Florida Grand Opera to Present NO EXIT

Florida Grand Opera's next installment of "Unexpected Operas in Unexpected Places" is No Exit, a contemporary and edgy one act opera by Andy Vores. "No Exit is both rich and empty at the same time - and that gave me the chance to make some tight and grizzly musical statements along with sections of dark, acid humor, and others of loss and sadness; a very varied journey in a short span of time," remarked Vores about his adaptation of Existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre's celebrated play of the same name. No Exit is about three damned souls that are condemned to spend all of eternity together in a room with no exits, which they eventually discover is hell. "It will be very exciting to bring this opera to a lounge setting on Miami Beach" remarked Susan T. Danis, FGO general director and CEO, "I can't wait!"

As this chamber opera begins, three damned souls, Garcin, Inez, and Estelle, are brought to the same room and locked inside by a mysterious valet. They had all expected torture devices to punish them for eternity, but instead find a plain room and soon realize that they have been placed together to make each other miserable. It is soon clear that Inez is attracted to Estelle, Estelle is attracted to Garcin, and Garcin is in no mood for either woman.

Garcin finally begins giving in to Estelle's seduction, which drives Inez crazy. Inez tells him that Estelle is just pretending to be attracted to him so that she can be with a man-any man. This upsets Garcin, and he abruptly tries to escape by trying to open the door. After several attempts, it surprisingly opens. However, Garcin is unable to bring himself to leave, and he and the two women decide to stay. Garcin concludes that rather than torture devices or physical punishment, "hell is other people."

The cast will be made up of members of Florida Grand Opera's Young Artist Program, with mezzo-soprano Caitlin McKechney reprising her celebrated performance as Inez from the Chicago Opera Vanguard production of 2009. McKechney recently appeared as Tisbe in La Cenerentola and the Third Lady in The Magic Flute with Nashville Opera and Maddalena in Rigoletto with Opera Memphis.

The cast also includes soprano Riley Svatos, tenor Casey Finnigan, and baritone Carlton Ford. Svatos most recently appeared to acclaim as Helen Niles in FGO's Mourning Becomes Electra. Finnigan makes his FGO main stage debut on February 25 as Abdallo in Verdi's Nabucco.Ford makes his FGO main stage debut as the Servant in Thaïs, and this coming summer appears at Glimmerglass as Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos.