The curtain rises on a massive Kappa Alpha Psi emblem as the fraternity brothers, portrayed by a troupe of dancers, make their way onto the stage. Let’s set the scene at the start of Act three. A place where many of these audience members have vociferously expressed their disdain for productions that dare to challenge them, forcing them out in lieu of safer, more tepid versions (see Willy Decker’s “Traviata”).Ī place where there would undeniably be questions over the staying power of something like “Fire Shut Up in My Bones.”īut now a place that, on the evidence of opening night, must realize that this opera “disturbed the earth” and will hopefully kick open the doors for a more diverse operatic repertory for years to come. The Met itself is in many ways ground zero for the conservative mindset – a place where a large portion of its audience clamors for tried-and-true classics while barely showing up for newer works past the opening night curiosity. Then was the added context of this opera being the first official performance at this theater since a global pandemic literally rocked the world by shutting it down.Īnd then there’s the fact that, in the context of looming social questions about race and equity we have more openly grappled with during the lockdown, opera is in a struggle with its own identity and how to move forward. Blow, was the first by a Black composer in the Met Opera’s history. Terence Blanchard and Kasi Lemmons’ opera, based on the autobiographical book by Charles M. 27, 2021, the opening of the Met Opera’s 2021-22 season.įirst up, this was a historic night.
Uttered by Charles Blow’s uncle Paul in Act one of “Fire Shut Up in My Bones,” that line means so much in the context of this work, our world, and on Sept. “You gotta disturb the earth to make it grow.”
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