Synopsis for 'Angelis'
This musical describes many issues of the medieval age. It brings to light the power of the Catholic Church in those times, the inequality of the sexes and the harshness of life in general. It also highlights the necessity of belonging to a community in order to survive in this world. 'No man is an island' or should I say, 'No person is an island'.
The story is based in Northern Ireland, 1275, and begins in the fictitious village of Ballyburn. Twelve year old Osana, daughter of a wealthy merchant, befriends a lay brother visiting her town . His name is Jordain and over a short time he falls in love with her . Osana is unaware of his true feelings for her. Unfortunately one of Osana's brother's tells her parents that she is fraternising with a peasant and she is put on house arrest until she is fifteen and ready to marry (by arrangement) her father's friend, Cathal (an Earl) . Jordain, meanwhile, is beaten senseless by Osana's brothers and he is found by a band of priests and taken to a nearby monastery to convalesce .
Over the next three years Osana begins to write music and study religion . When she is fifteen she marries the Earl, Cathal, but runs away , when he assaults her on their wedding night, and joins a convent as a novice.
Fifteen years later she is a fully-fledged nun and is writing sacred songs for the Cistercian Monastery she belongs to. She has a close friendship with a fellow nun, Brigit, and life seems to be going well. That is until Jordain, now a monk, comes to join her monastery and realises he is still in love with her . Osana doesn't recognise him and, keeping his identity a secret, he becomes her mentor and friend.
One night Osana is working late on some songs and Brigit joins her. Jordain sees them together and realises their relationship is a lot stronger than he had originally thought. He becomes insanely jealous of Brigit and confronts Osana in her rooms. Announcing who he is, Osana is overjoyed, but Jordain is unable to control his loving desire for her and forces himself on her.
Absolutely mortified by his shameful actions and lack of control, Jordain runs from Osana and leaves the monastery . Osana is left alone . Both Brigit (who has been ordered to another convent) and Jordain, her 'soulmate', have abandoned her.
In three months she discovers that she is pregnant and, unable to live with the shame of having defiled her 'purity', she commits suicide by jumping from the church tower to her death .
Osana is led, as a spirit, by a small 'angel' called Rosalyn, to visit both Brigit and Jordain to ask forgiveness and bring a peace to their lives, before she moves into the next life . The 'angel' is actually Osana and Jordain's daughter in spirit form.
Both B rigit and Jordain 'sense' the presence of Osana and find peace in themselves. The end of the show sees Osana and Rosalyn ascending to the sky and becoming two light orbs of energy flying off to a new life in a new dimension .
Ideology
The story is quite 'operatic' in its intensity and outcome. But it is ultimately about three people who love each other in very different ways and, due to cultural and sometimes primitive influences, react quite passionately to each other. Therefore the two main crimes of passion perpetrated by Osana and Jordain represent not only the love for each other and desire for truth in their lives, but also shows the fallibility of humans through their guilt, shame and prejudice. The true strength of the characters is shown through the forgiveness they have, not only for the each other, but also for themselves. It is not a religious forgiveness, it is a soul forgiveness. One that goes beyond this lifetime and the paths we choose to understand life's meaning.
This musical portrays that it is not the mistakes of humans on which we need to focus, but how we deal with those mistakes that shows us the way forward in knowing our true selves.