Frost Opera Theater pays homage to the British punk movement in its production of The Beggar’s Opera, November 4, 5 and 6, at 7:00 p.m. in Clarke Recital Hall on the University of Miami’s Coral Gables campus.
Written by John Gay in 1728, The Beggar’s Opera takes a bitingly satirical look at British society and politics, as well as at the conventions of Italian opera. It is widely regarded as a watershed in the history of English theater, and it has been frequently presented since its creation. With its assemblage of colorful characters—including Macheath, Polly Peachum, and Lucy Lockit—The Beggar’s Opera has inspired countless retellings, including Kurt Weill’s popular The Threepenny Opera.
The current production re-imagines this comedy of manners in London in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when members of the punk movement shared similar anti-establishment and anti-government attitudes. Frost Opera Theater performs Benjamin Britten’s brilliant arrangement of this theatrical landmark.
Tickets prices are $10 for general admission, $5 for senior citizens and UM faculty, and free for UM students. Tickets can be reserved by calling 305-284-4886.
Frost Opera Theater also presents its third annual Wall to Wall Opera For All Festival on Saturday, November 6, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at various locations on the Frost School of Music campus. All "Wall to Wall" events are FREE and will include:
11 AM – An opera introduction and preview of Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring
12 PM – Daniel Biaggi, Artistic and General Director, Palm Beach Opera, Mock Opera Auditions with students
2 PM – A preview performance of excerpts from Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus by composer Libby Larsen
2 to 5 PM – Arias on the Hour
2:30 PM – A preview of Victor Frankentstein’s aria from The Mary Shelly Opera by composer Allan Jaffe, presented by faculty members Tony Boutté and Alan Johnson
11 to 5 PM – Continuous opera video screenings
For more information, call 305-284-4886.
For a complete listing of the 2010-2011 Frost Opera Theater Season, click here.
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The mission of Frost Opera Theater is to stimulate, engage, and educate students in their development as singers, musicians, and citizens in a boundless multi-disciplinary art form; to provide students with the diversity of training and stage performance experience necessary to pursue advanced study and/or professional engagements; and to establish creative/educational alliances within the Frost School of Music, the University of Miami community, as well as throughout South Florida and beyond.
Frost Opera Theater Goes Punk with The Beggar’s Opera and Hosts Wall to Wall Festival
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL 33124
305-284-2211