A new American opera takes an 85-year old American situational tragi-comedy and draws parallels with our own time.
William Bolcom & Mark Campbell's Dinner At Eight fulfilled its promise as a quintessentially American new opera by taking an 85-year old American situational tragi-comedy and drawing obvious parallels with our own time. In other words, there is a "the more things change (in America) the more they stay the same" undercurrent that is hard to miss. The impressive Minnesota Opera, which has presented 45 opera premieres in its 54-year history, fired optimally on all cylinders, and every facet of the work and its production was roundly praised the Minneapolis Star Tribune. After a Fall production at the University of Michigan, "D@8" heads to Wexford, Ireland in 2018, and soon thereafter to the Atlanta Opera.
Minnesota Opera's version of the classic story boasts a sparkling, imaginative score by William Bolcom and a deft, astute libretto by Mark Campbell. ...Typical of Bolcom’s work, the score draws on a wide range of idioms — marches, waltzes, tangos — along with tangy harmonies and atmospheric etches. Although “Dinner at Eight” is definitely an opera, Bolcom’s music feels in places like a Broadway musical of the early ’30s. -- Michael Anthony, Star Tribune
Read the full Minneapolis Star Tribune review
View Minnesota Opera's video playlist for Dinner at Eight - a total of 11 videos
Minnesota Opera Trailer for Dinner at Eight