Comic Opera BEHOLD THE MAN to Have World Premiere at Opera Las Vegas

An elderly woman's attempt to restore a long-forgotten fresco of Jesus backfires, instead going viral on social media. She faces online shame and community rejection, but finds redemption when curious tourists arrive, revitalizing the struggling town.

On September 30th and October 1st, Opera Las Vegas will kick off its 25th anniversary season with the world premiere of "Behold The Man," a contemporary comic opera based on the true story of Cecilia Giménez's botched restoration of the "Ecce Homo" fresco in Borja, Spain.

Developed by composer Paul Fowler and librettist Andrew Flack, the pair kept all-age mainstream audiences top-of-mind using tuneful pop, classical and Spanish folk styles to tell the story.

"Because so much of what happened was driven by exposure on the internet," says Fowler, "we wanted the music to assume the same relevance as the memes which appeared in response. So we integrated an array of musical styles and genres from Gregorian Chant to Korean K-Pop. This is hybrid music theatre like you've never seen or heard before."

Working on the libretto, Flack found familiar operatic themes in play-love, faith and forgiveness-as "Behold The Man" poignantly weaves the absurdity of the situation with threads of the sublime.

"A medieval village finds itself at the mercy of the Internet," Flack says. "One of their own has embarrassed them. They react with fear and recriminations. But Cecilia has the grace to prevail, which proves that patience is the wisest approach of all."

According to OLV's Musical Director and Principal Conductor, Joshua Horsch:

"As far as new comic operas go there aren't nearly enough of them. 'Behold The Man' with its ironic twists of fate and poignant humor will make such a funny, uplifting addition to the repertoire."

During its ten-year development, "Behold The Man" has received an Arizona State University orchestral reading; placement in Ft. Worth Opera's "Frontiers" Workshop; and a university premiere at Wingate University in North Carolina.

Opera Las Vegas was recently awarded a $25,000 Grant from the NEA in support of its Living Composers and Librettists Initiative to help fund this production.

Of special interest: Marisa Ibáñez, the niece of Cecilia Giménez, the opera's protagonist, will travel from Spain to attend the premiere and be available for interviews.

For more information and tickets visit: operalasvegas.com

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