Last weekend at Ted Mann Concert Hall, the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus gave the world premiere of "Through a Glass, Darkly," a dramatic oratorio that it commissioned from New York composer Michael Shaieb. This dark work explored the consequences of crystal-meth addiction by following the fates of three men: Sebastian, addicted to crystal meth; Zack, his lover waiting at home, and Billy, a club kid, seduced by Sebastian, who becomes a user.

A lively score could not overcome the inherently undramatic libretto.

The oratorio spins out as a continuous progression of 13 songs. Shaieb's pop sensibility comes through in music with a strong melodic and rhythmic thrust. He successfully captured the club environment -- the milieu of much of the action. A variety of ballads and anthems, a quirky piece set to a salsa beat and a moving a cappella number made up the diverse score.

Shaieb wrote his own libretto, and as a composer, he deserved a better text. Part of the problem stems from his assignment to focus on the chorus. As a result, the three characters remained unhelpfully generic. There was little chance to invest in them or their relationships. There was too much choral commentary, dissipating the dramatic tension. Ultimately, I didn't care.

The Gay Men's Chorus staged the story with exuberant theatricality. The chorus was arranged on three floors of boxes, as if in an arena, looking down on the action. Dazzling lighting and multimedia effects that enlivened even the longest choral sections could not overcome the static nature of the work.

The soloists had a hard time standing out. Paul Brekke's Sebastian was faceless. As Billy, Justin Scharr didn't have enough to do to make much of an impression. Ironically, it was Zack, the least dramatic character, who had the strongest effect. Bryan Fisher's final ballad was a moment of real emotional connection. But it was not enough to keep the piece from feeling emotionally unsatisfying.

Artistic director Stan Hill led the 120-voice chorus in an idiomatic and passionate performance. But diction problems meant that the work was incomprehensible unless the listener had read the synopsis, seriously diminishing the impact.

The first half was a mixture of show tunes and pop songs on the theme of friendship. From Sondheim to Porter, Abba to Simon and Garfunkel, the chorus sang with a lighter touch. Good diction in this case had a more positive effect.

William Randall Beard is a Minneapolis writer.