Extreme Dolly Parton fans may sound like unlikely subjects for an opera, but they are the major characters in Heartbreak Express, a collaboration of composer George Lam and librettist John Clum.
The opera, to be performed by the ensemble Rhymes with Opera, will be performed November 13, 14, 20, 21 at the 124 Bank Street Theatre in the West Village.
In this funny and touching opera, four people have been invited to meet the great Dolly Parton: two middle-aged sisters and a gay couple whose house is filled with Dolly memorabilia. Meeting Dolly has far more momentous consequences for the four characters than they anticipated. Dolly doesn’t appear, by the way. The five characters—there’s also Dolly’s somewhat mysterious assistant—will be played by members of the Rhymes with Opera ensemble and guest artists supported by the RWO orchestra.
Rhymes with Opera was formed in 2007 to perform innovative, dramatically vibrant contemporary chamber opera. Our goal is to break down the walls between opera and musical theater – after all, opera is musical theater – while blurring the lines between various musical genres. The ensemble is interested in finding new ways to tell stories through music. Rhymes with Opera only performs operas created specifically for the group. To date Rhymes with Opera has commissioned eleven composers to create custom-made pieces ranging from short character sketches to full, evening-length works.
Heartbreak Express will be performed on Friday nights, November 13 and 20, at 8 p.m. and Saturdays, November 14 and 21, at 7:30 p.m. at the 124 Bank Street Theatre in the West Village. Tickets may be purchased at the Rhymes with Opera website www.rhymeswithopera.org. The website also contains further information and musical previews of Heartbreak Express.