by Robert Leeper
With the crumbling of New York City Opera last year and the recent labor-related histrionics from the Met, it would seem that opera in our fair city requires a different kind model. Cue Gotham Chamber Opera. The small company, known for its production of under-recognized operas from the Baroque to the present, enters its 13th season with eyes on the vacuum left by patrons abandoned by City Opera, or fed up with the Met.
Gotham opens their season with a double bill by 20th century Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu. The surrealist comedy Alecandre Bis tells the story of a man who decides to test his wife's fidelity by shaving off his beard and posing as his own cousin from San Francisco. Comedy on the Bridge tells the story of Josephine, caught in an existential paradox between two opposing armies, neither of which will allow her to enter their domain. It runs October 14-18 at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College.
December features a revival of Gotham's 2010 production of El gato con botas (Puss in Boots) at El Museo del Barrio. The opera is Xavier Montsalvatge's take on the classic story of a mangy feline with magical talents. Directed by Moisés Kaufman, the production features innovative Bunraku-style puppetry from London's Blind Summit Theater. The run will be from December 2-13.
Tickets and information on the rest of Gotham Chamber Opera's season available here.