THE ABDUCTION FROM THE SERAGLIO

Composed by: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Original text by: Christoph Friedrich Bretzner
Adapted by: Gottlieb Stephanie
Directed by: Alison Moritz
Lyric Opera of Kansas City | New Orleans Opera | Opera Omaha - 2020

Conducted by: Michael Christie
Set + Projections by: Steven C. Kemp
Lighting by: Anshuman Bhatia
Costumes by: Mary Traylor

*Available to rent

"Stage director Alison Moritz and her design team are to be applauded for their whimsical reinterpretation of The Abduction from the Seraglio, which they have set not in an 18th-century Turkish palace-harem but in a 1940s Los Angeles nightclub…Steven C. Kemp’s ingenious set design comes into play here: It is essentially a massive, rotating rectangular “block.” On one side is the glitzy nightclub, lit with subtle, inventive shading by lighting designer Anshuman Bhatia, and when the slab rotates 180 degrees it reveals Konstanze’s dressing room. The ends of the “slab” are used as well: On one end is a fire escape from which the ladies will be “re-abducted,” and on the other is Selim’s plush “casting couch.” "
Paul Horsley
The Independent
“Lyric Opera of Kansas City makes “The Abduction from the Seraglio”—a story about love, about pride and about power—into a captivating rom-com set in the seedy back alleys of Hollywood. It’s a smart remake, originally for New Orleans Opera, directed by Alison Moritz. These timeless elements translated on stage and beyond...Steven C. Kemp designed a versatile rotating set, with lighting by Anshuman Bhatia. They connected the grittier street scene with the opulence of a members-only diamonds-and-tuxedos vibe, exemplified by the elegant script of the “Seraglio” sign underscored by the pink glow of the seedier “Girls Girls Girls” emblazoned above the entrance to the club.”

Libby Hanssen
KC Studio