From Jack Perla and librettist Jeff Goodby comes a groundbreaking new collaboration inspired by the life (and death) of the legendary pop artist Andy Warhol, starring internationally renowned countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo as Andy, and featuring the Grammy Award winning Kronos Quartet.
The story follows the many complex relationships around Warhol, but three in particular — his life with Lou Reed, Edie Sedgwick, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. The piece also explores the flimsiness of fame, the ephemerality of taste, and the fine line between collaboration and exploitation. Along the way, we encounter Andy’s infatuation with Truman Capote, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, JFK, Andy’s mother Julia, and the world of Big Art. In the end, Andy’s Faustian bargain with art and fame leaves him alone, resented, eventually shot by a disgruntled associate. We follow him into death and even after death, where we find him openly offering thanks and seeking redemption.
This genre bending work features several screens showing archival video, subtitles, words, and documents. Part rock and part opera, this ensemble features a rock band and string quartet, with supporting vocalists and actors in minimalist attire, highlighted by a multimedia-driven score that speaks to Andy Warhol’s life and work.
More information about this upcoming project here.