Pittsburgh Opera Presents Pittsburgh Debut Of THE LAST AMERICAN HAMMER

Pittsburgh Opera presents Pittsburgh debut of heartfelt contemporary satire The Last American Hammer, Feb. 22 - March 1.

Milcom Negley, a one-man militia, rages against the tyranny of federal overreach. He is hunkered down in a rural Toby Jug museum in a rust belt Ohio town where Tink Enraught, a mannered curatrix, offers him tea and cookies.

Milcom is a "Thirteenther" - a conspiracy theorist who believes an obscure, would-be Thirteenth amendment negates the authority of our government. He occupies the museum because it is the only place left in his failed town to receive federal funds - a grant for the upkeep of a rare 17th-century British pitcher known as "Sir Oswyn."

Although Milcom expects to be swarmed by military drones, attention is paid only by Agent Reyes, a young rookie FBI field specialist. Milcom explains that the town's only major source of employment - a hammer manufacturer - has gone under, leaving the residents lost. He is armed with "the Last American Hammer" to roll off the plant's line and intends to hold a proxy trial against the US government using Toby jugs as physical stand-ins for a court.

The Last American Hammer will star current and former Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artists, and be performed in the intimate environs of Pittsburgh Opera Headquarters, 2425 Liberty Avenue. Limited capacity.

The opera is sung in English with supertitles projected above the stage.

Fun facts about The Last American Hammer

• Toby Jugs are pottery jugs in the form of a seated person. The highest-recorded selling price for one was $30,000. The real American Toby Jug Museum is in Evanston, Illinois.
• These will be just the second set of performances of this opera. It premiered in Washington D.C.'s Atlas Performing Arts Center in September, 2018.
• UrbanArias, which commissioned the piece, describes it as "a satirical but heartfelt examination of the fallout that occurs when the American Dream fails to materialize," with "a bluegrass-infused score that brings American roots to the operatic stage."

Ticketing Information

• Single tickets for adults are $40; tickets for kids and teens ages 6-18 are half-price. Call 412-456-6666 or visit pittsburghopera.org/tickets.
• Group discounts, including student discounts, are available. For more information about group ticket services and discounts for groups of six or more people, contact Regina Connolly at 412-281-0912, ext. 213 or groups@pittsburghopera.org.

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