Author: Martin Halpern
Subject: From Martin Halpern: upcoming chamber opera production
Two chamber operas by Martin Halpern, "The Lower Drawer" and "The Damned Thing," will be given fully staged productions at the Bridge Theater, Shetler Studios, 244 West 54 Street, 12th floor, on February 27 at 8 PM, February 28 at 8 PM, March 1 at 8 PM, and March 2 at 3 PM.
"The Lower Drawer" is a monodrama set in the studio of Arthur Jenkins, a recent retiree who is clearing out his desk in preparation for moving with his wife from their New England home to a retirement village in California. As he draws item after item from the desk, he finds himself re-living his past and musing on what his life might have been like if he had taken different turns in the road. By the end, he has decided which of these items is worth saving and which should simply be burned, so that he can move on from here. "The Damned Thing" is a dreamlike allegory in which a Man and a Woman are assembling the parts of a grand construction conceived by a Designer, but have discovered that one of the parts is missing. After agonizing over this, they decide to build around it, and finally finish assembling the construction. When the designer arrives and learns what they have done, he is appalled, and condemns them to live on with an incomplete construction which cannot fulfill his serious intention, but only give meaningless pleasure.
Featured in the casts are baritone Jim Trainor as Arthur Jenkins and the Man, soprano Alisa Peterson as the Woman, and bass-baritone Daniel Klein as the Designer. The pianist is Maxim Anikushin, and stage manager is Jasmine Olson.
Admisssion, available at the door, is $25 for adults, $15 for seniors and students. For reservations, call 718-858-1549. Tickets are also available at TDF.
Subject: From Martin Halpern: upcoming chamber opera production
Two chamber operas by Martin Halpern, "The Lower Drawer" and "The Damned Thing," will be given fully staged productions at the Bridge Theater, Shetler Studios, 244 West 54 Street, 12th floor, on February 27 at 8 PM, February 28 at 8 PM, March 1 at 8 PM, and March 2 at 3 PM.
"The Lower Drawer" is a monodrama set in the studio of Arthur Jenkins, a recent retiree who is clearing out his desk in preparation for moving with his wife from their New England home to a retirement village in California. As he draws item after item from the desk, he finds himself re-living his past and musing on what his life might have been like if he had taken different turns in the road. By the end, he has decided which of these items is worth saving and which should simply be burned, so that he can move on from here. "The Damned Thing" is a dreamlike allegory in which a Man and a Woman are assembling the parts of a grand construction conceived by a Designer, but have discovered that one of the parts is missing. After agonizing over this, they decide to build around it, and finally finish assembling the construction. When the designer arrives and learns what they have done, he is appalled, and condemns them to live on with an incomplete construction which cannot fulfill his serious intention, but only give meaningless pleasure.
Featured in the casts are baritone Jim Trainor as Arthur Jenkins and the Man, soprano Alisa Peterson as the Woman, and bass-baritone Daniel Klein as the Designer. The pianist is Maxim Anikushin, and stage manager is Jasmine Olson.
Admisssion, available at the door, is $25 for adults, $15 for seniors and students. For reservations, call 718-858-1549. Tickets are also available at TDF.