Love in Public

March 11, 2012

Love in Public – a contemporary operatic re-imagining of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnets from the Portuguese.

Vancouver, BC – In a sophisticated blend of music, poetry, theatre and dance; Love in Public, a contemporary opera cabaret re-imagining of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Sonnets from the Portuguese by Vancouver composer David MacIntyre, debuts in a new theatrical production directed by Peter Jorgensen.

Forty-four songs interpreted by four fabulous singers with an intoxicating piano-driven score, Love in Public invites audiences to contemplate the role of the love song in the 21^st Century. What place does traditional courtship and the writings of romance hold in modern times where irony tends to triumph over sentiment and texting has replaced the love letter?

Love in Public stars acclaimed soloists of the opera/music theatre stage: soprano Robyn Driedger-Klassen; mezzo soprano Megan Morrison; tenor Frederik Robert; and baritone Warren Kimmel. David Boothroyd, a nationally known performer with a twenty-five year career in opera, will collaborate on piano. This world premiere production is directed by Peter Jorgensen, a rising star in Vancouver’s music theatre scene, well known for his critically acclaimed work with Patrick Street Productions. Kaylin Metchie and Juan Carlos Villegas from Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts will round out the cast.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnets from the Portuguese, a highly personal collection of love poems, was published in 1850. Obscurely titled to deflect readers’ attentions from her love affair with Robert Browning, Barrett’s collection was a public telling of emotion, not all that different from modern online and reality television culture, where the intimacy between lovers becomes public.  Contemporary audiences will revisit Barrett’s words in a new context, forever altering confessions such as, ‘How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.’

“Love in Public is the perfect ‘date night’ for lovers of all ages and orientations,” says producer and composer David MacIntyre, “It’s like the first blog – 150 years early.”

Presented by SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs and produced by David MacIntyre, Love In Public opens April 19, 2012 and staged for a run of ten performances (April 19-29^th) at the Fei & Milton Wong Experimental Theatre at the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts. Ticket prices are $25 general/$15 for students.

For more information, visit sfuwoodwards.ca.

Photo by David Cooper

Left to Right: David Boothroyd, piano; Warren Kimmel, baritone; Megan Morrison, mezzo; Robyn Driedger-Klassen, soprano; Frederik Robert, tenor.