Chicago Opera Theater - Chicago
29 March 2024

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Performance reviews

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Book of Mountains and Seas

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 3

"Book of the Mountains and Seas" is dull and slow
31 Jan 24 / Hyde Park Herald
An austere rendition of Chinese mythology
31 Jan 24 / Splash Magazines
COT’s “Book of Mountains and Seas” provides a unique theatrical experience but it’s not opera, Doc
31 Jan 24 / Classical Review
The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 2

‘Alan Turing’ opera captures the tortured private life of a British genius
29 Mar 23 / WTTW
Lush contemporary music blends with metaphysics and science in The Life and Death[s] of Alan Turing by Chicago Opera Theater
26 Mar 23 / Third Coast Review
Krol Roger

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 3

Reason versus passion
24 Nov 22 / ConcertoNet (English)
King Roger makes a spellbinding premiere at Harris Theater
24 Nov 22 / Third Coast Review
'King Roger' rules at Chicago Opera Theater
24 Nov 22 / Hyde Park Herald
Quamino's Map

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 2

‘Quamino’s Map’ turns a largely forgotten episode into a memorable opera
25 Apr 22 / Chicago Sun-Times
COT’s “Quamino” premiere an uplifting tale undone by weak libretto and music
25 Apr 22 / Classical Review
Becoming Santa Claus

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 1

Imagining Santa Claus’ childhood in a Chicago Opera Theater production
14 Dec 21 / WTTW
Carmen

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 2

Risking all for opera - a gloomy Macbeth, a gender-bent Carmen
22 Sep 21 / Chicago Reader
Mezzo-sopranos square off, one as Carmen; the other (in russet beard) is, yup, Don José
20 Sep 21 / Chicago on the Aisle
La hija de Rappaccini

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 2

Gothic psychodrama at the Field Museum
27 Apr 21 / Bachtrack
Daniel Catán’s music soars in COT’s “Rappaccini” premiere
26 Apr 21 / Classical Review
Taking Up Serpents

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 3

Chicago Opera Theater’s scorching ‘Taking Up Serpents’ captures America’s Pentecostal fervor
3 Mar 21 / WTTW
In ‘Taking Up Serpents’ a young woman tries to escape a snake-loving father
2 Mar 21 / Chicago Tribune
COT’s offbeat “Taking Up Serpents” gives notice of a talented new composer
1 Mar 21 / Classical Review
The Transformation of Jane Doe

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 1

‘Jane Doe' a virtual success with an intense story of ambition
17 Sep 20 / Chicago Tribune
Freedom Ride

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 3

A triumph of art and history
12 Feb 20 / WTTW
‘Freedom Ride’ illuminates a battle for civil rights
10 Feb 20 / Chicago Tribune
COT’s trivial “Freedom Ride” reduces Civil Rights heroes to soap opera cliches
10 Feb 20 / Classical Review
Everest

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 4

Chicago Opera Theater captures extreme passions in pair of life-and-death one-acts
22 Nov 19 / WTTW
Conquering Everest and Aleko: Chicago Opera Theater's bold study of contrasts
21 Nov 19 / Bachtrack
On a bountiful opera weekend, Chicago Opera Theater climbs a peak
20 Nov 19 / Chicago Reader
Chicago Opera Theater scales the heights with “Everest,” “Aleko”
18 Nov 19 / Classical Review
Aleko

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 4

Chicago Opera Theater captures extreme passions in pair of life-and-death one-acts
22 Nov 19 / WTTW
Conquering Everest and Aleko: Chicago Opera Theater's bold study of contrasts
21 Nov 19 / Bachtrack
On a bountiful opera weekend, Chicago Opera Theater climbs a peak
20 Nov 19 / Chicago Reader
Chicago Opera Theater scales the heights with “Everest,” “Aleko”
18 Nov 19 / Classical Review
Moby-Dick

