Somtow's 'Snow Dragon' flies home
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Praised at its US premiere, the fantasy opera comes to Bangkok with its American cast intact
Having premiered in March in the Midwest US city of Milwaukee, Somtow Sucharitkul’s opera “The Snow Dragon” – about an abused boy’s flight into the realm of a dragon prince – is returning home for two nights in July at the Thailand Cultural Centre.
And the Thai-American composer (who was born in the Year of the Dragon) is bringing the original cast.
“The Snow Dragon”, described as a contemporary fantasy opera, drew favourable reviews for its world premiere and 10 subsequent performances at Milwaukee’s Skylight Music Theatre, most of which ended in standing ovations.
The Skylight’s artistic director, Viswa Subbaraman, had asked Somtow to compose an opera “with a dragon in it” for a season of shows devoted to fantasy. Somtow adapted his own short story about an abused child and his equally tormented counsellor, who must together find an avenue to heal each other. The resulting opera, he says, has earned “the best reviews any opera of mine has ever received” from critics in America, Europe and Asia.
“It’s an evening that grabs hold of your heart and your head,” David Begel wrote in a review for OnMilwaukee.com, “and shakes both until you holler ‘uncle’ and try to get some kind of equilibrium back into your life. ‘Imaginative’ and ‘daring’ don’t come close to capturing the web woven by this production.”
Begel, in his piece reprinted in The Nation, said the final scene, “when Dora asks if Billy will flinch if she hugs him, is so filled with tension and drama that I could barely feel my heart beating.” And London-based Opera magazine noted that the show “drew full houses and standing ovations for its 11 performances”.
The opera’s sensitive subject matter – child abuse – opened an important dialogue among Milwaukee’s schools, children’s programmes and other social services. Their spokespeople praised the work in a bid to raise public awareness about a crime that’s too often swept under the carpet of shame and stigma.
Escape from harsh reality
“The Snow Dragon”, featuring the original cast or American Production, will be at the Thailand Cultural Centre on July 15 and 16.
Tickets are Bt500 to Bt2,000 at www.ThaiTicketMajor.com. Call (02) 262 3456.
For more details, see www.Facebook.com/OperaSiam
