Midwest Premiere
Blue
The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare
music by Jeanine Tesori
lyrics by Tazewell Thompson
directed by Tazewell Thompson
in collaboration with Lyric Opera of Chicago
About the Composer
Jeanine Tesori is a versatile composer, with work ranging from opera (A Blizzard On Marblehead Neck and The Lion, The Unicorn and Me) to commercial blockbusters (Shrek the Musical). Tesori's groundbreaking musical Fun Home won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Her musical Caroline, Or Change, written with Tony Kushner, draws from spirituals, blues, Motown, classical music, Jewish klezmer and folk music, and won the 2004 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music.
"Jeanine has an amazing ability to blend musical genres to define characters' personalities, underscore difficult subject matter, and express emotional shifts as events unfold," Zambello said. "Her impressive talent in setting text comes from her work in both opera and musical theater."
Blue is Tesori's second commission for The Glimmerglass Festival. Her opera, A Blizzard On Marblehead Neck, with libretto by Tony Kushner, premiered at the Festival in 2011.
Originally posted on BroadwayWorld.com