Complications in Sue World Premiere One librettist, one actor, four singers, and ten composers join forces to make opera in a brand-new way. In his first opera libretto, Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning playwright Michael R. Jackson (A Strange Loop) traces the life of a woman named Sue whose personality is split in two. Sue’s life, from the mundane to the extraordinary, unfolds before us, with each decade scored by a different musical luminary. Opera Philadelphia favorites Missy Mazzoli (Breaking the Waves, The Listeners), Rene Orth (10 Days in a Madhouse), and Nico Muhly (Dark Sisters) return alongside a panoply of company debuts from notable composers, like GRAMMY® nominee Nathalie Joachim. The production stars MacArthur Genius and cabaret icon Justin Vivian Bond, with Zack Winokur directing, and conductor Caren Levine making her Opera Philadelphia debut.
Libretto by Michael R. Jacksonbased on an idea by Justin Vivian Bond
Music by Andy Akiho, Alistair Coleman, Nathalie Joachim, Missy Mazzoli, Nico Muhly, Rene Orth, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Kamala Sankaram, Dan Schlosberg, and Errollyn Wallen
Performed in English with English supertitles
All tickets are Pick Your Price, starting at $11. Any amount above $11 helps support other operagoers and the work we present on stage. In addition, $10 rush tickets will be available before the performance.
Sleepers Awake (4/22/26-4/26/26)
Academy of Music is at 240 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA.
Philadelphia Ballet: The Nutcracker (12/5/25-12/31/25)
Il viaggio a Reims (9/19/25-9/28/25)
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