Curtis Opera Theatre Presents Trouble in Paradise Double Bill October 4–7 at Prince Theater

PHILADELPHIA—September 25, 2018—The Curtis Opera Theatre presents Trouble in Paradise—a double bill of Leonard Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti and Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas—October 4 through 6 at 7:30 p.m. and October 7 at 2:30 p.m. at the Prince Theater at 1412 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. Music director and pianist Lisa Keller and stage director Chas Rader-Shieber collaborate for this modern look at two chamber operas.  

Trouble in Paradise questions the endurance of perfect happiness. Even when all the stars align, lovers find myriad ways to misunderstand one another in this inspired pairing of Bernstein’s jazz-inflected Trouble in Tahiti—a prequel to Bernstein’s A Quiet Place, performed by the Curtis Opera Theatre during the 2017–18 season—and Purcell’s regal Dido and Aeneas. Ranging in setting from sunny 1950s suburbia to the majestic Carthage of classical legend, this compelling musical journey casts the same performers in the leading roles of both Dinah and Dido (Siena Licht Miller on October 4 and 6, Anastasiia Sidorova on October 5 and 7), and Sam and Aeneas (Patrick Wilhelm), further exploring the parallels between the characters’ complex relationships.

Music director Lisa Keller provides piano accompaniment, along with students on double bass and percussion, for the fully staged production, which is sung in English. Chas Rader-Shieber, who has directed over 30 productions for the Curtis Opera Theatre, returns as both stage director and production designer. Lighting design is provided by Mike Inwood, with Isaac Martin Lerner as choreographer and assistant director. The Curtis Opera Theatre season is sponsored by the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation and the Wyncote Foundation.   

Four-production subscriptions to the 2018–19 Curtis Opera Theatre season for $128–280 are available through the Curtis Patron Services Office at (215) 893-7902 or Curtis.edu/Opera. Single tickets for $20–75 are available through the Prince Theater Box Office at (215) 422-4580 or PrinceTheater.org.

Under the artistic direction of Mikael Eliasen, the Curtis Opera Theatre has become known for imaginative productions, bold concepts, and absorbing theatre. Promising young singers work alongside established professional directors and designers, resulting in fresh interpretations of standard repertoire and contemporary works. All of Curtis’s 25 voice and opera students are cast repeatedly each season, receiving a rare level of performance experience on stage and appearing frequently with Opera Philadelphia, Curtis on Tour, and the Curtis Symphony Orchestra. As a result, Curtis graduates have sung with opera companies all over the world, including La Scala, Covent Garden, the Vienna Staatsoper, Houston Grand Opera, the San Francisco Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera.

CURTIS OPERA THEATRE: TROUBLE IN PARADISE

BERNSTEIN                           Trouble in Tahiti

PURCELL                                Dido and Aeneas

Thursday, October 4 at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, October 5 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, October 6 at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, October 7 at 2:30 p.m.

Prince Theater, 1412 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia

Lisa Keller, music director
Chas Rader-Shieber, stage director and production designer
Mike Inwood, lighting designer
Isaac Martin Lerner, choreographer and assistant director

Fully staged production with piano, double bass, and percussion accompaniment, sung in English

4-production subscription: $128–280, sold by the Curtis Patron Services Office, Curtis.edu/Performances, or (215) 893-7902.

Single tickets: $20–75, sold by the Prince Theater Box Office, PrinceTheater.org, or (215) 422-4580.

CAST (in singing order)

The Curtis Opera Theatre season is sponsored by the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation and the Wyncote Foundation.

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