Event

Four Hands of Bridge

Four Hands of Bridge is a unique operatic experience and experiment.

At its heart lies Samuel Barber and Gian-Carlo Menotti's A Hand of Bridge--a nine minute opera that briefly, but powerfully, touches on themes of societal expectation, commercialism, marital infidelity, greed, repression, isolation, and loss of love... all over one hand of bridge. Rarely performed as a featured work, this piece deserves a closer look.

The evening will consist of FOUR consecutive performances of A Hand of Bridge by the same cast, for the same audience. Audience members will be encouraged to change seats if they like, in order to gain an additional perspective as the evening progresses. These performances will then be followed by a guided conversation between audience and performers about the whole experience. What was it like to see the same piece four times? What were you watching for? What was it like to perform the same piece four times for the same audience, knowing that the audience was becoming increasingly familiar with the work with each viewing? How present were the themes in this period piece and how relevant do they feel to us as an audience and to the us as performers?

Vital Opera is thrilled to present this one-of-a-kind operatic experience as an opportunity for both audience and performer to grow closer to one another and to discover how we see ourselves and our society within Barber and Menotti's wonderful little work of art.

Our stellar team:

Joshua Jeremiah as David
Jeremy Carlisle Parker as Geraldine
Brent Reilly Turner as Bill
Jennifer Panara as Sally
Wei-En Hsu, music direction
Kelvin Chan, stage direction
Eric Lamp, costume design
Alejandro Fajardo, lighting design
Lauren Bridgeford, hair design
Kathryn Cohen, stage management

Advance Tickets: $20/$15 for students and seniors
Door: $25/$20 for students and seniors