Two distinctly American voices, writer Allen Ginsberg and composer Philip Glass, combine their talents in this innovative, multidisciplinary piece exploring American life from the 1950s through the 1980s. The opera features Ginsberg's highly personal poems and his reflections on the anti-war movement, the sexual revolution, drugs, Eastern philosophy, and environmental awareness set to Glass's music and presented by an ensemble cast and unique chamber orchestra. Hydrogen Jukebox will be sung in English with English supertitles.
Music by Philip Glass
Libretto by Allen Ginsberg
Directed by Nathan Troup
Conducted by Ryan Turner (M.M. '98, musical theater)
This performance has been selected as part of Boston Conservatory at Berklee's 2018–2019 Center Stage collection. Learn more about Center Stage and view all Center Stage performances.
LISTEN: Hydrogen Jukebox director Nathan Troup shares his vision for adapting Philip Glass and Allen Ginseberg' experimental opera collaboration for today's audience.
About the Production Staff
Don Curioso, Production Manager
Bruno Baker, Assistant Stage Director
Harrison Pearse Burke, Assistant Production Manager
Bethany Rachel Weed, Stage Manager
Andrew Chandler, Technical Director
Jesse Washburn, Assistant Technical Director
Audrey Kimball, Zack Box Technical Director/Mainstage
Jonathan Rooney, Lead Technician
Victoria Sweetser, Stage Supervisor
Collin Barnum, Lighting Supervisor
Phil Roberson, A1/ Sound Supervisor
Alec Long, Videographer
Rebecca Shannon Butler, Props Manager
Amanda Feeley, Costume Shop Manager
Emily White, Assistant Costume Shop Manager
READ: Five Things You Didn't Know About 'Hydrogen Jukebox'
What happens when the forces of two American innovators combine? You get Hydrogen Jukebox, an intimate and powerful portrait depicting a young nation’s struggle to find its identity. Through Ginsberg’s anti-establishment, philosophical poetry and Glass’s signature minimalist music, Hydrogen Jukebox—titled after a line in Ginsberg’s poem "Howl"—tells a poignant American story that reminds us our past is never too far behind.
Click here to read more about Hydrogen Jukebox.
