The Everyman’s presentation of the world premiere production of the brand new opera by John O’Brien, inspired by Oscar Wilde’s timeless story, The Nightingale and the Rose, has been a huge hit, receiving rapturous applause from a packed audience after each performance at The Everyman theatre in Cork. It now travels to The Civic Theatre in Tallaght and The Lime Tree Theatre in Limerick.
This is a tale of unrequited love, radical transformation and extraordinary sacrifice. Exploring the relationship between love and art, we follow the story of the Nightingale, whose only wish is to bring beauty and love into the world, even at the ultimate price. Director and composer John O’Brien says: “The story asks questions about the nature of love and art. Is art worth anything? I want the audience to care, to bring them in, and to share a beautiful experience. The characters lend themselves to a wild, inventive theatrical production and the story is so perfectly metaphoric for the experience of being an artist, and exploring how we feel about art in Ireland today.”
Composed and directed by John O’Brien, libretto by John O’Brien and Éadaoin O’Donoghue, and starring Kim Sheehan, Majella Cullagh, and Owen Gilhooly. It is a highly inventive new work, featuring singers, musician-actors, dancers and actors brought to you by the critically and popularly acclaimed team whose previous productions include Faust, Der Vampyr, Orpheus and the award-winning Pagliacci.