overstimulated
hopeful
rockin
September 2008
LA Opera Presents U.S. Premiere of Howard Shore's
The Fly
David Cronenberg to Direct;
Libretto by David Henry Hwang
Plácido Domingo to Conduct
What: LA Opera presents the U.S. premiere of a new opera based on a classic horror tale, The Fly.
Who: The Fly, a highly anticipated new work commissioned by LA Opera, features music by Academy Award-winning composer Howard Shore and a libretto by Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang. A dark romantic tragedy that presents a Kafkaesque meditation on man's uneasy relationship with technology, The Fly will be directed by notable filmmaker David Cronenberg and is based on the original 1957 George Langelaan short story as well as Mr. Cronenberg's 1986 film. The opera will be conducted by Plácido Domingo and Israel Gursky (September 13 and 20). Bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch stars as scientist Seth Brundle, who mutates into a hybrid of man and fly after one of his experiments goes horribly wrong. Mezzo-soprano Ruxandra Dunose is Veronica Quaife, a journalist caught up in the tragedy. The cast also features mezzo-soprano Beth Clayton and tenors Gary Lehman and Jay Hunter Morris.
The opera reunites several of the principal artistic collaborators involved in the 1986 film: director/screenwriter David Cronenberg, soundtrack composer Howard Shore, costume designer Denise Cronenberg and makeup and creature designer Stephan L. Dupuis, who won an Academy Award for his work on the movie. The set designer is Academy Award-winner Dante Ferretti. Makeup, creature and puppet fabrication are by Mark Rappaport's Creature Effects, Inc. The lighting is designed by A.J. Weissbard. The Fly is a co-production with Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, where the opera will have its world premiere on July 2, 2008.
When: Opening Performance: Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 2:00pm
Evening Performances: September 10, 13, 16 and 20 at 7:30pm
Matinee Performance: September 27 at 2:00pm
Where: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Tickets: Tickets to The Fly range from $20 to $250, and will be available for sale at the LA Opera Box Office (along with all single tickets for the 2008-09 Season) as of July 20, by phone at (213) 972-8001 or online at www.laopera.com. For disability access, call (213) 972-0777 or e-mail wehelpyou@laopera.com.
Artist headshots can be found on the LA Opera Press Gallery:
http://media.laopera.com/photo/?level=album&id=17
Synopsis can be found on the LA Opera website:
http://www.laopera.com/productions/0809/thefly/index.htm
The Fly will be sung in English, with English supertitles projected above the stage.
The Fly is an LA Opera commission, co-produced with the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris.
betrayed
ecstatic
inspired