Into the Wilde: Opera Philadelphia offers East Coast premiere of Oscar Wilde opera
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
The plot concerns Wilde's 1895 trial and subsequent imprisonment for the crime of homosexuality.
Heidi Stober and David Daniels in 'Oscar' at Opera Philadelphia.
Ken Howard
Ken Howard
When Opera Philadelphia hosts the East Coast premiere of Oscar — based on the life and letters of firebrand author/gay rights avatar Oscar Wilde — it does so at the urging of young countertenor David Daniels.
“Oscar was composed specifically for me after discussing the possibility with the composer, Theodore Morrison, my choral professor at the University of Michigan,” says the singer. The work was co-commissioned by Opera Philadelphia and Santa Fe Opera (which debuted the show in 2013). The plot concerns Wilde’s 1895 trial and subsequent imprisonment for the crime of homosexuality.
“Being a singer who is a gay man, performing an opera about a gay man and the first opera about gay love is a powerful thing for me,” says Daniels. “I have to tell this amazingly important story to the community, which, most likely, isn’t aware of Oscar’s imprisonment or death 115 years ago.”
Wilde, of course, remains a fascinating figure, as much for his sharp wit as his tragic life story.
“I do believe Wilde had a confidence and arrogance about him that caused him to truly believe he’d never go to prison,” says Daniels. “It’s important for me not to imitate or emulate his mannerisms but to simply tell, in the most human and honest way, the tragic story of this man’s demise.” Along with Daniels’ gloriously intense performance in the title role, Opera Philadelphia’s production of Oscar features soprano Heidi Stober and tenor William Burden as Wilde’s friends, and baritone Dwayne Croft as Walt Whitman.
Runs Feb. 6-15, $23-$249, Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad St., 215-893-3600, operaphila.org.
