Conor Mitchell Plans to Present Harvey Weinstein Opera
By Francisco SalazarThe Belfast Ensemble has announced its plans to stage “The Trial of Harvey Weinstein: An Opera.”
The work, which is about the Manhattan trial of the disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein will be staged in Northern Ireland in September with plans for a New York City premiere.
In an interview with the New York Post Conor Mitchell said, “There are conversations about taking it somewhere off the beaten track in New York, but it is very early days still. I think New York City would be its natural home.”
Mitchell’s libretto will include verbatim testimonies from the six women who spoke against Weinstein during his 2020 trial in New York City and saw the Moguel convicted and sentenced to 23 years for rape.
Mitchell noted that the opera is no typical courtroom drama, and there will be no male actor playing Weinstein. He also noted that famed Lawyer Gloria Allred, who represents three of the women civilly, is also on board with the opera as long as “they do obtain the consent of the victims whom they plan to portray.”
Weinstein’s lawyer noted that the work will have to include “a second act based on my client’s appeal as to whether his trial was a fair one.”
Mitchell is an opera/theatre composer, librettist, and stage director whose works have played at the Ni Opera, Irish National Opera, and Spark Opera.
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