''Where's Dick?'' is an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

in two acts composed by

Stewart Wallace Stewart Wallace (born 1960, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American composer and cantor. Biography The son of Marsha J. Wallace and Dr. Sidney Wallace, Wallace is one of three siblings in his family. Wallace attended the University of Texas ...

. The work uses an English language

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

Michael Korie Michael Korie (born April 1, 1955) is an American librettist and lyricist whose writing for musical theater and opera includes the musicals ''Grey Gardens'' and '' Far From Heaven'', and the operas ''Harvey Milk'' and ''The Grapes of Wrath''. His ...

. The opera is satire on 1980s American life and tabloid journalism and follows the experiences of Junior ("an all-American boy") who in reaction to the crime and corruption he sees around him searches for the detective hero

Dick Tracy ''Dick Tracy'' is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy (originally Plainclothes Tracy), a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. It made its debut on Sunday, October 4, 1931, in the ''Detroit Mirror'', and it ...

. It was first performed in a workshop format by Opera Omaha on 26 September 1987. The production was led by conductor Jeff Halpern and starred Consuela Hill as Chief Blowhard,

Lauren Flanigan Lauren Flanigan (born May 18, 1958) is an American operatic soprano who has had an active international career since the 1980s. She enjoyed a particularly fruitful partnership with the New York City Opera, appearing with the company almost every y ...

as Mrs. Heimilich, and Henry Stram as Junior. The opera's first full-scale production and official premiere, with largely the same cast, was given at the Miller Outdoor Theater in Houston and was produced for

Houston Grand Opera Houston Grand Opera (HGO) is an American opera company located in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1955 by German-born impresario Walter Herbert and three local Houstonians,Giesberg, Robert I., Carl Cunningham, and Alan Rich. ''Houston Grand Opera at ...

on 24 May 1989 by its touring arm, Texas Opera Theater. HGO music director

John DeMain John DeMain is an American conductor, currently in his 29th year as music director of the Madison Symphony Orchestra in Wisconsin, as well as serving as artistic director of Madison Opera. He was music director and principal conductor of Houston ...

conducted a run of eight performances. ''Where's Dick'' was the first of Wallace's operas to be given a fully staged performance and the first collaboration between Wallace and his librettist, Michael Corrie.Swed (15 January 1995) They went on to create several more operas, including ''Kabbalah'' (1989), '' Harvey Milk'' (1995), and ''Hopper's Wife'' (1997).

References

Notes Sources * * Griffel, Margaret Ross and Fried, Adrienne (1999). "''Where's Dick''", in ''Operas in English: A Dictionary'', p. 650.

Greenwood Press Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. (GPG), also known as ABC-Clio/Greenwood (stylized ABC-CLIO/Greenwood), is an educational and academic publisher (middle school through university level) which is today part of ABC-Clio. Established in 1967 as Gr ...

. *Swed, Mark (15 January 1995)
"A Life Custom-Made for Opera"
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

''. Retrieved 23 September 2012. *Ward, Charles (26 May 1989)
"''Where's Dick?'' loses track of its purpose"
''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...

''. Retrieved 21 September 2012.

External links

Where's Dick? at www.stewartwallace.com
(audio samples and production photos)

at

Schott Music Schott Music () is one of the oldest German music publishers. It is also one of the largest music publishing houses in Europe, and is the second oldest music publisher after Breitkopf & Härtel. The company headquarters of Schott Music were fou ...

(roles list and instrumentation) *Heymont, George (21 September 2010)
"Two Operas You'll ''Never'' See Performed at the Met!"
''

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'' {{Authority control 1987 operas English-language operas Operas Operas by Stewart Wallace Operas set in the United States Operas set in the 20th century

References

Further reading

External links