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| Lauren Flanigan, Thomas Pasatieri, Catherine Malfitano, Daphne Malfitano and Chris Cooley. |
"'My name is woman,' Magda Sorel says in Gian Carlo Menotti’s opera The Consul. In The Family Room, composed by Thomas Pasatieri with a libretto by Daphne Malfitano, the two main characters are billed only as Woman 1 and Woman 2. Their identities are even more erased those of Magda and her family as they too face brutal cold and imminent death. The Family Room has its own sensational premise that can be traced to real events. Its protagonists have been trapped in a windowless basement room, afraid—or maybe unable—to leave their captor. The opera’s private staged reading at the McCarter Theatre’s Berlind Theatre was the first collaboration between Opera New Jersey and American Opera Projects. The show opens this weekend and offered much to recommend it. Written for and sung compellingly by renowned sopranos Catherine Malfitano and Lauren Flanigan, the story’s central women are vividly, distinctly drawn, with relatable desires expressed eloquently in both words and music. The opera has many elements of mystery and room for audience interpretation. But, while trying not to give too much away, part of what makes The Family Room so intriguing is that desperation breeds creativity. As the women imagine future plans and share their memories, intoxicating melodies lull the characters and the listeners." [Source]
For ticket information about the performances on July 23 and 24, visit the Opera New Jersey website here.
For ticket information about the performances on July 23 and 24, visit the Opera New Jersey website here.
