MANON!
The Space at Irondale
85 South Oxford St. between Fulton St. & Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn
January 27 – February 15, $28.32-$116.75
www.heartbeatopera.org
“What will be surprising and exciting about this is how raw and some might even say nasty opera can be,” Natalie Walker says in a promotional video for Heartbeat Opera’s Manon!, running January 27 through February 15 at the Space at Irondale. The indie opera company is presenting a unique take on Jules Massenet’s 1884 opéra comique, based on the 1731 novel L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost. Set during the reign of King Louis XV, the narrative tells the story of a convent-bound woman who is caught between two men, the Chevalier Des Grieux and finance minister Guillot. Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille’s original libretto has been adapted with a new book and English lyrics by Jacob Ashworth and Rory Pelsue, with Golden Age–style musical arrangements by conductor Dan Schlosberg; the show is directed by Obie winner Pelsue (The Last Bimbo of the Apocalypse, Circle Jerk) and choreographed by Sara Gettelfinger.
The cast features Emma Grimsley as Manon, Matt Dengler as the Chevalier, Glenn Seven Allen as Guillot, Jamari Darling as Lescaut, Justin Lee Miller as the Count Des Grieux, Kathryn McCreary as Pousette, and Walker as Javotte; the set is by Alexander Woodward, with costumes by David Mitsch, lighting by Yichen Zhou, and sound by Ryan Gamblin. The eight-piece orchestra consists of Pablo O’Connell on oboe and English horn, Atao Liu on bassoon, Nicolee Kuester on horn, Deanna Cirielli on harp, Julia Danitz on violin, Thapelo Masita on cello, Eleonore Oppenheim on bass, and Schlosberg on keyboards. There are still some pay-what-you-want preview tickets available starting at $10, but you need to act fast to grab them.
“No one’s ever done anything like this,” Dengler promises in the video.
[Mark Rifkin is a Brooklyn-born, Manhattan-based writer and editor; you can follow him on Substack here.]