A Triumph of
American Opera

Robert Aldridge’s score draws on the rich musical traditions of the American South — gospel hymns, revival songs, and the rhythms of jazz-age America — to create something genuinely new. It is sophisticated and complex, yet immediately engaging, with a sly wit that matches Lewis’s satirical bite.

Herschel Garfein’s libretto distills Sinclair Lewis’s sprawling novel into a taut, dramatically compelling narrative that never loses its sense of humor. Together, they have created an opera that is as fun as it is serious — a rare combination in the American repertoire.