This year, Wexford Festival Opera presented the European premiere of William Bolcom and Mark Campbell’s opera “Dinner at Eight,” an operatic version of the stage play and Hollywood film of the same name.

At the center of the opera is Millicent Jordan, who was portrayed in this version by soprano Mary Dunleavy. The American soprano has sung all over the work at such opera houses as the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Glimmerglass Opera, Beijing’s National Theatre for the Performing Arts, The Atlanta Opera, the New York City Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, and Opéra de Montréal, among many others.

Following her performance of “Dinner at Eight” at Wexford, Operawire met up for early morning chat with Dunleavy to talk about her career and the experience of the work and the festival.

Operawire: What made you want to become an opera singer?

Mary Dunleavy: In a way, I think opera chose me. I am from Irish heritage, and I grew up singing songs, mostly Irish songs, but also from Broadway. My dad was a big Frank Sinatra fan. We went to see Broadway shows, and at this time I wanted to be a singer on Broadway. I got cast in musicals at school, and I was quite good, so people told my parents to get me some lessons. As part of the program, I learned some classical arias. But still my real interest lay in Broadway and musicals.

Then I decided to study music at college, and you just get funneled into the classical genre. I thought okay, as I figured I could always move over to Broadway later. However, I actually found that I loved the classical repertoire, and I could do it really well. But my first love was bbroadway, I really wanted to sing in musicals.

OW: How would you describe your voice?

MD: I would say my voice has an old fashion Italianate sound, it has a lot of squillo, it cuts through things, but it is also youthful and bright, and has a warmth to it. It is actually similar to how it sounded when I was younger, but like a good wine, it has nicely matured. Of course, this has nothing to do with me, it just happened that way.

OW: What are your impressions of “Dinner at Eight?”

MD: I think the opera is a little bit of an un-opera, and maybe harkens to my Broadway vibe. It has a libretto with great characters, it is funny, it has heart and also the darkness of the depression. In some ways, I feel that this is how the world is today. People don’t know what is happening or what is going to happen. So it is an opera that resonates with the present.

Bolcom’s orchestration is so imaginative, and I also love the way the music changes so quickly; one moment it is like a dance, then it suddenly becomes somber, as when Oliver has a heart attack.

Mark Campbell did a brilliant job with the libretto. He kept it true to the movie and play, but reduced and changed it so that it captures all that is needed; he kept just the right amount to keep the drama moving along, the characters alive, and it is also very funny. It is like a fast-moving play set to music, yet it still gives the characters enough time to develop and display their emotions.

OW: What were the challenges in singing the role of Millicent?

MD: There were lots of challenges. I received the music very late because they lost the original Millicent at the last moment. I had three weeks, before rehearsals started, to learn the music. It wasn’t easy.

The music is very difficult; Bolcom uses harmony in different ways than what I am used to; he uses a lot of unusual intervals like diminished chords, minor sevenths, major sevenths, things that are hard to get in your voice. He also uses rhythm in a very specific way, because he wanted to set the libretto so that it sounded like real speech patterns. When I finally got to Minneapolis I found that I was always playing catch up, and it took me some time to feel comfortable with the role and the music. Up to that point, I had never even sung a Bolcom song, and so I wasn’t used to his idiom. So it took me a little while.

Singing it was also difficult because you can speak it on pitch and therefore you must make a concentrated effort to sing rather than talk. The “mad scene” was very hard to get right and took a lot of work. It was also challenging to do the telephone calls because the music is so specific and the timing is very demanding. You must remember exactly when to sing, and when not to sing.

When it all came together, however, it is very rewarding. I must admit that singing it this time in Ireland is so much easier and much more fun than the first time in Minneapolis. I feel comfortable with the music, so I can just be Millicent.

OW: How do you see the role of Millicent?

MD: I think she is somebody we all know. She is a little self-centered. Her desire and need to keep up her image and to make things right is part of her defense mechanism. She knows the world is falling apart around her, but she also knows what she can control, and what she can do to keep her little world going. Everyone has their own way of dealing with it and for her, it is, “if I have my jewels, my quartet, and my lobster I can shut the world out and I can keep going, and just hope everything else will be ok.”

