Season 2, Episode 5: Behind every summer is a community that keeps Fire Island alive. This episode explores the history of the beloved Pines Pantry through the eyes of its iconic Pantry Girls, alongside the volunteer firefighters of The Pines and Cherry Grove who protect the island from fires, hurricanes, beach erosion, and an uncertain future.
ZOMBIE OPERA Will Debut at Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège
Directed by Marta Eguilior, the work draws on 1980s horror cinema and features a cast including Abel Zamora and Claire de Monteil.
By: Stephi Wild
From 21 to 26 November, the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège will present the world premiere of Zombie Opera, a new work commissioned from Andrea Battistoni, the Institution's Composer in Residence. A supernatural comedy that brings one of the most iconic figures of contemporary popular culture to the operatic stage.
On Christmas Eve, a group of young people find themselves trapped in a supermarket as a zombie invasion spreads outside. Their true characters emerge: some pull together, while others turn against one another.
With a premise straight out of an 1980s fantasy comedy, Andrea Battistoni draws on an instantly recognisable fictional world while making full use of opera's expressive possibilities. Beneath the undead, the humour and the impending disaster lie some very human questions: how do we react when the world suddenly stops obeying its own rules?
Andrea Battistoni has written both the music and the libretto for Zombie Opera. His eclectic score draws on the great twentieth-century operatic tradition, as well as film music and musical theatre.
Six soloists, the Chorus, Children's Chorus and Orchestra of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège will bring this new work to life under the musical direction of Alessandro Cadario. The cast features Abel Zamora, Claire de Monteil, Ivan Thirion, Krešimir Špicer, Patrick Bolleire and Julie Bailly.
Marta Eguilior returns to the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège following Carmen, this time taking charge of direction and set design. Her visual world draws freely on 1980s fantasy and horror cinema: Gremlins, Beetlejuice, Little Shop of Horrors, the films of Tim Burton and the imagery of Michael Jackson's Thriller.
No gratuitous gore: blue skin, yellow eyes, fluorescent colours and an ever-changing supermarket create a world in which fear and laughter can arise almost simultaneously. Video projections, choreography and shifting perspectives turn the stage into a veritable machine for transformation.
The Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège is accompanying this world premiere with a series of events exploring the zombie phenomenon and its place in popular culture.
On Wednesday 28 October, the Opera House's main auditorium will become a cinema for a screening of Shaun of the Dead, Edgar Wright's cult horror comedy. Introduced by Caroline Poisson, the screening will, of course, come with popcorn. Ffrom 21 to 26 November, the zombies will leave the screen behind and take to the stage.
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