Being trapped in an elevator for 81 hours is the premise of Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre’s season opener, "Stuck Elevator." At the center of the story is an undocumented Chinese immigrant fearing deportation, so he chooses to wait for rescue instead of hitting the help button.
First created over a decade ago by composer Byron Au Yong, the piece ended up forgotten in a drawer. When Nashville Opera CEO and Artistic Director John Hoomes caught wind of the piece through a mutual friend, the story intrigued him so much that he contacted Au Yong, and they worked together to stage it for the Nashville Opera. It morphed into a comic, rap, scrap, metal opera.
After last year’s successful Nashville run, Hoomes was invited by Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre to direct the opera's Hawaiʻi premiere. The dramedy-rap-opera is sung in English, Mandarin and Spanish, with English and Chinese supertitles. HPR talked to Hoomes to learn more about the story behind the performance.
Performances are scheduled for Oct. 18 and 20 at the Neal Blaisdell Arena. The public is also invited to take part in both pre-concert and post-show talks. For more information, click here.
This interview aired on The Conversation on Oct. 16, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