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 6

This superb ‘Moby-Dick’ is a defining point in Chicago Opera Theater’s history
27 Apr 19 / Chicago Sun-Times
Riding the waves of madness and sanity in opera version of ‘Moby-Dick’
27 Apr 19 / WTTW
Chicago Opera Theater's Moby-Dick is well worth chasing down
27 Apr 19 / Chicago Reader
COT wraps season in epic fashion with Heggie’s majestic “Moby-Dick”
27 Apr 19 / Classical Review
A slightly flawed but still mighty 'Moby-Dick'
27 Apr 19 / Chicago Tribune
Dramatic opera on the high seas
27 Apr 19 / Hyde Park Herald
The Scarlet Ibis

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 4

Conflict of brotherly love, honed to lyric pitch
2 Mar 19 / Chicago on the Aisle
Tough and tender opera conjures boy out of place
23 Feb 19 / Classical Voice North America
A small story soars in this new opera
20 Feb 19 / Stage and Cinema
COT brings an affecting family tale to compelling life with “The Scarlet Ibis”
18 Feb 19 / Classical Review
Iolanta

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 3

In jewel-box setting, Chicago Opera Theater polishes rare Tchaikovsky treasure ‘Iolanta’
20 Nov 18 / Chicago on the Aisle
COT illuminates “Iolanta” with ardent vocalism, rich Russian flavor
13 Nov 18 / Classical Review
An impassioned 'Iolanta' at Chicago Opera Theater
13 Nov 18 / Chicago Tribune
Rita

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 5

Donizetti double bill is a masterclass in composition
26 Apr 18 / OperaWire
Donizetti’s Il Pigmalione and Rita demonstrate two versions of love
21 Apr 18 / Chicago Reader
COT closes season with uneven Donizetti double bill
18 Apr 18 / Classical Review
Chicago Opera Theater brings flair to comic, serious Donizetti one-acters
18 Apr 18 / Chicago Tribune
A double-bill of Donizetti pays worthy homage to his genius
18 Apr 18 / OperaWire
Il Pigmalione

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 5

Donizetti double bill is a masterclass in composition
26 Apr 18 / OperaWire
Donizetti’s Il Pigmalione and Rita demonstrate two versions of love
21 Apr 18 / Chicago Reader
COT closes season with uneven Donizetti double bill
18 Apr 18 / Classical Review
Chicago Opera Theater brings flair to comic, serious Donizetti one-acters
18 Apr 18 / Chicago Tribune
A double-bill of Donizetti pays worthy homage to his genius
18 Apr 18 / OperaWire
Elizabeth Cree

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 4

A masterpiece hits the stage in potent fashion
15 Feb 18 / OperaWire
Chicago Opera Theater’s gory and good Elizabeth Cree
14 Feb 18 / Chicago Reader
Victorian murder mystery
14 Feb 18 / Bachtrack
Chicago Opera Theater's 'Elizabeth Cree' is a bloody good show
12 Feb 18 / Chicago Tribune
The Consul

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 3

Menotti’s opera given harrowing production featuring Patricia Racette
7 Nov 17 / OperaWire
COT wraps Mitisek era on a high note as Racette soars in Menotti’s powerful “Consul”
6 Nov 17 / Classical Review
Racette's searing performance elevates melodramatic hokum of COT's 'The Consul'
6 Nov 17 / Chicago Tribune
The Perfect American

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 2

“The Perfect American:” an imperfect opera
27 Apr 17 / Hyde Park Herald
A darker Walt Disney conjured in 'The Perfect American'
24 Apr 17 / Chicago Tribune
The Invention of Morel

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 2

A brilliant piece of musical surrealism
20 Feb 17 / Chicago Tribune
Blind love and immortality haunt ‘The Invention of Morel’
20 Feb 17 / Chicago Sun-Times
The Fairy Queen

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 2

COT's 'Fairy Queen' transplants Purcell's baroque masque to Sin City
8 Nov 16 / Chicago Tribune
Purcell’s music, likable cast win out over theatrical excess in COT’s Sin City “Fairy Queen”
8 Nov 16 / Chicago Classical Review
Le vin herbé

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 2

Opera Theater's 'Love Potion' casts a haunting spell
2 Oct 16 / Chicago Tribune
Chicago Opera Theater makes a case for Martin’s austere “Le vin herbé”
2 Oct 16 / Chicago Classical Review
Dido and Aeneas

