Contemporary Opera Premiere Explores Biological Warfare,Mind Control, and Famous 1950's CIA Misdeed
Man: Biology of a Fall, a new full-length opera with music by Evan Hause and a libretto by Gary Heidt, will have a four-performance world premiere run on October 4, 5, 6 and 7 at Kumble Theater, the new cutting-edge performance space of the Brooklyn Campus of Long Island University (1 University Place, Brooklyn).
The opera, presented in chamber orchestra version and utilizing live electronics, will feature a cast of 10 male singers, 2 female singers and 2 actors. The opera stars Lyric Tenor Steven Ebel supported by a large cast consisting of Darren Lougée, San-ky Kim, Mark Peters, David A. Gordon, Mary Ellen Assue, Raemond Martin, Jeffrey Mandelbaum, C. David Morrow, John Schenkel, Kamala Sankaram, actors Christopher Burris, Miriam Tabb and Yuval Boim. It will be directed by Jyana S. Gregory with lighting design by Matthew Richards, costumes by Jessica Ford, and sets by Rumiko Ishii.
Conducted by the composer, the opera deals with Frank Olson (1910-1953) who was one of the first American scientists to study biological weapons, such as anthrax, for the Army. He also witnessed violent interrogation techniques used on ex-Nazi POWs in post-war Europe, some ending in death. He observed first-hand accounts of fighter pilots returning from the Korean War who reported the use of biological weapons on enemy soldiers. He was ultimately drugged with LSD and subjected to interrogation himself when he began having reservations about his work. Then he went out a hotel window in New York City. Suicide or murder?
The opera is a fictional account of the final mysterious days of his life.This opera, Man: Biology of a Fall, is the third and final opera of what composer and librettist call the "Defenestration Trilogy (written between 2000 and 2007) of which two already-produced operas are The Birth and Theft of Television concerning the suicide of F.M. inventor Edwin Armstrong and Nightingale dealing with the last days of James Forrestal, the first Secretary of Defense who went out a hospital window under unknown circumstances. In reviewing the work, Opera News called it “fresh and dramatic" and the Village Voice called it "dramatic and haunting."
Performances:
Thursday, October 4, 7:30 PM, Friday, October 5, 7:30 PM, Saturday, October 6, 7:30 PM, Sunday, October 7, 3:00 PM at Kumble Theater (1 University Place, Brooklyn).
Tickets $35 & $25; $15 Students and Seniors. Kumble Theater Box Office: (718) 488-1624 or www.KumbleTheater.org.
Directions: 2/3/4/5 trains to Nevins Street; B/ M/Q/R trains to DeKalb Avenue; A/C trains to Hoyt-Schermerhorn; G to Fulton; LIRR to Flatbush Terminal.
www.ManBiologyOfAFall.com
I was privileged to see this wonderful performance. I have witnessed Evan Hause and Gary Heidt's growth as composer and librettist since their first opera in 2001. My only regret is that more people did not see it. Their work deserves to be seen by more than family and friends.
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