In Bernard Marie-Koltès play In the Solitude of The Cotton Fields, a two-character play that had its premiere in 1987, the client and the dealer aren’t specific about their negotiations. Could it be a simple transaction or something bigger about the meaning of life? The play serves as the inspiration for an opera called The Want. Written by Ethan Braun, the opera is a collaboration with international choreographer Adam Linder. The Want will be performed at REDCAT beginning on Thursday as part of the 2019-2020 CapUCLA season.
The Want expands the two-character play into a four-character opera with two “Offerors” and two “Offerees.” They are performed by singers/actors/dancers Jess Gadani, Justin F. Kennedy, Jasmine Orpilla and Roger Sala Reyner. The website for this event has an interesting description of the characters as “the key archetypes of mercantile Europe and the spiritual tradition of constant trade between a reflexive mind and a sensuous being.”
Linder’s work has been seen in museums and on stages. The Want marks his first foray into opera. Look for our interview with Adam Linder later this week.
The Want had its world premiere in Berlin in December 2018. The work was commissioned in part by CapUCLA.
For tickets go here.
Photo from The Want by Andrea Rossetti/Courtesy of REDCAT