John Adams' gripping, modern masterpiece transports audiences back to Beijing for the historic meeting of Nixon and Mao inside the heart of the tiger. On March 20th and March 28th, 2010, at the Terrace Theater in Long Beach, California, Long Beach Opera will present Nixon in China, America's landmark opera by Pulitzer Prize and Grammy- winning composer, John Adams. In 1971, a game of ping pong brought China and America to opposite sides of a 9 foot table, but it wasn't until after President Nixon and Chairman Mao Tse-Tung shook hands in 1972 that the gates of China opened to the modern world. John Adams describes Nixon in China as "part epic, part satire, part a parody of political posturing, and part serious examination of historical, philosophical, and even gender issues."
Through its dramatic music, striking choruses, colorful ballet, and brilliant lyrics, Nixon in China explores the inner thoughts of those who were there - Nixon, Kissinger, Mao Tse Tung, Chou En-Lai, Pat Nixon, and Madame Mao - emotions clash, and the intricate game of ping pong diplomacy is played once again.
Where: Terrace Theater, Long Beach Performing Arts Center,
300 E. Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, CA. 90802
When: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 8:00 PM
Sunday, March 28, 2010, 4:00 PM
Free opera talks are one-hour before performance times.
The large cast includes 9 principals, 12 dancers, 40 choristers, and 50 orchestra musicians. In the role of President Nixon will be Michael Chioldi, known for his "riveting stage presence and beautiful, powerful voice" (NY Times.) As Mao Tse-Tung, John Duykers will recreate the role he originated in the 1987 Houston premiere of the opera. Veteran Austrian Stage Director Peter Pawlik will be handling the action while Vienna's foremost architect Wilhelm Holzbauer will be the Set Designer.
To stage the elaborate dance scenes within the production, Long Beach Opera is collaborating with the Long Beach Ballet and their Artistic Director David Wilcox. Long Beach Ballet has been designated 2010 official Ballet Ambassadors to China.
Tickets: Single tickets are $45-$95 and can be purchased by calling the LBO Box Office at 562-432-5934 or by going online at www.longbeachopera.org. Mini-subscriptions, group, and limited student discount tickets are available thru the Box Office.
Duration: 3 1/2 hours, 1 intermission
Sung in English with English Supertitles
About the Opera - NIXON IN CHINA
Music by John Adams
Libretto by Alice Goodman
First performanced at the Houston Grand Opera, October 22, 1987, in an original stage production by Peter Sellars with choreography by Mark Morris. The opera was commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy Of Music, the Houston Grand Opera, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The opera was recorded by the original cast with the Orchestra of Saint Luke's conducted by Edo de Waart on Nonesuch 79177. In 1991, almost two decades ago, Los Angeles Opera staged a co- production of the Sellars' production.
