THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW YORK CITY: AN OPERA is Coming to The Cutting Room

Cast and creatives have been revealed for one-night-only debut concert presentation of The Real Housewives of New York City: An Opera (RHONY Opera). The opera features a fantastical story of Tinsley Mortimer, a socialite and cast member of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York City between 2017-2020, on her wedding day, surrounded by NYC housewife favorites Countess Luann, Dorinda Medley, Ramona Singer, Sonja Morgan, and more. Featuring music and lyrics by Sharon Kenny, book by Kirsten Guenther, musical direction by Adam Laird, the work is directed by Mary Birnbaum with Hannah Oren as creative producer. Tickets are on sale now for the October 20 event.

Born after a mutual friend connection, a realization of performing together in the past at Feinstein’s located in the Regency (yes–a Housewives sign), a meeting with a martini, then the lockdown of Covid watching reruns of Housewives, Kenny and Guenther bonded over the bond of their “friends” – The Housewives.  “What if we write about our friends? The Housewives?”

Said the creators: “It suddenly clicked. All our past ideas had circled around the female experience, and we specifically wanted to explore the themes of identity and the deprogramming necessary for women to live as their most authentic selves. What could be a more heightened, dazzling world for those themes than the Housewives? And with stakes this epic, it had to be an opera.”

They continued, “This piece is our love letter to the Housewives -- who made us laugh, cry, and feel less alone in the most isolating time of our lives. They deserve all the sparkle, drama, and grandeur opera can provide.”

The cast will feature Christine Taylor Price (The Juilliard School) as Tinsley Mortimer, Tony nominee Barbara Walsh (Company) as Dale Mercer, Stephanie Gibson (Cinderella) as Dorinda Medley, Natalie Walker (Big Gay Jamboree) as Bethenny Frankel, Lauren Blackman (Ragtime) as Countess Luann DeLesseps, Hannah Solow (Oh, Mary!) as Ramona Singer, Jessie Hooker Bailey (Waitress) as Sonja Morgan, and Colin Hanlon (Falsettos) as Andy Cohen.  The concert will also include Jacob Ben-Shmuel (Aladdin), Adam Enright (Only Murders in the Building), Aaron Fuksa (Hairspray in Concert), Ned Riseley (Six Degrees of Separation), and Sam Tedaldi (Be More Chill). Adam Laird (Beetlejuice) will serve as Music Director.

THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW YORK CITY: AN OPERA

Monday, October 20 at 7pm | Doors at 6pm

The Cutting Room | 44 East 32nd Street | New York, NY

High society, high drama, and high C’s collide in a concert of songs from the new comic opera The Real Housewives of New York City. On her Plaza wedding day, Tinsley Mortimer takes a spectacular spill down the aisle and lands in Bluestone Manor -- her glittering bridal purgatory -- where every door opens on another absurd truth about housewifehood. With the countdown clock to “I do” ticking and her mother’s expectations ringing in her head, Tinsley must ditch the script and choose real life over the fairy tale. Whether you’re a ride-or-die RHONY fan or don’t know what “Turtle Time” is, pour yourself some pinot and join the OG RHONY cast for a night you won’t forget.

TICKETING INFO: The Real Housewives of New York City: An Opera takes place Monday, October 20 at The Cutting Room.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM:

Sharon Kenny (Music & Lyrics) Sharon Kenny writes songs and the words that go with them. She lives in New York. Kenny's music has been prominently featured worldwide on television (Netflix, Lifetime, Amazon), most notably with five placements on the hit show, Dance Moms.  Her song "Hotel Heart" reached #68 on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter charts; her music has cumulatively garnered nearly 30 million views on YouTube.

Sharon’s theatre work has been produced and/or developed at New York Theatre Workshop, Manhattan Theatre Club, 92NY, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Ars Nova, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, The Yale Institute of Music Theatre, The Institute for American Musical Theatre, Interlochen Center for the Arts, and Stages Theatre Company.  She is a graduate of The Hartt School and an alumna of The Johnny Mercer Songwriter's Project, Prospect Theatre Company's Musical Theatre Lab, Vineyard Arts Project, and Space on Ryder Farm.  She has performed sold out shows to Joe's Pub, Le Poisson Rouge, and the Gramercy Theatre, and has been a finalist for the Fred Ebb, Jonathan Larson, and Richard Rodgers Awards.

Kenny’s work in Children’s Theatre includes adaptations of the NY Times bestsellers What Do You Do With an Idea?, Maybe (both by Kobi Yamada), Dragons Love Tacos (by Adam Rubin),  as well as commissions for 92NY (The Tempest, Mother Goose, Ice Queen, A Midsummer Night’s Dream).  She and co-writer Cristina Pippa were recently named 92NY’s TYA Resident Artists.