The Romance of The Rose by Soper, Da (2023/2023), Diretto da James Darrah, Direttore d'orchestra Christopher Rountree, Warner Grand Theatre, San Pedro, Stati Uniti

The singular compositional voice of Kate Soper returns to LBO after Voices from the Killing Jar (2021) in a thrilling new world premiere production that blends an oft-neglected sense of comedy in opera with a genre-smashing adventure story of fantastical proportions. Soper herself sets the piece’s namesake 13th-century poem as a boundary-breaking, evening-length work that defies all categorization. In a thrilling opus that examines one Dreamer’s quest for a literal rose, The God of Love, Shame, Lady Reason and their cadre of followers lull the audience into a dreamlike world that deftly highlights the profound juxtaposition of beauty and absurdity in our own human folly. Pulitzer Prize finalist Soper fills her newest opera with music that defies tradition and will envelop the theater in new ways with a blend of modernistic shrieks and wails, madrigalistic finery, auto-tuned didacticism, and lush Romanticism. The world premiere production, directed by James Darrah, will inhabit multiple spaces within the historic art deco Warner Grand Theater. Darrah, who is known for creating successful world premiere productions for composers including Ellen Reid, Missy Mazzoli, and John Corigliano, will be joined by conductor and LBO Music Director Christopher Rountree in guiding the orchestra outside of the normal pit and onstage into the show itself. THE ROMANCE OF THE ROSE freely beguiles, charms, and terrifies with no moral allegiances or moral compass and promises to lead audiences thrillingly astray. The stellar cast will be led by Tony Award nominee actor and singer Lucas Steele. Steele, a multi-faceted artist, actor, composer, and creator who is well known for his award-winning portrayal of Anatole in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 on Broadway, will make his Long Beach Opera debut in the leading role of The Dreamer. Moreover, Steele will continue a close collaboration with Darrah and Long Beach Opera as director and producer of a forthcoming film project to be announced and debuted at LBO's Opera and Film Festival in June 2023.