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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