Organization

Singer

Baritone

Gordon Hawkins

The Reverend

Stage director

Tazewell Thompson

Conductor

Chelsea Tipton II

Tenor

Darius Gillard

The Son

Mezzo-soprano

Aundi Marie Moore

The Mother

Bass

Kenneth Kellogg

The Father

Lighting designer

Robert Wierzel

Video designer

Rasean Davonte Johnson

Makeup artist

Alina Dunbar

Hairstylist

Soprano

Sashekia Brown

Girlfriend 1/Nurse/Congregant 1

Kayla Oderah

Girlfriend 2/Congregant 2

Kaswanna Kanyinda

Girlfriend 3/Congregant 3

Tyrese Byrd

Policeman 1/Congregant 1

Ernest Jackson

Policeman 2/Congregant 2

Clayton Mathews

Policeman 3/Congregant 3

Toledo Opera

Orchestra

Toledo Opera Orchestra

Blue

Toledo

United States

Valentine Theatre

Blue Tesori

Public

Approved

An African American couple in Harlem anticipates the birth of their firstborn, a son, with both hope and fear. As the baby grows into a young man, the mother worries for his future, and the father tries to prepare his son for the realities of 21st century America, while wrestling with his own identity as a police officer, a "Black man in blue." When their deepest fears come true, the family is forced to navigate a devastating reality seeking answers and support from their church and community. Toledo Opera presents the Tony Award®–winning composer Jeanine Tesori and NAACP Theatre Award–winning librettist Tazewell Thompson’s new opera inspired by contemporary events and Black literature. Influenced by gospel music and using vivid flashbacks, Blue places timely issues at the forefront of modern opera and invites audiences to the emotional epicenter of their impact. Chelsea Tipton, II returns to Toledo to conduct the opera and librettist Tazewell Thompson serves as the stage director.

English

Blue by Tesori, From (2022/2022), Directed by Tazewell Thompson,, Conductor Chelsea Tipton II, Valentine Theatre, Toledo, United States

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew

Ensemble

Program, About & Synopsis

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues