Red Mary at The New Stage

The young contemporary Czech composer and conductor Jan Ku?era is an ardent fan of the cult radio series Rodinka aneb Byli jsme a budem (The Family, or We Were and Will Be). His admiration for this serial story, jointly created by Old?ich Kaiser and Ji?í Lábus, has assumed such monumental proportions that he even knows a number of episodes by heart. In 2009, Ku?era decided to pay tribute to the series, and in the most dignified form – opera. He based his opus on the episode titled Stali?ák (The Stalin Follower), giving an account of old obstinate champions of Communism who secretly meet up in an underground bunker, looking out for “better tomorrows”. This black, or rather red, slapstick comedy is being performed in the stylish milieu of the New Stage.