CYCLOPS: A ROCK OPERA To Return To New York City At The Tank This Fall

Cyclops: A Rock Opera, the Pulitzer Prize nominated musical, will run October 20 to November 3 at The Tank this fall. Previously seen in Los Angeles, Pasadena Playhouse, NYMF, and Ars Nova's ANT Fest, the 90 minute musical returns to New York in a completely reimagined production, starring Eric William Morris (Mamma Mia, King Kong: The Musical, White Girl in Danger) and Korie Blossey (Disney's Aladdin).

Drawing inspiration from Euripides' 2500 year old Greek Satyr play, "Cyclops: A Rock Opera" features an original rock score by Jason Landon Marcus and Benjamin Sherman, with lyrics by Marcus and a book by Chas LiBretto, with The Satyrs, a live band of shirtless, half-man, half-goat musicians, leading the festivities. "The genres of music in the Cyclops include Celtic dirges, Irish drinking songs, 50's rockabilly, calypso, funk, soul, folk-rock, swaggering blues, sea shanties, arena, Glam rock, waltzes, bar-room ballads, opera," says Marcus, reflecting on the makeup of the show's dynamic and Dionysian style.

Set at the beginning of his ten year odyssey, legendary hero Odysseus arrives on a secluded island. But beware, for lurking in the island's caves is the one-eyed Cyclops, a creature that forces Odysseus to reckon with what divides a hero from a monster. Populated by a band of goat-skinned Satyrs and fleet-footed Maenads, Odysseus finds in the depths of the Cyclops' lair a place where the power of ancient mythology merges with the contemporary magic of rock music, a chamber where he must confront the legacy of the Trojan War, and in the unblinking gaze of Polyphemus, a dark reflection of his own violent spirit. "The story took to the music pretty naturally," says LiBretto. "Rock music should be decadent and dangerous, and Glam embraced Weimar Cabaret, Victorian literature, Science Fiction, the occult, and mythology, while wearing platform boots, outlandish costumes, makeup and hair. It seemed natural enough to us to embrace this stuff in Cyclops: A Rock Opera."

"Cyclops: A Rock Opera" will run for a limited engagement at The Tank, located at 312 W 36th St, from October 20th to November 3rd. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.thetanknyc.org/calendar-1/cyclops-a-rock-opera. Don't miss this groundbreaking production that promises to push the boundaries of musical theater and leave audiences spellbound.

About The Tank: The Tank is a non-profit arts presenter and producer dedicated to fostering an inclusive, diverse, and equitable arts ecosystem. Through its collaborative and supportive environment, The Tank empowers emerging artists to create and present their work, encouraging bold experimentation and artistic risk-taking.

 

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