Porgy and Bess

I n its first 60 years, Lyric has become one of the world’s greatest opera companies and one of Chicago’s marquee cultural institutions. As Lyric looks upon its next decades, however, its mission to become a dynamic and innovative opera company for the 21st century has included a necessary redefinition and expansion of exactly what it means to be a modern American performing-arts organization. Lyric has begun exploring and expanding its mission in ways both large and small. From mariachi operas to engaging Renée Fleming as the company’s first creative consultant, the company is committed to experimentation and collaboration. One of the most visible ways that Lyric has broadened its scope is the American Musical Theater Initiative, launched during in the 2012- 13 season. It has begun with a celebration of the great works of American icons Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II that, in the first two seasons, has yielded acclaimed new productions of Oklahoma! and The Sound of Music . There are still three great Rodgers and Hammerstein shows – Carousel , The King and I , and South Pacific – to come. Why is a company known for grand opera even attempting to stage musicals? The answer is at once simple and complicated. A question of definitions When the new American Musical Theater Initiative was announced in 2012, Lyric was one of the first opera companies to make a large- scale commitment to presenting musicals. As reporter David Belcher noted in a recent New York Times feature about the trend of opera companies presenting this repertoire, Lyric “might have quietly made history.” Before 2012, musicals hadn’t gone totally unheard at Lyric: The new production of Show Boat was a great success (2011-12), and prior to that Bryn Terfel enjoyed a triumph when the company presented a new production of Sweeney Todd (2002-03). On the other hand, Lyric’s ongoing association with the Rodgers and Hammerstein repertoire is indeed exceptional for a major opera company. At the same time that Lyric is exploring this repertoire, European companies are doing the same. For example, English National Opera recently announced a partnership with a commercial producer in London’s West End, and in Paris’s Théâtre du Châtelet has captivated audiences with recent new productions of a number of musicals, including A Little Night Music, My Fair Lady,

From Broadway to Lyric: Exploring musical theater By Maggie Berndt

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