AMERICAN APOLLO
Composed by: Damien Geter
Libretto by: Lila Palmer
Directed by: Shaun Patrick Tubbs
Des Moines Metro Opera - 2024
Conducted by: David Neely
Set by: Steven C. Kemp
Lighting by: Bridget Williams
Costumes by: Jacob Climer
Wigs + Make-Up: Brittany Rappise
Movement by: Leah Tubbs
*Available to rent
“What an “occasion” it was with lectures, receptions, meet and greets, and even a VIP guest in attendance who is Thomas Eugene McKeller’s sole surviving relative. The whole project resonated with artistic excellence, important social commentary, awesome commitment, and abundant community pride in this eventful World Premiere. It is a testament to the power of the message of love and inclusion, and the quality of the talent involved, that when the stage lights dimmed at the end of the performance, the SRO audience rose as one in the dark, and didn’t wait a moment to launch into a teary-eyed roar of approval that grew into a prolonged, emotional ovation. An “occasion,” indeed, and one to be treasured.”
James Sohre
Opera Today“Director Shaun Patrick Tubbs and scenic designer Steven C. Kemp made good use of the Blank Performing Arts Center’s eccentric stage (it has a hole in the middle through which the orchestra can be glimpsed). Sargent’s studio occupied the front area; most of the other scenes took place upstage. Reproductions of Sargent’s paintings established the studio scenes and provided a dramatic final reveal: After the artist’s death, McKeller uncovers the powerful nude portrait of the model as himself (it is now in the MFA),and his doubts vanish.”
Heidi Waleson
Wall Street Journal
