Review: ‘Suddenly Last Summer’ Opera Premieres at Bard
The New York Times • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Tennessee Williams’s “Suddenly Last Summer” has been adapted into a new opera by composer Courtney Bryan with a libretto by Gideon Lester and Daniel Fish, amplifying the story's inherent conflict through contrasting modes of storytelling: the mother speaks while the cousin sings.
- Directed by Daniel Fish, the production features a multi-layered theatrical experience combining speech, music, visual art, choreography, and film, creating a complex narrative environment that sometimes overshadows the opera’s musical score.
- The plot centers on the mysterious death of Sebastian Venable, with his mother Mrs. Venable portraying him as a virtuous poet, while his cousin Catherine reveals darker truths through her singing about Sebastian’s disturbing behavior and the circumstances leading to his death.
- The opera is currently staged at the Fisher Center at Bard in the Hudson Valley and is scheduled to travel to Opera Philadelphia next season, highlighting its growing prominence in contemporary opera repertoire.
