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By Dennis Lynch
Brooklyn Daily
It is a literal space opera!A young man with stellar ambition reaches for the stars in an opera launching at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on Jan. 28. And you can forget about fat ladies and viking helmets, because “The Astronaut’s Tale” boldly goes where no opera has gone before, said its stage director.
“ ‘The Astronaut’s Tale’ is a multimedia piece — we have an actor, three singers, a very exciting percussive orchestra, and gorgeous projections of outer space on three surfaces that create a multidimensional visual effect,” said Nancy Rhodes.
Fort Greene’s Encompass New Opera Theatre is the first company to perform the family-friendly production by the late librettist and actor Jack Larson in its entirety. The production clocks in at just over an hour — perfect for young space junkies — but “really packs a wallop,” Rhodes said.
“There’s a fantastic rocket launch at the climax of the opera,” she said. “The way we planned it, it should be an interesting and exciting moment.”
The opera traces the life of a young man named Abel, from his days as a 13-year-old stargazer through journey as an adult sitting in a tin can, high above the world.
Larson worked closely with scientists at the California Institute of Technology to make sure the science in “The Astronaut’s Tale” was sound, but Abel’s journey also has a mystical element. Abel’s religious upbringing clashes with his scientific lessons, but the boy learns to reconcile the two on his journey to the heavens.
Larson planned to come to Brooklyn to see the production, but the 87-year-old died in December. Rhodes says that the play’s examination of life, death, and the afterlife is all the more poignant now that its creator has passed on.
“In addition to being an actor, Jack was a poet and a philosopher, he always said he put everything he knew into this opera,” she said. “He addresses biblical and philosophical ideas, but nobody’s made to feel the fool. All of the aspects of the afterlife come out his play. He really wrote a real, complete idea of our existence.”
Real-life astronaut Michael Massimino will attend a pre-show reception on Jan. 28. Tickets for the reception and opening show cost $125.
“The Astronaut’s Tale,” at the BAM’s Fishman Space [321 Ashland Pl. between Lafayette and Hanson places in Fort Greene, (718) 636–4100, www.bam.org]. Jan. 28–30 at 8 pm, and Jan. 30–31 at 3 pm. $20–$49 (half off for students).