Madison Opera continues the 2009-2010 season with Benjamin Britten's haunting chamber-opera The Turn of the Screw in The Playhouse at the Overture Center for the Arts, Jan. 28 - 31, 2010. This is Madison Opera's first mainstage production of a Britten opera and the first opera to be produced in the newly renovated Playhouse, noted for its thrust stage and rich acoustics.
"The Turn of the Screw will offer a uniquely intimate theatrical experience for our audience," said General Director Allan Naplan. He added, "There is nothing like hearing the unamplified operatic voice up close, and especially with a work as nuanced as the Britten, we feel we have the perfect space in The Playhouse."Based on the novella by Henry James, Britten composed The Turn of the Screw in 1954 to a libretto by Myfanwy Piper. The opera traces the chilling emotional journey of a young governess mysteriously assigned to care for two children on a remote country estate in England. Doug Scholz-Carlson (The Tender Land, 2008) returns to direct this inventive new production, with stage and lighting designs by Erik Paulson. John DeMain conducts members of the Madison Symphony Orchestra.Grammy nominated soprano Caroline Worra, called "a new soprano powerhouse" by The New Yorker, makes her company debut as the Governess. Wisconsin based tenor Gregory Schmidt, recently praised by Milwaukee critic Tom Strini for his "clear, focused, effortless tenor", sings the dual roles of Prologue and Peter Quint. Local rising stars Alistair Sewell and Jennifer DeMain are cast as the children Miles and Flora, with former Metropolitan Opera soprano Julia Faulkner as the housekeeper Mrs. Grose and mezzo-soprano Jamie Van Eyck as Miss Jessel.
Related events include a meeting of the Madison Opera Book Club to discuss Henry James's The Turn of the Screw on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2 p.m. at the Sequoya Library. Go behind the scenes of the opera with Allan Naplan and guest artists at Opera Up Close: The Turn of the Screw Preview, on Sunday, Jan. 17, 1 - 3:30 p.m. at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art Lecture Hall ($20, free with student ID). This special Opera Up Close will include a complimentary screening of the classic 1961 film The Innocents, based on The Turn of the Screw and starring Deborah Kerr.Performances: Thursday, Jan. 28 • 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29 • 8:00 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30 • 8:00 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31 • 2:30 p.m.Tickets: $20, $52 | Call (608) 258-4141 or visit www.madisonopera.org to purchase
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