In the end, she realizes that the most important thing is her friendship and her husband. We played the piece as if she does not know he is dying. So for me, I think he is just having a bad week.

OW: This is the second time you have sung the role, first in Minnesota and now here in Wexford. How do the productions compare, and has your understanding of the role changed at all?

MD: The production is the same, but we have a few new cast members. We have tweaked the staging a little and William Bolcom and Mark Campbell provided a few changes to the libretto and the music. It is now a lot tighter, and much better for it.

Also, I have a better understanding of the music now. The first time I was so flustered trying to learn everything in such a short space of time. But, here in Wexford, I can really let go and become the character. I still worry a little, as it is very tricky music, and I still check the intervals before I go on stage, but overall I feel happier with it.

OW: Will you be performing the role in Atlanta?

MD: I hope so, that’s my plan. She’s my girl! I have become very attached and very possessive of her.

OW: Does performing in front of the composer give you any extra pressure, or is it more fulfilling? Is there a sense of pride in being the creator of the role of Millicent?

MD: For me, I definitely felt pressure in Minneapolis because I was behind from the beginning. I kept thinking William Bolcom was rolling his eyes, and asking himself if this girl will ever get the music right. But, actually, he is the nicest of men, although it is very difficult to read his expressions.

In the first few days during rehearsals, I thought he was unhappy, but he wasn’t. It was just his resting face. He is always encouraging and supportive, and this time he seems very happy indeed. I think, maybe, hearing it the second time, after having it rest for a while and leaving it to marinate often changes people’s perspective.

The fact that we were able to bring his work to life was a very proud moment and, of course, I was also very proud to be Millicent’s creator.

OW: Surprisingly, one or two of the early reviews of “Dinner at Eight” have not been wholly positive. How, if at all, does this affect you?

MD: I don’t read the reviews, although I know my husband does.

There have been two performances and dress rehearsals so far, and the audiences have been engaged, clapping and laughing. They like it!

So are the critics thinking, where is its place in history? Is it another Mozart, Beethoven and Verdi? No, it is a Bolcom, so they should compare it Bolcom and whether or not it will have a place in the repertoire? So many classic operas have been destroyed by critics, like “Madama Butterfly,” which now plays thousands of times a year.

I think critics like to have their fun, but often they don’t elucidate or clarify. It is just being mean to be mean, and I think it is partly the time we live in. People shoot barbs across the internet without concern for the consequences.

OW: What are your impressions of Wexford Festival Opera?

MD First of all, I would like to say that I love Wexford, and the people are so helpful, kind and so friendly. It makes me so proud to have an Irish background. The opera house is beautiful, great to sing in, beautiful to look at, and it so funny that walking along the street you would never know it was there.

I love the idea of what they do here; it is great they do the works no one else will do, or even think of doing. It is an unusual niche to have. I mean if you want to see “Madama Butterfly” why come to Wexford?

OW: Looking at your previous roles over the past few years, you appear to have a wide repertoire – Verdi, Puccini, contemporary opera, Strauss and Mozart, as well as a couple French composers. What do you consider to be your specialty, if of course, you have one?

MD: My specialty was Verdi, and probably still is, but now have I started adding more Strauss and Puccini. Really, if I am offered any role which I like, I will do it. I do regret, however, not having done more French music, the window of opportunity was not really open wide enough for me, so it is something I missed out on, and would have like to have done.

OW: What areas would you like to develop in the future?

MD: I would love to do more contemporary opera, as I love discovering new characters. There are now many good contemporary operas, with roles I would have loved to do, but did not get the chance, so I am hoping the opportunities will come around.

One of my major aims is to develop my Strauss repertoire. I adore his music and love singing it.

Also, I am doing a lot of teaching at the moment, working with eight sopranos, and occasionally a tenor and a baritone. It is something I really enjoy and want to develop further.