If you love comic books and you love opera, then the Metropolitan Opera's production of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay is a must-see event.
Based on the Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel by Michael Chabon, the opera tells the story of two Jewish men in 1930s and '40s New York trying to raise money to get relatives out of Europe. Sam Clay can't draw well, but he loves telling stories, and his recently arrived cousin Josef (now Joe) Kavalier is an art-school graduate looking for a job. Together, they invent a comic book character, the Escapist, who comes to rival Superman and Batman.
Librettist Gene Scheer did a wonderful job adapting Moby-Dick as an opera, tweaking the iconic novel in a way that paid homage to the original without having to follow it in every detail. He manages to navigate the adaptation of Chabon's novel well in the first act, but then departs so dramatically from the book in the second act that the audience is left with mood pieces inspired by Chabon rather than the innovative storytelling of the novel.
While I was familiar with the music of Moby-Dick's composer, Jake Heggie, I did not know much about Mason Bates, the composer of Kavalier & Clay. Apparently, Bates is famous for introducing electronic music into orchestras, which might not work for most stories set in the '30s and '40s, but since this opera deals with the fantasy world of comic books, electronic sounds actually fit in rather well.
The sets and projections by 59 Studio aren't quite as impressive as those used in Moby-Dick, but they are still amazing, particularly when comic book panels pop up on the wall behind the live actors. The entire production is staged lavishly by Bartlett Sher.
This production is playing until October 11th. Last night's performance appeared to be sold out, so get your tickets while you can! You won't want this opportunity to escape.