Lyric Opera 2024-2025 Issue 8 - The Listeners

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 22 I first encountered The Listeners in the least exciting, most unlikely environment possible — watching an archival recording on a train between Boston and New York City. And yet, against all odds, I found myself on the edge of my seat. Viewing an opera on my computer screen while on an Amtrak and at the same time being utterly thrilled was not something I had ever experienced before — in fact, I didn’t think it was possible. With ten minutes left of the opera, I thought to myself, I genuinely do not know how this is going to end . That kind of electrifying, tantalizing uncertainty can be rare and it felt exhilarating to be absorbed in something that was so unpredictable while also so beautifully constructed. It is my hope for this production that you, the audience, experience that same thrill of not knowing, that feeling of holding your breath until the end. Part of accomplishing that mission is bringing to life the original vision of director Lileana Blain-Cruz, who directed the work’s world premiere in Oslo, and its U.S. premiere in Philadelphia, where I served as Associate Director. The goal in Philadelphia, as it is here, is to keep that thrill alive through the tension and specificity that is required for each of these characters; part of Lileana’s brilliance is that she deeply honors the idiosyncrasy of each singer and the unique way in which their choices and instincts can add nuance and complexity to a role. With that approach, not only do the performances continue to feel alive city after city, but the density and expansiveness of Missy and Royce’s work gets revealed. Different facets of each character start to breathe and pulse as different singers take on the roles. Tonight, you will see Lileana’s production brought to life anew in Chicago with this incredible cast of singers. With this piece, Missy and Royce have tapped into something at once of its time and timeless — the deep human need for connection that is perennial, and also freshly urgent in our current cultural moment, defined by isolation. The Listeners trades on the twin motifs of the search for connection and deep loneliness. The search for a place to belong, to be understood in the most intense circumstances, drives our characters to increasingly desperate places; their desire for community together with their fear of being left alone transforms into an almost animal hunger. To what lengths will people go in order to make sense of their lives? What happens to us when we are cut off from community — and what communities begin to coalesce when we form them from a place of fear? The Listeners beautifully and sensitively examines these characters, full of potential power yet steeped in loneliness, caught in the melee of a charismatic leader, and makes us question the very way we might exist in the world. by Mikhaela Mahony Welcome to The Listeners , a thrilling opera at once of its time and timeless A note on the production