大象传媒

PROLOGUE

Peter Grimes is questioned by the villagers about the sudden death of his apprentice. They suspect him of being responsible for it, and it is not the first time that a boy working for him has died under mysterious circumstances. But Peter himself is still in shock and can barely find the strength to defend himself against the accusations. Mr Swallow, representing the angry villagers, decides not to pursue the matter any further. It seems to him that the boy's death was a result of "accidental circumstances". Grimes, however, is urged to take on a grown-up and real man as an assistant instead of another boy. It would also be good if he were to take a woman into his house so the tongues would stop wagging about him at last.

Now Grimes awakes from his lethargy: in a rage he starts to hurl the truth into the faces of the villagers who all hurry out of the room in a panic. The inquest is adjourned.

The village schoolmistress, Mrs Ellen Orford, tries to calm Peter down and says she will always stand by him.

ACT I

Following the uproar of the last few days, Peter Grimes has even fewer friends in the village. The apothecary Ned Keene has inquired at the workhouse about a new apprentice for him and already has everything arranged. The boy can begin an apprenticeship with Grimes and, of course, live with him in his house.

But Mr Hobson, who is meant to collect the boy from the workhouse, refuses to go and soon has the support of the rest of the village. They think it all "dirty jobs". It is only when Ellen Orford volunteers to go with him that Mr Hobson relents.

Silently, Grimes has been watching how things are taken out of his hands. As a storm approaches, Captain Balstrode tries to persuade Grimes to talk. He wants to know what really happened between him and the apprentice. For one brief moment, Grimes allows a glimpse of how much he is suffering because of the boy's death. But then he merely tells Balstrode what he says to everyone: With the aid of an apprentice he wants to expand his business at long last, to make his fortune, to be able to support a wife and to finally stop all the gossip about him. When Balstrode simply laughs at him, a quarrel breaks out and the two men almost come to blows.

In the meantime the storm is raging and the whole village has taken refuge in Auntie's pub. The pub is also being closely watched because Auntie has two of her nieces working there who are very popular with the lonely men in the village and, what is more, do not actually appear to be her nieces. Even the eccentric Mrs Sedley has come to Auntie's. She is waiting for the apothecary who procures illegal sedatives for her.

At the height of the storm Grimes enters the room and panic breaks out among the villagers. They do not want to be in the same room as this "devil". Bob Boles, a member of the Methodist church and something of an eccentric himself, accuses Grimes openly of murdering boys. It is all the landlady can do to prevent a riot.

Now Hobson, the carrier, enters with Ellen and John, the new apprentice. Everyone immediately registers the way Grimes looks at the boy. Despite the continuing storm, Grimes takes him home with him. "Home?" the villagers shout. "Do you call that home?"

ACT II

A Sunday morning, several weeks later. While the villagers are in church, Ellen tries to find out from John whether he is happy at Grimes's house and whether Grimes is treating him well. But John does not want to tell her anything about himself. Then she notices a strange mark on his neck. Now she knows: "Well... it's begun." Grimes suddenly appears, catching them unawares, and tells John to come with him straightaway. He says he needs his help without delay. But Ellen confronts him and demands to know how the boy came to have the strange mark. Grimes does not answer her questions and she becomes more insistent and tells him the truth: "Peter, we were mistaken. We've failed." Peter then makes as if to strike Ellen, but John restrains him.聽

"Amen" sings the congregation in the church and Grimes, with the boy on his arm, answers, "So be it! And God have mercy upon me!"

The congregation has been watching the dispute from the church and now resumes the pursuit of Grimes. Stirred up by the Methodist Bob Boles, who makes the village rector Mr Adams out to be a weakling who tolerates everything, the villagers decide to pay a visit to Grimes鈥檚 hut to see what sort of things are going on there. Ellen is accused along with Grimes for helping him in his "cruel games".

Auntie, the two "nieces" and Ellen cannot understand a world in which men turn to weapons to resolve conflicts. Balstrode too, who, out of a certain liking for Grimes, tried to defend him against the villagers, now finds himself in a dilemma as he is forced to accept how things are between Grimes and his apprentice.

When the villagers approach to inspect Grimes's hut he panics and leaves the house by the back door, taking the boy with him. He intends to sail far out to sea with him.

The delegation of villagers that enters Grimes's house finds no one at home. Again the investigations are called off. Everything looks very clean and tidy.

ACT III

Several days later. Grimes and the boy have not been seen, and of course rumours are flying. A village f锚te has been hastily organised to take people's minds off the situation.

Only Mrs Sedley refuses to let the matter rest. She eavesdrops on a conversation between Balstrode and Ellen Orford, who has found the boy's soaking pullover on the shore. It is a pullover that she herself knitted and embroidered for him. Grimes's boat has also been sighted, but there is still no sign of Grimes himself. Mrs Sedley wastes no time in telling the news to the entire village. There has been another murder and this time there can be no doubt: Grimes is the killer. Everyone sets out to search for him.

Grimes hears the voices calling for him. All he wants now is to end it all. He feels that he has failed. He will never succeed in living the way he must and wants to. He will never find a place to call his "harbour".

Balstrode, who understands Grimes better than anyone else in the village, advises him to sail out to sea in his boat. One last time. Ellen no longer has the strength to hold Grimes back.

When, a few hours later, reports reach the village of a sinking boat, everyone breathes a sigh of relief. Nothing of importance. Now life can continue as normal.

courtesy of Theater an der Wien