Opera Philadelphia Premieres ‘Complications in Sue’ as a Strange and Singular Roller Coaster Ride
Opera Philadelphia is set to debut a highly unusual new work titled “Complications in Sue,” a production explicitly described as a “strange little roller coaster ride” currently rolling into the Academy of Music. The opera distinguishes itself with a structural experiment rarely attempted in the genre: the score is the collaborative work of ten different composers, a feature that sets a potential record for the art form.
The narrative follows the existence of a single protagonist, Sue, spanning ten decades of her life. To match this temporal breadth, the production team assigned each decade to a different composer, creating a stylistic anthology intended to mirror the changing times and the character’s evolution. This approach was engineered to allow distinct musical voices to capture specific eras, offering a diverse auditory experience within a single evening.
However, the ambitious format presents significant artistic risks. By utilizing a double-digit count of composers, the production faces the inherent challenge of maintaining musical and narrative cohesion. In similar collaborative endeavors, critics have often noted that shifting creative voices can result in a disjointed or fragmented performance, making it difficult for audiences to connect with the emotional arc of the characters. The primary hurdle for “Complications in Sue” will be whether the disparate styles can be woven into a unified tapestry or if the shifts between decades will feel abrupt and jarring.
Despite these potential obstacles, the production represents a bold move for Opera Philadelphia as it continues to test the boundaries of traditional opera. As the curtain rises, audiences will decide if this complex “roller coaster” is a disjointed experiment or a groundbreaking innovation in storytelling.
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