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 3

In music and movement, Mark Morris troupe touches tangled hearts of ‘Dido and Aeneas’
13 Apr 16 / Chicago on the Aisle
After 27 years, Mark Morris' 'Dido and Aeneas' only gains in force
13 Apr 16 / Chicago Tribune
Dido and Aeneas at the revamped Harris Theater
13 Apr 16 / Chicago Reader
La voix humaine

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 3

Two contrasting views of human desperation
11 Feb 16 / Opera News
Patricia Racette lifts COT double bill of comic, tragic rarities
10 Feb 16 / Chicago Tribune
A damned good pairing
10 Feb 16 / Stage and Cinema
Gianni Schicchi

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 3

Two contrasting views of human desperation
11 Feb 16 / Opera News
Patricia Racette lifts COT double bill of comic, tragic rarities
10 Feb 16 / Chicago Tribune
A damned good pairing
10 Feb 16 / Stage and Cinema
Lucio Silla

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 3

Not much to look at, but starkly effective
27 Sep 15 / Chicago Tribune
Highly relevant, musically riveting, and a boon for Chicago’s opera lovers
27 Sep 15 / Newcity Stage
Singers provide fleeting pleasures in COT’s trashy revisionist “Lucio"
25 Sep 15 / Chicago Classical Review
A Coffin in Egypt

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 2

COT's 'Coffin' a moving star vehicle for von Stade
27 Apr 15 / Chicago Tribune
A radiant von Stade can’t raise COT’s “Coffin in Egypt”
27 Apr 15 / Chicago Classical Review
Frederica von Stade
Famous trouser roles folded away, opera star von Stade channels a queen of Egypt (Texas).
Thérèse Raquin

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 4

Operatic passion at heart of COT’s ‘Therese Raquin’
25 Feb 15 / The Beverly Review
COT delivers effective staging of Picker’s compelling “Thérèse Raquin”
25 Feb 15 / Chicago Classical Review
Emotionally potent 'Therese Raquin' at Chicago Opera Theater
25 Feb 15 / Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Opera Theater's Thérèse Raquin is pretty grim—simulated cunnilingus and all
24 Feb 15 / Chicago Reader
Macbeth

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 5

COT's heated, in-your-face Macbeth
18 Sep 14 / Chicago Reader
Chicago Opera Theater buffs up neglected jewel in high-tech staging of Bloch’s grand ‘Macbeth’
18 Sep 14 / Chicago on the Aisle
The opera is a welcome discovery indeed
15 Sep 14 / Chicago Tribune
COT’s worthy revival of Bloch’s “Macbeth” undone by distracting video and unkind cuts
15 Sep 14 / Chicago Classical Review
The music serves Shakespeare in Bloch's seldom heard 'Macbeth'
15 Sep 14 / Chicago Sun-Times
Die Kluge

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 4

Watercolor Prisons: The Emperor of Atlantis and The Clever One
6 Jun 14 / Bachtrack
Chicago Opera Theater double bill jarring but effective
2 Jun 14 / Chicago Sun-Times
COT stages two political satires crafted under Nazis
2 Jun 14 / Chicago Tribune
Soprano lifts COT’s uneven double bill of wartime works
2 Jun 14 / Chicago Classical Review
Der Kaiser von Atlantis

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 4

Watercolor Prisons: The Emperor of Atlantis and The Clever One
6 Jun 14 / Bachtrack
Chicago Opera Theater double bill jarring but effective
2 Jun 14 / Chicago Sun-Times
COT stages two political satires crafted under Nazis
2 Jun 14 / Chicago Tribune
Soprano lifts COT’s uneven double bill of wartime works
2 Jun 14 / Chicago Classical Review
Queenie Pie

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 3

Ellington left his ‘Queenie Pie’ dream in scraps, and COT bucks odds in bid to make it whole
24 Feb 14 / Chicago on the Aisle
Limitations of ‘Queenie Pie’ and its stars magnified in lavish COT production
17 Feb 14 / Chicago Sun-Times
Even with Duke Ellington’s music, COT’s “Queenie Pie” is barely skin deep
17 Feb 14 / Chicago Classical Review
Queenie Pie performances rescheduled
Chicago Opera Theater reschedules all performances of Queenie Pie After Harris Center fire.
Orpheus and Euridice

