Chicago Opera Theater Announces THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER Events

University of Chicago Events: http://arts.uchicago.edu/events

The Fall of the House of Usher

Philip Glass' The Fall of the House of Usher, a gothic horror story which blurs the line between the real world and the supernatural, opens Chicago Opera Theater's 2013 Season. This is Andreas Mitisek's inaugural season as General Director of Chicago Opera Theater since assuming the position in June 2012. Glass' haunting 1987 score for Edgar Allan Poe's macabre masterpiece, with lyrics by Arthur Yorinks, provides the perfect backdrop for this nightmarish journey to The Edge of madness.

The Fall of the House of Usher, taking place at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Drive, runs for four performances only: Saturday, February 23 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, February 24 at 3 p.m., Wednesday, February 27 at 7:30 p.m. and Friday, March 1 at 7:30 p.m.

The Fall of the House of Usher is a co-production with Long Beach Opera (LBO), whose production opened January 27. An opera in two acts, The Fall of the House of Usher takes the audience deep into the eerie realm of the House of Usher. When William receives a letter from his long lost friend Roderick Usher, apparently suffering from illness and requesting William's presence, he journeys to the sinister mansion where Roderick and his twin sister Madeline live as the last of the Usher bloodline. At first William tries to aid his friend by reminding Roderick of his passion for art, music and literature, but William soon becomes swallowed up in a world where the border separating real and supernatural is blurred, and paranoia then takes control. Taken from one of Edgar Allan Poe's most popular tales, this unsettling story explores the line between truth and imagination, all set against Glass' haunting and suspenseful music. COT has also performed Glass' opera Akhnate in 2000.

Individual tickets, on sale now, range from $45 to $125. Tickets may be purchased through Chicago Opera Theater at www.chicagooperatheater.org, by phone at 312-704-8414, or through the Harris Theater at www.harristheaterhicago.org and 312-334-7777. COT offers half-off tickets to students in sections A, B, C and D.