Opera Philadelphia's 10 Days in a Madhouse confronts madwoman myth

Will Liverman (Dr Josiah Blackwell), Kiera Duffy (Nellie) and Lauren Pearl (Matron)

Kiera Duffy (Nellie Bly)

Raehann Bryce-Davis (Lizzie)

The “Madwomen” and Lauren Pearl (Matron)

By Cameron Kelsall, 22 September 2023

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“courting the listener’s discomfort through a jagged, dissonant musical language”

Reviewed at Wilma Theater, Philadelphia on 21 September 2023

Orth, 10 Days in a Madhouse

Opera Philadelphia

Daniela Candillari, Conductor

Joanna Settle, Director

Andrew Lieberman, Set Designer

Stacey Derosier, Lighting Designer

Opera Philadelphia Orchestra

Opera Philadelphia Chorus

Kiera Duffy, The Madwoman, Nellie

Raehann Bryce-Davis, Lizzie

Will Liverman, Josiah Blackwell

Lauren Pearl, Nurse

A sorta fairy tale: Sleepers Awake premieres at Opera Philadelphia

Cameron Kelsall, 22nd April

A new opera by Gregory Spears subverts the Sleeping Beauty trope, with middling results.

**111

Opera by committee: Opera Philadelphia premieres Complications in Sue

Cameron Kelsall, 4th February

Opera Philadelphia commissions ten composers to tell the story of an ordinary woman's idiosyncratic march from cradle to tomb.

****1

A didactic Decameron: The Seasons at Opera Philadelphia

Cameron Kelsall, 20th December

Conceived by Anthony Roth Costanzo and Sarah Ruhl, this high-handed pasticcio sets the climate crisis to a soundtrack of Vivaldi.

***11

A long, strange trip: Opera Philadelphia’s Il viaggio a Reims

Cameron Kelsall, 19th September

The intrepid company brings Damiano Michieletto’s well-traveled production of a Rossini rarity to the US for the first time.

***11

The Listeners: daring psychological thriller at Opera Philadelphia

Cameron Kelsall, 25th September

The new opera by Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek draws on cult mindsets and conspiracy theories but smartly avoids sensationalism.

****1

Opera Philadelphia's Unholy Wars creates a dialogue with Monteverdi

Cameron Kelsall, 23rd September

Arab-American tenor Karim Sulayman devises a thoughtful pastiche that centers the perspective omitted from Early Modern depictions of the Middle East in music.

****1

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Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall is a classical music critic and cultural reporter. He has written for Bachtrack since 2019, and his byline has appeared in many national and international classical music publications. Based in Philadelphia, he regularly travels around the United States for musical events. In addition to his career in journalism, Cameron also teaches in the Theatre Arts program at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a certified sommelier and avid home cook. His favorite composer is Mahler. Twitter: @CameronPKelsall.

Opera Philadelphia's 10 Days in a Madhouse confronts the madwoman myth