![MICHAEL KORIE headshot](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/MICHAEL_KORIE_headshot.jpg)
''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 ...
by
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.
Further reading
*Allbright, William (26 May 1989)
"Houston's Campy, Pop ''Where's Dick?''" ''
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 21 September 2012.
*Heymont, George (3 July 1989). "The chase is on"
''Out Week'' No. 2, pp. 53 and 76. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
*
Holland, Bernard
Bernard Holland (born 1933) is an American music critic. He served on the staff of ''The New York Times'' from 1981 until 2008 and held the post of chief music critic from 1995, contributing 4,575 articles to the newspaper. He then became the Nati ...
(4 June 1989)
"Seeking A Phantom Dick Tracy" ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
''. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
*
Rosenberg, Donald (7 June 1990)
"'Kabbalah' explores mystical side of Judaism" ''
The Pittsburgh Press''. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
*Ward, Charles (21 May 1989)
"Comic-strip swipe at American culture: ''Where's Dick?'' employs popular music, novel storytelling techniques" ''
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!" ''
Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
''
{{Authority control
1987 operas
English-language operas
Operas
Operas by Stewart Wallace
Operas set in the United States
Operas set in the 20th century