January 25, 2010
Golden Age @ the Suzanne Roberts Theatre
Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Photo by G. Widman for GPTMC
You can’t blame the Philadelphia Theatre Company if it has high hopes for Golden Age, a new play penned by Terrence McNally focused on the world of opera.
After all, PTC presented the world premier of Master Class, another work by McNally that revolved around the opera scene. That show went on to win three Tony Awards, including one for best play.
With Golden Age the playwright takes a trip back in time, to imagine the backstage goings on at the Théâtre-Italien in Paris for the 1835 premiere of Vincenzo Bellini’s I Puritani. A discerning audience sits on one side of the curtain, while on the other side there’s the composer, his best friend Francesco, plus four renowned opera singers. Bellini is excited about his latest creation, written especially for this powerhouse quartet. He wants I Puritani to help him, once and for all win, the hearts of the French opera crowd over composer Gaetano Donizetti. The two are fierce rivals and this production is to be Bellini’s greatest triumph.
Add that tension to having four opera stars in close quarters — hey, they’re known to be histrionic — and you’re bound to get high drama.
Golden Age
January 22 through February 21, 2010
Suzanne Roberts Theatre
480 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146
(215) 985-0420
www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org
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