The Tempest Meets Tron

We went to see Tod Machover’s opera Death and the Powers today. It’s billed as a a robot opera, but the robots (a gang of iMacs who escaped from a Dr. Who episode) weren’t really the highlight of the show. The human singers were great. Especially Sara Heaton as Miranda.

Robert Pinsky’s libretto had its moments, but it had a tendency to collapse under its own weight every so often. Probably hard not to when you’re telling the story of the end of the Organic Age.

For the most part the music was quite good, but in many ways the best part was the set. It consisted of three triangular pylons which could move around autonomously and were covered with tubes which could change color and play videos. You can see an excerpt here.

It was a beautiful sunny day in town. We discovered a nice new café, and a big group of kids were playing some really nice Dixieland on the Common.