The 2003 Pulitzer Prize Winning Poet Paul Muldoon Has Opera Premiere in New York City

The Center for Contemporary Opera, under the artistic Direction of Richard Marshall will premiere Vera of Las Vegas, A nightmare Cabaret Opera by Composer Daron Hagen and Librettist Paul Muldoon

NEW YORK, NY (PRWEB) April 25, 2003 -- The Center for Contemporary Opera, under the artistic direction of Richard Marshall will present the world premiere of Vera of Las Vegas. The world premiere of what is now being affectionately referred to as Vera, will open at Symphony Space (94th & Broadway) in New York City on June 26th & 27th. Performance Times are 7:30PM & 9:30PM for both nights.

At the leading edge of contemporary opera is where Daron Hagen makes his stand. His conception and creation of Vera envelopes the audience into the opera. Hagen envisions the work staged in a cabaret or nightclub setting, with at least some of the audience seated at small cocktail tables. The orchestra is clad in formal evening wear and will be seated onstage in typical big band formation, behind dance band-style music stands, and with the drummer on a raised platform in the middle. The conductor acts like a bandleader and is dressed accordingly. The action of the opera takes place throughout the performing space - onstage, on the raised platform in the middle, at tables in the audience, and on a runway.

Composer Daron Hagen describes his new opera thus; "Vera of Las Vegas takes place in the lurid imagination of Taco, a man on the receiving end of a brutal interrogation. He passes out, and the audience finds itself in a Vegas cocktail lounge, where, for the next sixty minutes, they witness the unraveling of his mind. Appropriately, the story has the surreal, perhaps super-real logic of dreams: it is ostensibly about how tow on-the-lam IRA volunteers, Taco and his best friend Dumdum, are set up by a rogue INS agent named doll and her friend Vera, an African-America transvestite lap-dancer, during a layover in Las Vegas."

Librettist Paul Muldoon remarks that, "the story of Vera of Las Vegas is a story of the serendipitous. The University of Nevada at Las Vegas wanted an opera, so we [Daron Hagen, Paul Muldoon] made one that was, in some sense, site-specific. Little did we think of how much fun it would be to tell Las Vegas taxi drivers that we were in town purely and simply for the opera. It is, of course, out of such accidents that works of art have so often been made, on the stream of such coincidences that we're carried along."

Cast
Richard Marshall's production for Vera has drawn a great cast ranging from accomplished opera and theater performers to fast-rising talent. Shequida has been cast to star as Vera. This Juilliard-trained opera singer has more to offer than an already impressive five-octave vocal range. Shequida is witty, charming, a linguist, and a skilled dancer. Michael Musto of the Village Voice said, "with that voice, Shequida brings together the bourgeoisie and the unwashed masses in bravos."

Patricia Dell has been cast to star as Doll. She has a versatile career in concert, recital, opera and musical theater. Regional musical theater credits include Milk and Honey (Ruth), A A Little Night Music (Desiree), The King and I (Anna) among others. Elem Eley has been cast to star as Dumdum. Mr. Eley will appear this season at Lincoln Center (Handels Messiah), with the New Jersey Symphony (Faures Requiem), the Charlotte Symphony, the Calvin Oratorio Society, as well as in recital performances of Summers Hamlet Songs prior to recording them. He debuted in Europe last season as the Don in Don Giovanni at the Operafestival di Roma. As Winner of the Joy in Singing Award, he presented his New York recital debut in 1996 at Merkin Hall. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1995 as soloist with the Orchestra of St. Lukes and Westminster Choir under Joseph Flummerfelt.

Dillon McCartney has been cast to star as Taco.

Press passes and tickets are available upon request from Generation Media. For more information on Vera of Las Vegas, The Center for Contemporary Opera, Daron Hagen, Paul Muldoon or any cast members, please contact Tony Scafide at 917 217-3584 or Richard Marshall at 212 758-2757. You may also find more information on our website at www.conopera.org.

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