OPERAtion Brooklyn Presents CURIOUS & CURIOUSER Opera-Burlesque Circus, 3/25 & 26

American Opera Projects and Opera on Tap, in association with Galapagos Art Space, present
OPERAtion Brooklyn: Curiouser & Curiouser An Opera-burlesque circus in Wonderland.

In celebration of his 75th birthday in March, David Del Tredici, the composer whose name has become synonymous with "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," will perform his rarely-seen "Haddocks' Eyes" at a two-evening Alice-themed opera-burlesque party at Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn. The event will be the latest showcase of contemporary opera from Opera on Tap and American Opera Projects, two Brooklyn opera companies who have been artists-in-residence at Galapagos since 2009. Composers Manly Romero and Susan Botti will also be on hand to present music from their Alice-inspired operas alongside Rita MenWeep's burlesque-circus "Through the Peeping Glass."

Part of AOP's new collaborative series with Opera on Tap - OPERAtion Brooklyn!

"Dreaming of Wonderland"

Act II from the opera by Manly Romero
Featuring performances by Nadia Petrella, Elise Jablow, Becca Conviser, Rachelle Pike, Dory Schultz, and James Ioelu
Music direction by Zachary Schwartzman.
Stage direction by LemUel Wade
Piano by Scott Rednour and Mila Henry

Featuring performances by Nadia Petrella, Elise Jablow, Becca Conviser, Rachelle Pike, Dory Schultz, and James Ioelu. Conducted by Zachary Schwartzman. Directed by LemUel Wade, assistant-directed by Christopher Mirto. Piano by Scott Rednour and Mila Henry. In this post-modern romp through Lewis Carroll's Wonderland, Manly Romero presents the story of Alice's older, wiser, and far less famous real-life sister, Lorina Liddell--and the not-so-true account of the Knave of Hearts and his close call with the chopping block. After awakening from her famous dream of Wonderland, Alice can't wait to tell her sister, Lorina about the strange personalities she has met and her crazy experiences. Impatient to leave childhood behind, Lorina can hardly wait for Alice's story to end. But when it does, Lorina is drawn into her own dream of Wonderland, four scenes that push the limits of sanity while questioning whether growing up is that great an idea to begin with. A coming of age tale for audiences of all ages, Romero’s score supports Lorina’s real-life teenage dreamings of love and success with bel canto lyricism, and the colorful madness of Wonderland with quirky, chromatic edginess.

"Wonderglass"

scenes from the opera by Susan Botti
Starring Michael Bragg, Joan Estep, Kamala Sankaram, and David Schmidt.
Music direction by Yoon Jae Lee. Stage direction by Beth Greenberg

Orchestra conducted by Yoon Jae Lee of Ensemble 212.

Wonderglass is a journey exploring the visions of Lewis Carroll. The sequence of events unfolds as it might in a dream. Because the characters and their adventures are already familiar, they become a point of departure - allowing each person's unique imagination to lead the way through the boundless world of Lewis Carroll.

"Through the Peeping Glass"

a burlesque/cirque Alice in Wonderland
Featuring Jenny C'est Quoi, Tigger!, Joshua Dean, Ben Franklin, Miss Ekaterina, Creamy Stevens and Rita MenWeep

Burlesque producer/performer Rita MenWeep invites you down the Rabbit-Hole to the ‘Land of Galapagos’ for the most curious thing you ever saw in your whole life: “Through the Peeping Glass,” a two-part burlesque/cirque Alice in Wonderland. Don't be late for this very important date!

"Haddocks' Eyes" by David Del Tredici

Starring Amy van Roekel. Conducted by Conrad Chu with David Del Tredici on piano.

Is the White Knight, who sings Alice his famous nonsense song in “Through the Looking-Glass,” really a caricature of Lewis Carroll himself? Like the knight, Carroll had shaggy hair, mild blue eyes, a kind and gentle face. Like the knight, his mind seemed to function best when it saw things in topsy-turvy fashion. . . Of all the characters Alice meets on her two dream adventures, only the White Knight seems to be genuinely fond of her and to offer her special assistance... His melancholy farewell may be Carroll's farewell to Alice when she grew up (became a queen) and abandoned him. With this idea in hand, David Del Tredici's uses his post-Romantic musical style to bring a touchingly personal dimension to the Alice universe. “Haddocks’ Eyes” was commissioned by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and premiered at Alice Tully Hall in 1986.

The event will be held on March 25 and 26 - 8:00 PM. Doors open at 7:00 PM.

The Galapagos Art Space is located at 16 Main St., Brooklyn, NY 11201.

Tickets are ADVANCE - $20 single show / $30 for both shows and DAY OF SHOW - $25 single show

Sunday, March 25 - Program 1
"Dreaming of Wonderland"
"Through the Peeping Glass - Part I"
"Haddocks' Eyes" by David Del Tredici

Monday, March 26 - Program 2
"Wonderglass"
"Through the Peeping Glass - Part 2"
"Haddocks' Eyes" by David Del Tredici

For more information visit http://www.operationbrooklyn.com/.

 

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