The Fly is an opera in two acts by Canadian composer Howard Shore, with a libretto by David Henry Hwang. It was commissioned by the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France, where it premiered on 2 July 2008, and by Edgar Baitzel, then director of the Los Angeles Opera, where the opera was first performed on 7 September 2008. The work was broadcast by Radio France's station France Musique on 2 August 2008.

The opera is loosely based on David Cronenberg's 1986 film The Fly, which was based on the short story of the same name by George Langelaan. Shore also wrote the musically unrelated score of that film.

Roles

RoleVoice typePremiere cast, 2 July 2008 Conductor: Plácido Domingo
Seth Brundle (The Fly), scientistbass-baritoneDaniel Okulitch
Veronica Quaife, journalistmezzo-sopranoRuxandra Donose
Stathis Borans, editortenorDavid Curry in Paris Gary Lehman in Los Angeles
Officer/Medical Analyst/Cheeversmezzo-sopranoBeth Clayton
MarkytenorJay Hunter Morris
Scientist #1mezzo-sopranoSophie van de Woestyne in Paris Silvia Vasquez in Los Angeles
Scientist #2baritoneJean-Gabriel Saint-Martin in Paris Nicholas Hartley in Los Angeles
Scientist #3mezzo-sopranoLouise Callinan in Paris Anna Jablonski in Los Angeles
Scientist #4baritoneFrederic Goncalves in Paris Matthew Moore in Los Angeles
Scientist #5baritoneLuc Lalonde in Paris Andrew Wilkowske in Los Angeles
DirectorDavid Cronenberg
Set designerDante Ferretti
Costume designerDenise Cronenberg
Lighting designerA.J. Weissbard
Associate conductor/Chorus masterGrant Gershon
Makeup and creature designStephan L. Dupuis
Makeup, creature and puppet fabricationMark A. Rappaport's Creature Effects, Inc.

The opera runs approximately two hours.

External links

  • . Los Angeles Opera. 2008. Archived from on 4 July 2008.
  • (in French). Théâtre du Châtelet. 2008.
  • Davies, Lizzy (3 July 2008). . The Guardian. Archived from on April 22, 2010. (a review)