|
Synopsis
Say It Ain't So, Joe is a dark and humorous interpretation of the cult of personality surrounding Sarah Palin during the 2008 presidential campaign, contrasting the public persona with the private individual. The composer culled musical material from the actual public record manipulating extended sections of the candidates’ literal pitch and rhythm into the score. The work received an enthusiastic response from local and national media outlets including Fox News, MSNBC, NPR Morning Edition, Boston’s major newspapers, mentions in newspapers nation-wide, and in a prominent Greek newspaper, "To Vima," requiring additional performances to be added.
Inspired by text drawn from public record, composer Curtis K. Hughes recounts his experience watching the 2008 Vice Presidential Debate. “When watching the US Vice Presidential debate in 2008, I was struck by the extraordinary musical contrasts between the voices of Sarah Palin and Joe Biden, as well as the convergence of two such fascinating life stories, both containing tragic, heroic, and comic elements. The audience for my opera Say it ain't so, Joe will experience a surreal and fractured vision of that remarkable encounter, as well as brief glimpses of other contemporaneous events and political figures, with some fantastical digressions."
|
Title Information
All information is derived from OPERA America's Season Schedule of Performances and titles databases which date back to 1991. OPERA America is constantly updating this data. If you feel that a work or an artist has been omitted or that information is incorrect, please use the linked forms below. Title Information Form Artist Information Form
Approximate Runtime (hh:mm)
1:15
Number of Acts
2
Original Cast
Jennifer Ashe (Sarah Palin 1)
Aliana de la Guardia (Sarah Palin 2 / Diane Sawyer)
Amanda Keil (Hillary Clinton / Gwen Iffil / Unnamed Interviewer)
Brian Church (Joe Biden / Joe “the plumber” Wurzelbacher)
|