Cupid & Death: An English Masque
Tuesday, February 13, 2024
07:30 PM - 09:30 PM
Blackfriars Playhouse
Blackfriars Playhouse, South Market Street, Staunton, VA, USA
ONLINE TICKET SALES FOR THIS PERFORMANCE HAVE NOW ENDED. TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR STARTING AT 7PM.
What happens when Cupid and Death accidentally exchange arrows? In the 1653 English masque Cupid & Death, librettist James Shirley takes a comedic approach to this twisted plot, with Cupid unwittingly killing young lovers and Death mistakenly causing the elderly and warriors to fall in love. They are joined in this humorous farce by Folly, Madness, Despair, Nature, and Mercury, along with a few mortal humans and apes. The music for this masque comes from a venerable pair of Baroque composers, Matthew Locke and Christopher Gibbons. Early Music Access Project brings this rarely heard work to the iconic Blackfriars Playhouse stage just in time for Valentine's Day.
What's a masque? We're glad you asked! This festive courtly entertainment was popular in England in the 16th and 17th centuries. It's like an opera in that you'll find lots of vocal and instrumental music, dancing, and fascinating plot twists. But there's always quite a bit of spoken dialogue and the baroque-era performances featured courtiers participating alongside professional musicians, two things not usually found in opera productions.
Alyssa Weathersby, stage director & soprano
Julie Bosworth, soprano
Sylvia Leith, mezzo-soprano
Corey Shotwell, tenor
Harrison Hintzsche, baritone
David McCormick, artistic director & baroque violin
Ben Matus, music director & recorders
Caroline Nicolas, baroque cello
Jennifer Streeter, harpsichord
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