Charlie "Yardbird" Parker and the biographical opera about his life, Yardbird, are set to sing again. It's been announced by Opera Philadelphia will take its jazz production across the way to New York's Apollo Theater on April 1 and 3.
While this is great news, the program was actually slated to appear in New York all along. However once the Gotham Chamber Opera unexpectedly closed, one of the original commissioners declared bankruptcy--and Yardbird had to go down with the proverbial ship.
But as it's been pointed out, the opera is small and is produced by an even smaller company. With the arts in a constant state of decline, it's unclear whether Yardbird will soar or falter like it did in Philadelphia.
The Washington Post writes:
"Indeed, "Yardbird's" resurrection spotlights a peculiar time for small opera in New York. It's in the nature of small opera companies to come and go, but New York has lost several outlets of long standing in recent years. That the mom-and-pop Amato Opera couldn't survive its founders' ability to run it was inevitable (it closed in 2009); less so was the closure of the Dicapo Opera Theater after 33 years, in 2013, or the much-feted Gotham's demise. All of this is overshadowed by the fall of the New York City Opera, which filed for bankruptcy in 2013."
Performing this production at the Apollo, though, could prove to be a savvy business move as Parker was a frequent performer at the Apollo during his career. He developed the bebop style on that stage and even orchestrated some of his experiments for the stage and venue.
The production is suited for a New York audience, sure, and its acclaimed tenor Lawrence Brownlee will do well at a theater such as the Apollo. Often noted as a legendary venue for comedy, it will cater nicely to a Yardbird performance.
While its future is not foretold, it's exciting to see a piece get a revival when it was not given much of a chance to begin with.
Preview what's in store for Charlie below.
