Long Beach Opera to Showcase Superhero ‘King Arthur’ Re-imagining

By David Salazar

The Long Beach Opera is set to present the world premiere of its re-imagination of Purcell’s “King Arthur.”

The opera, which will be directed and adapted by Andreas Mitisek, is set to appear o Jan. 12, 18, and 19 at the Beverly O’Neill Theatre in Long Beach, California. Culture Clash and Musica Angelica will perform alongside Bass-baritone Cedric Berry, soprano Jamie Chamberlin, tenor Marc Molomot, and countertenor Darryl Taylor.

This re-imagining will push the story from medieval times to a more modern setting where the famed King Arthur will be portrayed as a superhero saving humanity from strange and unnatural forces.

“For millennia,  superheroes have battled supernatural forces and returned home ‘from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man,’ as the mythologist Joseph Campbell wrote. Heroes and heroines embark on perilous quests in search of lost loved ones, the secret of immortality, earthly paradise or simply great riches,” the company’s press release noted. “For the audience, these stories don’t show us how to acquire superpowers, but how to be the heroes of our own lives – by choosing altruism over the pursuit of wealth and power.”

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