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 3

COT shines shimmering modern light on ancient myth
4 Nov 13 / Chicago Tribune
To improve ‘Orpheus & Euridice,’ just add water
4 Nov 13 / Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Opera Theater goes audaciously aquatic with “Orpheus”
4 Nov 13 / Chicago Classical Review
Giovanna d'Arco

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 5

A chapter from history (well, not really)
16 Oct 13 / Splash Magazines
Muddling the stakes, Chicago Opera Theater drives one through the heart of Verdi’s ‘Joan’
1 Oct 13 / Chicago on the Aisle
Flashy, shocking reworking of the legend
29 Sep 13 / Chicago Now
Opera Theater's 'Joan of Arc' yields mixed results
23 Sep 13 / Chicago Tribune
COT’s disastrous Regie production burns Verdi and “Joan of Arc”
23 Sep 13 / Chicago Classical Review
Maria de Buenos Aires

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 4

COT's 'Maria de Buenos Aires' explores e resilient human spirit
1 May 13 / The Examiner
COT’s revamped “Maria” makes for brilliant and audacious theater
26 Apr 13 / Chicago Classical Review
Chicago Opera Theater, Luna Negra Dance team for rarely staged tango opera
23 Apr 13 / Chicago Sun-Times
COT's 'Maria de Buenos Aires' a dark tango with history
22 Apr 13 / Chicago Tribune
The Fall of the House of Usher

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 4

This old ‘House’ a bit shaky as multi-Mitisek ushers in COT regime with goth Philip Glass
28 Feb 13 / Chicago on the Aisle
Cazan's reinterpretation works at heightening the drama
28 Feb 13 / Windy City Times
Chicago Opera Theater steps through a Glass, darkly
26 Feb 13 / Chicago Tribune
Chicago Opera Theater opens season with a mixed local debut for Glass’s “Usher”
26 Feb 13 / Classical Review
Die Zauberflöte

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 4

Thoughtfully modern production keeps this classic engaging
18 Sep 12 / Chicago Now
A superb young cast sparks COT’s eclectic “Magic Flute”
17 Sep 12 / Chicago Classical Review
Chicago Opera Theater proves ‘Magic Flute’ isn’t totally played out
17 Sep 12 / Chicago Sun-Times
Dickie era at COT ends with minimalist Mozart
17 Sep 12 / Chicago Tribune
Teseo

Chicago Opera Theater


No. of reviews: 6

Chicago Opera Theater does Teseo
28 Apr 12 / Chicago Reader
Love conquers all at the Chicago Opera Theater
26 Apr 12 / Bachtrack
Handel’s early vengeance opera ‘Teseo’ shines amid Chicago Opera Theater’s vocal splendors
26 Apr 12 / Chicago on the Aisle
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Performance schedule
Perry
27 Apr 2024
Heggie
25 to 26 May 2024

News & Articles

Chicago Opera Theater Music Director steps down
The Board of Directors of Chicago Opera Theater has announced that Lidiya Yankovskaya will step down from her position as Morse and Genius Music Director at the end of the company’s 2023-24 50th Anniversary season.
25 Oct 2023 / OperaWire
Chicago Opera Theater cancels ‘Platée’ production
The opera was set to take place in Spring 2024, but due to financial challenges, the organization opted for the decision to cancel the production.
15 Aug 2023 / OperaWire
Chicago Opera Theater names Lawrence Edelson as new General Director
Edelson will begin his duties beginning July 1, 2023, taking the reins from Interim General Director Meaghan Stainback Smallwood.
13 May 2023 / Broadway World
Chicago Opera Theater announces 50th Anniversary season
COT reflects on first 50 years with a season of six works- all Chicago Premieres- and featuring the company's signature combination of vital new works, and more.
22 Apr 2023 / Broadway World
Chicago Opera Theater General Director to leave
The Board of Directors of Chicago Opera Theater announced it will launch a national search to replace Ashley Magnus, who departs the company effective Friday, March 3, 2023.
1 Feb 2023 / OperaWire