose,
the housekeeper, she hears veiled hints of terrible things that have
happened. She finds the children unable to concentrate on their lessons,
and increasingly obsessed with morbid thoughts. She comes to believe that
the ghosts already exercise an evil control over the children, and that
she herself is caught in a deadly struggle over who will possess their
souls. Defying her instructions, she writes a letter to the guardian,
hoping that he will see her. Under Quint's direction, Miles steals the
letter before it can be sent. Finally, the Governess manages to save Flora
by sending her away with Mrs. Grose. In a last desperate confrontation with
Quint, the Governess demands that Miles identify the ghost as the malign
influence over him. The boy does, but at the cost of his life.
7 May, 1998