Opera Theatre of St. Louis presents Blitzstein’s Regina in a new production directed by OTSL Artistic Director James Robinson and conducted by Music Director Stephen Lord. American mezzo-soprano Susan Graham makes her role debut as the opera’s anti-heroine Regina Giddens, alongside James Morris as Ben Hubbard, Ron Raines as Oscar Hubbard, and Susanna Phillips as Birdie. The cast also includes Melody Wilson as Addie, Monica Dewey as Alexandra, Kristopher Irmiter as Horace, and Michael Day as Leo.
In a recent interview with Opera (“Vivat Regina!” by John Allison, April 2018), Graham described her attraction to the title role, “[S]he’s so bad! I’m always playing the boy next door and don’t usually get to do juicy parts like this…. She’s great operatic fodder….”
Graham went on to say, “It’s a fascinating piece, and certainly not something I’d ever envisioned myself doing. It wasn’t exactly on my wish list, so I’m grateful for the way things have turned out…. I feel Regina will open new horizons for me. I’ve never sung any Blitzstein songs, but I’m sure that after this adventure in Regina-land I will want to explore them further.”
Fans of Blitzstein hope that she does!
This marks the opera’s first major revival since Utah Opera’s 2009 production. Regina opens 26 May and runs in repertory through 24 June.
View the event in the performance calendar.