“Greek” is an opera in two-acts composed by Mark Anthony Turnage to a libretto adapted by Turnage and Jonathan Moore from Steven Berkoff’s 1980 verse play “Greek.” The opera will soon be staged at Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York, from December 5-9, 2018.“A brilliantly inventive, in-your-face re-telling of the Oedipus myth, Joe Hill-Gibbins’ production of ‘Greek’ exposes the seedy world of Eddy and his family. When Eddy is told of a prophecy that he will kill his father and bed his mother he is appalled, leaving home to seek a different life. But can he escape the plague that is coming? Or is he, in fact, the source?” writes the website of Scottish Opera.In this in-your-face operatic retelling of the Oedipus tale, composer Mark-Anthony Turnage (‘Anna Nicole,’ 2013 Next Wave) transports Sophocles to an apocalyptic 1980s London, plagued by police violence, racism, and socio-economic decay. “Cleverly combining cockney-accented profanity and irreverent drama with Turnage’s audacious score and an outstanding four-person cast, ‘Greek’ is an incisive, brash contemporary statement on fate and family,” writes the BAM website.For the Brooklyn run, there are British singers Susan Bullock (Eddy’s mum and waitress), Allison Cook (Eddy’s wife and sister), and Andrew Shore (Eddy’s Dad) performing alongside newcomer Alex Otterburn as Eddy. The set is designed by Johannes Schutz; costume by Alex Lowde; lighting design by Matthew Richardson; video design by Dick Straker; movement by Jenny Ogilvie; dramaturgy by Caroline Steinbeis. The opera was first performed on June 17, 1988 in the Carl-Orff-Saal of the Gasteig Munich, in a co-production by the Munich Biennale, the Edinburgh International Festival, and the BBC.“In this piece, the musical signs are perfectly matched to Steven Berkoff’s drama. Every musical and dramatic gesture is brilliantly communicative, from football chants to extended vocal techniques,” writes the Guardian. On the other hand, The Daily Telegraph praises the opera as “A bold, brave production, just as uncompromising as Turnage’s opera itself.”Turnage composed “Greek” between 1986 and 1988 as a commission from the City of Munich for one of five new operas to premiere at the first Munchener Biennale. The commission was suggested by the Biennale’s founder, German composer Hans Werner Henze. Turnage adapted Berkoff’s play for the libretto with the help of Jonathan Moore who was the stage director of the premiere production. The adaptation involved shortening the play, re-ordering some of its text, and the addition of a police riot scene which was not in Berkoff’s original.The opera will be staged from December 5 through December 9, 2018 at Peter Jay Sharp Building. 30 Lafayette Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11217.For details visit: https://www.bam.org/Click on the slideshow for a sneak peek at stills from the opera.http://www.blouinartinfo.comFounder Louise Blouin
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