The little OPERA theatre of ny is preparing to bring Carlisle Floyd’s Wuthering Heights back to a New York stage, presenting the American composer’s adaptation of Emily Brontë’s landmark novel as part of a nationwide celebration marking Floyd’s centennial.
The production will run November 19-22 at the Loreto Theater at the Sheen Center for Thought & Culture in New York City. Performances are scheduled Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with a Sunday performance at 3 p.m. General admission tickets will range from $30 to $60, while $15 student rush tickets will be available on performance days with valid identification. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale September 9.
Carlisle Floyd’s Opera Returns to New York
Floyd’s Wuthering Heights follows Cathy and Heathcliff, whose childhood bond develops into an intense relationship against the rugged landscape of the Yorkshire Moors. Their attempts to reconcile their desires with society’s expectations ultimately bring tragedy to themselves and those around them.
The opera has not been seen in New York City since its 1959 premiere, when it was presented by New York City Opera. Floyd subsequently became a prominent figure in American opera, with works including Of Mice and Men, which premiered in 1969 and became one of his most frequently performed compositions.
Floyd also had a longstanding association with Houston Grand Opera, which commissioned three of his major operas. In 1999, Susannah reached the Metropolitan Opera in a production featuring Renée Fleming and Samuel Ramey.
His career honors included a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1956, induction into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2001 and the National Medal of Arts in 2004. He was also inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Florida Artist Hall of Fame in 2015.
Production Marks LOTNY’s Third Exploration of Floyd’s Work
The upcoming staging will be the third Floyd production mounted by the little OPERA theatre of ny. The company previously presented the double bill Slow Dusk & Markheim in 2014 and the New York City premiere of Prince of Players in 2017.
Those earlier productions drew attention from arts publications. Slow Dusk & Markheim was described as “rewarding and ambitious” in Opera News and “sublime and extraordinary” in the New York Classical Review. The online journal Let’s Talk Off-Bway said, “What a wonderful evening of theater. Two short American operas, narratives set to dramatic music, superbly performed. One leaves thrilled and elated.”
The company’s Prince of Players production was described by The New York Times as “stylish… and tells it story vividly and compactly, while fleshing out characters who win your sympathy” with “fine singers,” while the publication proclaimed “at 90, Carlisle Floyd scores a fresh opera hit.”
The New York Classical Review called the evening “delightful, impressive, and affective.” Opera magazine described Prince of Players as an “intimate epic of an opera; the performers… gave acting performances that were on the same high level as their singing.”
Cast and Creative Team Announced
The announced cast includes Vanessa Isiguen and Sara Kennedy sharing the role of Cathy. Janara Kellerman and Margaret Lattimore will appear as Nelly, while Teresa Castillo will perform as Isabella. Hayden Smith is set to appear as Edgar, Spencer Hamlin as Hindley, Bert K. Johnson as Earnshaw and Omar Bowey as Lockwood. Additional performers are expected to be announced.
The creative team includes conductor Richard Cordova and director Philip Shneidman, alongside choreographer Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish and fight director Brad Lemons. Lara de Bruijn serves as costume designer, Seth Reiser as lighting designer and Alex Basco Koch as projection designer.
Catherine Miller is associate music director, Jamil Chokachi is production stage manager and Zac Spitzer is production manager.
Brontë Classic Continues Its Long Cultural Legacy
Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights was first published in 1847 under the name Ellis Bell. The novel has since inspired numerous film and television productions as well as ballet, opera, music and stage adaptations.
LOTNY’s production will return Floyd’s interpretation to New York audiences more than six decades after its city premiere, while highlighting the composer’s contribution to American opera during his centennial celebration.
The production has lead sponsorship from the Margo Leavin Foundation and is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. It is being presented by arrangement with B&H Music Publishing Inc., doing business as Boosey & Hawkes, the publisher and copyright owner.
