Shockingly good fun: Heartbeat Opera’s Salome

Nathaniel Sullivan (Jochanaan) and Summer Hassan (Salome)

Patrick Cook (Herod)

David Morgans (Narraboth), Manna K Jones (Herodias), Melina Jaharis (Page), Patrick Cook (Herodes)

Summer Hassan (Salome) and Nathaniel Sullivan (Jochanaan)

By Kevin W Ng, 12 February 2025

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“her Salome is both manipulated and manipulator”

Reviewed at The Space at Irondale, New York City on 11 February 2025

Strauss R., Salome (Sung in English, score arr. Dan Schlosberg)

Heartbeat Opera

Jacob Ashworth, Conductor

Elizabeth Dinkova, Director

Emona Stoykova, Set Designer

Mika Eubanks, Costume Designer

John Gasper, Video

Summer Hassan, Salome

Patrick Cook, Herodes

Manna K Jones, Herodias

Nathaniel Sullivan, Jochanaan

David Morgans, Narraboth

Melina Jaharis, Herodias' Page

Heartbeat Opera's Faust: an economical deal with the devil

Kurt Gottschalk, 15th May

Hot on the heels of their modern-day take on Salome, Heartbeat Opera returns with another economical but inventive staging of a classic.

****1

Queer longing: Heartbeat Opera's bold Onegin

Kevin W Ng, 4th April

A strong young cast heads Dustin Wills' reimagining of Eugene Onegin for New York's most innovative opera company, Heartbeat Opera.

***11

A powerful, imperfect Tosca relocated to Tehran

Kurt Gottschalk, 11th April

Last year, the upstart Heartbeat Opera impressively reimagined Fidelio for the Black Lives Matter era. Their new Tosca places the tragic opera about an opera singer in a land where women have been banned from singing.

***11

LvB meets #BLM in Heartbeat Opera's Fidelio

Kurt Gottschalk, 10th February

Heartbeat’s Fidelio is a dramatic reworking in every sense of the term. It’s bold and unflinching, borrowing from Beethoven to tell tales too horrible to tell.

****1

A noble Norma trapped in a hollow dystopia

Andrew Larkin, 24th May

Salome Jicia delivers a vocally impressive and emotionally committed Norma, but Orpha Phelan’s post-apocalyptic staging fatally weakens Bellini’s sacred tragedy.

***11

A deli-cious revival of Rossini’s Il turco in Italia at Glyndebourne

Dominic Lowe, 23rd May

Mariame Clément’s production of Rossini's meta comedy is tightly revived with some excellent singing. Come for the writing tips, stay for the cured meats.

****1

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Kevin W Ng

Kevin writes about music and culture, with a focus on opera. Originally trained as a violinist, he has a particular interest in 20th-century music. He is currently based in New York City.