Virginia Opera: Fellow Travelers at Center for the Arts at George Mason University

In a commitment to share contemporary opera experiences with its audiences, Virginia Opera presents Fellow Travelers by New York-based composer Gregory Spears and librettist Greg Pierce. Set at the dawn of the Cold War, Fellow Travelers follows the blazingly idealistic Timothy Laughlin as he navigates through the intrigues of Washington, D.C. during the “Red Scare” of the 1950s. Fresh out of college and working in a senator’s office, Timothy passionately joins the fight against communism, but his values are put to the test when falls in love with Hawkins Fuller, a handsome State Department official. The two men become tangled in a web of fear and deceit during the “Lavender Scare,” a witch hunt and mass firings of gay people in the United States government that paralleled McCarthyism. After its world premiere in 2016 at Cincinnati Opera, Fellow Travelers has generated a buzz and wowed critics wherever it is performed. “A near-perfect example of fast-flowing musical drama” (The New York Times). “One of the most accomplished New American Operas” (Chicago Tribune). Sung in English with English surtitles.

Artistic Director Adam Turner conducts this exciting Virginia premiere, featuring two key players from the widely acclaimed 2016 world premiere at Cincinnati Opera: Director Kevin Newbury and baritone Joseph Lattanzi, who originated the role of Hawkins Fuller and was praised by The New York Times for his “buttery baritone luxuriant and robust.” The Times also declared the original production one of the best classical music events of 2016, lauded for its “heart-wrenching yet musically lucid drama… the music, libretto, and sure-handed direction by Kevin Newbury create a tidal pull that rushes the action along and the audience’s sympathies with it.” Cast also includes Andres Acosta, Katherine Pracht, Katrina Thurman, Joshua Jeremiah, and John Fulton.