The new piece — which combines opera and poetry with original live music, projected films and images, collages of spoken text and pre-recorded soundscapes — was conceived and directed by Michael Comlish and is based on the book of the same name by poet Anna Rabinowitz. According to press notes, Rabinowitz’s book was inspired by a shoebox filled with old letters and photos, which she found on a shelf in her parents home. Haunted by the materials, she began to write poems based on them. Comlish took the book and shaped it into a stage piece that he hopes will "convey the fragmentary nature of memory and the impact of loss."
"Darkling did not start out as a work I thought of in theatrical terms," said Rabinowitz in a statement, "but nothing could be more dramatic than the ways in which Michael has embodied those voices and faces I encountered in the shoebox. I believe that nothing is more dramatic than life itself, and this production honors life by retrieving the dead."
Tickets are $30-$45. Call (212) 279-4200.