Julie Taymor's New Opera Grendel Begins July 11 at Lincoln Center

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News Julie Taymor's New Opera Grendel Begins July 11 at Lincoln Center Composer Elliot Goldenthal and Tony Award-winning director Julie Taymor will open their new opera Grendel at the New York State Theatre on July 11. The show is part of the Lincoln Center Festival.

By Robert Simonson

July 11, 2006

The show is indirectly based on the classic Scandinavian epic "Beowulf" about a hero warrior and his battle against the monster Grendel.

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A Monster Tale
Lincoln Center Festival presents the New York premiere of Grendel, a new opera from composer Elliot Goldenthal and director Julie Taymor, starting July 11

According to press notes, "John Gardner's 1971 novel, 'Grendel,' approached the classic story from the monster's point of view. Estranged from nature and outcast from the world of men, Grendel is a passionate thinker trapped in the body of a beast who struggles with his own existential conflicts and observations about humanity and about himself." It is Gardner's book that serves as inspiration for the new opera. J. D. McClatchy and Taymor are co-librettists on the piece, which uses Taymor's typical mix of projections, puppetry and masks.

Taymor won a Tony Award for her direction of The Lion King. Her other theatre works include The Green Bird and Juan Darien.

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