Opera Memphis Presents PYGMALION 2.0 At Playhouse On The Square

Opera Memphis will make its long-awaited return to Playhouse on the Square this March with a titilating double bill entitled Pygmalion 2.0. Exploring themes of desire, control, frustration, and perfection, this production pairs Donizetti's Pygmalion with Robert Paterson and David Cote's provocative rom-com, The Companion. While the former takes its inspiration from the Roman poet Ovid and the ancient tale of a sculptor and king, the latter catapults the audience into the not-so-distant future, where companion robots can be customized to satisfy any clientele. Despite the centuries that separate these stories, both highlight the profound desire for companionship and the unforeseen and often comic results of attempting to design the perfect lover.

Pygmalion is based on the ancient Roman tale of the king and sculptor, Pygmalion, originally taken from the tenth book of the Metamorphoses by Ovid. The sculptor renounces women while he simultaneously longs for companionship and connection. He carves the ideal woman from clay, perfect and untouched. Pygmalion soon falls in love with the sculpture, naming her Galatea, and prays to the goddess Venus to bring her to life. Acclaimed tenor Anthony Webb, described by the Wall Street Journal as having "a carnival of tenor talent", debuts with Opera Memphis in the title role of Pygmalion. Mr. Webb has performed an impressive catalogue of operatic and symphonic repertoire throughout his career, including Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Beppe (Pagliacci), and the tenor soloist in Carmina Burana, which he performed with the San Antonio Symphony. He recently made his Carnegie Hall debut as Jack Prence in Merry Mount, and in 2019, Mr. Webb sang Third Jew in Salome with the Israeli Opera. In this production, he will be joined by Alyce Tarver Wells at Galatea, who was last seen with Opera Memphis as First Novice in Suor Angelica.

The powerhouse team of composer Robert Paterson and librettist David Cote delivered big laughs and even bigger emotion with their vignette opera, In Real Life, performed at the Clark Opera Memphis Center earlier this season. The Companion represents the first act of their stimulating opera Three Way, which has been described as Puccini's "Il Trittico for the Tinder Generation" and explores love and sex in the digital age. Filled with comedy and unexpected twists, this piece will resonate with anyone who has ever longed for an algorithm guaranteed to design the perfect lover.

When Maya, a busy, on-the-go, working woman, grows frustrated with her biomorphic android companion, Joe, repairman (and actual human) Dax arrives to install new software. Soprano Keely Futterer and tenor Sergio F. Mandujano will sing Maya and Joe respectively. The pair are two of the three newest Handorf Company Artists joining Opera Memphis for performances from February to May, and The Companion marks their debut and introduction to the city of Memphis. Ms. Futterer, an Arkansas native, has been praised by Opera News as a "high-quality lyric soprano with a keen verbal nuance." She has been seen in performances across the globe in China, Italy, and the United States in leading roles including Marie in La fille du régiment at Opera Saratoga, where she was reviewed as having "one of the most gorgeous voices you can imagine with charm to match." Sergio F. Manujano is a Mexican-American tenor originally from Norwalk, Connecticut. He was most recently seen at the Seagle Festival in upstate New York, where he made his role debut as Rodolfo in La bohème. In this production of The Companion, the newest Handorf Company Artists will be joined by long-time Opera Memphis favorite Marcus King as Dax, the charming and decidedly human repairman.

Pygmalion 2.0 will open on Saturday, March 12, 2022, at Playhouse on the Square and run for three additional performances on March 13, 18, and 19. Tickets will be sold in a two-tier system and range in price from $40-$60. Tickets for this production will go on sale on February 1, 2022, and can be purchased by visiting operamemphis.org. As per the company's policy for the 2021-22 season, all patrons will be required to show proof of full vaccination or a negative Covid test taken within three days of the performance when retrieving tickets from Will Call at Playhouse on the Square. Masks must be worn at all times within the venue to ensure the health and safety of the artists, crew, and audience members.

Pygmalion will be sung in Italian and The Companion will be sung in English. English surtitles will be displayed.

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