Event
Opera Omnia presents Monteverdi's The Coronation of Poppea, fully staged in English
Claudio Monteverdi's The Coronation of Poppea
Fully staged, in English
at Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleeker St.
August 21, 22, 25, 26, 27
Preview/open dress rehearsal August 20
Performances at 7:30 PM, Hall (and bar) opens at 6:30 PM)
Avi Stein, Music Director
Crystal Manich, Stage Director
Wesley Chinn, Producer
Hai-Ting Chinn, Poppea
Cherry Duke, Nero
Melissa Fogarty, Ottavia
Jeffrey Mandelbaum, Ottone
Steven Hrycelak, Seneca
Molly Quinn, Drusilla
John Young, Arnalta
Marie Mascari, Fortune/Valetto
Melanie Russell, Virtue/Damigella
Kathryn Aaron, Amore
Robert Boldin, Lucano/Soldier II
Richard Lippold, Littore/Soldier I
Avi Stein, Harpsichord
Daniel Swenberg and William Simms, Theorbo and Baroque Guitar
Christa Patton, Baroque Harp
Motomi Igarashi, Gamba and Lirone
Aaron Brown and Dongmyung Ahn, Baroque Violin
Carla Bellisio, Costume Design
Evan Purcell, Lighting Design
Lauren Brown, Set Design
Kathleen Stakenas, Stage Manager
Elizabeth Archer, Assistant Director
Anne Wood, Make-up Designer and Costume Assistant
Katya Khellblau, Technical Director
This modern-staged production will bring to life the immortal tale of love and betrayal in Nero's Rome. The use of vernacular language and modern staging is not so much a re-imagining as a restoration of the dramatic immediacy that the original performances would have had. The result will preserve the musical integrity of a period-instrument performance, while also being thoroughly accessible, engaging, and fun to a wide variety of audiences.
Poppea (1642), written within a half-century of the birth of opera, is still universally acknowledged as one of the great exemplars of the genre. The opera tells the tale of Emperor Nero's affair with Poppea, Nero's de facto execution of his tutor Seneca after the latter's attempt to sway him from his course, Poppea's ascension to the throne in place of the exiled Empress Ottavia, and Nero and Poppea's abandonment of their respective spouses and eventual wedding.
The inventors of opera, of whom Monteverdi was a leading example, created a musical style with text set over a bass line. This allowed the singer--often accompanied by a single instrument--to be easily understood while delivering text at a pace closer to that in a spoken play than in later opera.
The style was a hit. The new works were filled with beautiful music performed by young singers dressed in the high fashion of the day. Their passionate, dramatic performances attracted nobility and commoners alike, and throughout the century, operas were commercial ventures in public opera houses, selling out long runs and making celebrities of composers and singers.
Opera Omnia seeks to update this aesthetic. The action on stage will bring the tale of Nero and Poppea's lurid romance to life in a fashion which is more dramatically akin to what audiences today expect from a play (or perhaps even a musical) than most opera. Meanwhile, our historically-informed approach using period instruments will present Monteverdi's timeless score in service of and partnership with the action on stage.
Ticket Information:
$200 table (seats up to 5), $25 general admission, $10 (with 2-drink minimum) bar/mezzanine box
Preview/Open dress on August 20, $5 cover, 2-drink minimum
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Location(Le) Poisson Rouge
158 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10012
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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