MEMETERIA by Thomas May

From the OPrak press release:

New York’s first disability-affirmative opera company OperaPraktikos.org (OPrak) presents There Will Be Cake – a matinee mono-opera concert series on Thursday-Saturday, 12-14 December 2024, at 1:30 p.m., at downtown Manhattan’s Asylum NYC.

Opera Praktikos (OPrak), established in 2021, proudly stands as New York City’s pioneering disability-affirmative opera company. Its mission is to make opera an inclusive and accessible art form for audiences and artists alike by crafting exceptional opera productions that transcend conventional barriers related to class, economic status, and physical challenges.

Through deliberate reinterpretations of classical operas and the commissioning of new works, it aims to ensure that artists and audience members can readily identify with the stories and lived experiences of People with Disabilities being portrayed on the stage. OPrak is dedicated to breaking down stereotypes about disability and fostering an inclusive and accessible opera community in the heart of New York City.

With performances by abled and disabled artists, this site-specific musical drama centers around food and its visceral memories and emotions. Bon Appetit! shares Julia Child’s words of wisdom in a light-hearted, charming masterclass in comedic character singing followed by the world premiere of Fluffernutter, an opera inspired by the delicious Fluffernutter sandwich.

“Two slices of Americana to perk up any jaded New Yorker’s palette: that ineffable cook Julia Child makes a French chocolate cake; and a tasty New England staple reminds us that aging is hard,” explains Greg Moomjy, musicologist and co-founder/artistic director of OPrak. A man who has Cerebral Palsy and is a wheelchair user, Moomjy invites New Yorkers with and without disabilities to unite over their shared interest in live music and dessert. When assembling this program, we wanted to give audiences small samplings of comic opera performed by top-notch singers at an accessible venue. And, yes, we will also serve cake!”

The program begins with Lee Hoiby’s Bon Appetit! (1989), adapted from two episodes of Julia Child’s well-loved cooking show, The French Chef. With approval and input from Child herself, a friend of the composer, the libretto narrates Child’s cooking of a chocolate cake with clever lines such as “Choc’late is much more complicated than any of us suspect.” Reflecting the television show’s format, the opera is written for a single singer, performed here by Hailey McAvoy, a “gorgeous-voiced (Broadway World)” mezzo-soprano with Cerebral Palsy. Another “sweet” mono-opera is the world premiere of Fluffernutter (2024) inspired by the New England tasty treat. Composer Spicer Carr is a queer, autistic writer who was commissioned by OPrak to write Fluffernutter with libretto by OPrak’s co-founder Marianna Mott Newirth. Fluffernutter evokes the trials of adulting and the power of nostalgia all thanks to the classic peanut butter-marshmallow crème sandwich.

Program + Ticketing Information:
Thursday-Saturday, December 12-14, 2024, at 1:30 p.m.
Asylum NYC, 123 East 24^th Street, New York City, Subway: 4/6 to 23^rd Street.
Tickets: $10-$35 (ages 16+ only). Livestream (Saturday only) $10-$35. To reserve, visit AsylumTix.com or call 212.203.5435.

Cast + Crew:
Hailey McAvoy – mezzo-soprano
Shanley Horvitz – zwischenfach
Calvin Hitchcock – piano + music director
Gwynn MacDonald – stage director

Program:
Bon Appetit! composed by Lee Hoiby (1926-2011) with text by Julia Child adapted by 
Mark Shulgasser
Fluffernutter (2024) **world premiere** composed by Spicer Carr with libretto by Marianna Mott Newirth and piano arr. by Patrick Tice-Carroll

Filed under: music news, opera