Pittsburgh Opera is set to present Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson’s “Blue.”

The opera, which is reflective of an all-too-familiar American headline, “Blue” centers on the hopes and fears of a young Black couple as they raise their son.

The cast will include Kenneth Kellogg, Briana Elyse Hunter, Aaron Crouch, Andrew Turner, Gordon Hawkins, Yazid Gray, and Adrianna Cleveland. Glenn Lewis conducts the production by Tazewell Thompson.

The work will be performed four times with a special student/community matinee. In addition, Pittsburgh Opera is hosting Opera Up Close: A Community Conversation and the special virtual event with community leaders and “Blue’s” librettist and stage director Tazewell Thompson will discuss the opera’s major themes–fatherhood, motherhood, religious support, and police perspective, all from the perspective of the Black community.

“Blue” will open on April 23 and run through May 1, 2022.